The wild garden

Irises under the olive trees behind the Italian Garden

The garden has grown wilder and untamed around the edges now and even the formal courtyards have a certain flamboyance with the abundant vegetation. We sat for a while in a little courtyard yesterday out of the wind surrounded by the opulent growth of spring - the Luquat has survived the winter chill quite well and tiny Aquilegias have sprung up uninvited but a happy surprise, non the less, amongst the gravel - a memory of past cottage gardens perhaps or seeded there by birds.

The gardener is still struggling with the Italian Garden hedges this year - I think we are approaching the third week of hedge trimming! Hopefully victory will be won quite soon and the hedges tamed for another year or is it month.....? I always enjoy the sense of stillness as i enter the cool green compartments away from the gales that battered us yesterday - i noticed a crow coming in to land on the roof turning his tail to the wind and gliding the last few feet backwards in a skilled maneuver perfected by Cornish birds. But today is another day and the garden lays still and out to sea the white horses have stopped their uneasy approach to the shores

One of our winding paths creeping steadily away into the garden