Your question piqued my curiosity so I started googling . . . I’d love to do a column if you send me more specifics. It seems there is info available, starting with this Wikipedia entry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_of_Italy
Why thank you for even the consideration! Italy is a fantastic volcanic multi-climate nation. I stay just north of Rome and inland about 5 miles. The difficulty I have is understanding what I have been blessed with by former inhabitants (many citrus and other fruit and nut trees) and how to have a simple garden of randomly placed plants to enhance what is already here. There are even pomegranate bushes, 3, of which one is in shade and scrawny but healthy otherwise, another is a bush and invaded by ivy, and another is a giant bush-tree that seems beyond my control and nature is taking care of it! Of course nature is taking care of it all... but I don’t know how to care for so much and don’t understand the best food plants to have in this part of the globe. There are at least 10 citrus trees that make a bitter orange. Why? Another seems was grafted with a lemon tree, and now it’s like two trees in one. I use the lemons thankfully. I’m clearly overwhelmed. We had some prune trees die off, some sickness in a walnut tree we think may be saved. Do fruit and nut trees have an avg life span? Our lone cherry tree seems invaded by ants on one large old branch, and only part of it is flowering this year. Again, overwhelming. Thank you for listening!
Hi, Rebecca. I answered your question above in yesterday's newsletter, Why Go to an Open Garden. Doing the research on Italian native plants was challenging -- and interesting. Hope you find it helpful. I would appreciate if you'd respond on Substack.
Thanks for writing here, as when I first saw the headline of your new article, I didn't think it was about this. I don't see the subhead, in my emails, which explains that and in case you thought it was interesting. Looking forward to really digging into your article / small ebook!!! MUCH appreciation
Haha, it is something of an ebook. I really got into the research. I gave the email a more general subject to appeal to subscribers generally. (FYI, the subhead in Substack is the primary header for SEO purposes.)
Wow! That sounds both challenging and magical. It’s far outside my expertise but I’d like to try to address 1. ecological principles that apply globally, and 2. answers to your questions about very old fruit trees. Stay tuned!
Great post! Very useful--and encouraging--information.
You do wonderful work. So thorough and thoughtful.
Aw, shucks! Thank you, Charles.
Beautiful information. I wish you could advise for central west coast Italy. Any thoughts where to gather info for this climate?
Your question piqued my curiosity so I started googling . . . I’d love to do a column if you send me more specifics. It seems there is info available, starting with this Wikipedia entry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_of_Italy
Why thank you for even the consideration! Italy is a fantastic volcanic multi-climate nation. I stay just north of Rome and inland about 5 miles. The difficulty I have is understanding what I have been blessed with by former inhabitants (many citrus and other fruit and nut trees) and how to have a simple garden of randomly placed plants to enhance what is already here. There are even pomegranate bushes, 3, of which one is in shade and scrawny but healthy otherwise, another is a bush and invaded by ivy, and another is a giant bush-tree that seems beyond my control and nature is taking care of it! Of course nature is taking care of it all... but I don’t know how to care for so much and don’t understand the best food plants to have in this part of the globe. There are at least 10 citrus trees that make a bitter orange. Why? Another seems was grafted with a lemon tree, and now it’s like two trees in one. I use the lemons thankfully. I’m clearly overwhelmed. We had some prune trees die off, some sickness in a walnut tree we think may be saved. Do fruit and nut trees have an avg life span? Our lone cherry tree seems invaded by ants on one large old branch, and only part of it is flowering this year. Again, overwhelming. Thank you for listening!
Hi, Rebecca. I answered your question above in yesterday's newsletter, Why Go to an Open Garden. Doing the research on Italian native plants was challenging -- and interesting. Hope you find it helpful. I would appreciate if you'd respond on Substack.
Thanks for writing here, as when I first saw the headline of your new article, I didn't think it was about this. I don't see the subhead, in my emails, which explains that and in case you thought it was interesting. Looking forward to really digging into your article / small ebook!!! MUCH appreciation
Haha, it is something of an ebook. I really got into the research. I gave the email a more general subject to appeal to subscribers generally. (FYI, the subhead in Substack is the primary header for SEO purposes.)
Wow! That sounds both challenging and magical. It’s far outside my expertise but I’d like to try to address 1. ecological principles that apply globally, and 2. answers to your questions about very old fruit trees. Stay tuned!