Orto di Casa Cecconi

My first allotment, and then one thing leading to another…

L’orto di Casa Cecconi Plants Recipes Me & Kew One Year at Wisley

Year: 2013

  • Garlic mustard (Week 11, Wednesday)

    The front of the bed Weeding week this week, and having done with the front of a bed, I decided to step inside, behind a wall of Spiraea… where I found what I can only define as a plantation of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) aka Jack-by-the-hedge! Just behind It was actually quite something:  I had never…

  • Weeding the tree circles in the South Canal beds (Week 11, Tuesday)

    Team day, as usual, but the difference today was that we were weeding tree circles in my area: Malus, Pirus, Crataegus… I sat for a while under a large pear tree, pulling weeds from under its canopy. When I came out, my colleague went quiet and looked strange, his eyes on my back: “you have…

  • The Pagoda (Week 10, Friday)

    We visited the Pagoda today, such a symbol of Kew gardens! I remember a few years ago the Pagoda was open to the public for a short period of time and I wanted to go but then did not manage to… but today we had our very own special tour. The reason why the Pagoda…

  • Neillia (Week 10, Thursday)

    I was not familiar with the genus Neillia before I spent a whole afternoon digging ground elder from under one. That was an opportunity to become closely acquainted; I took the pictures below. There is probably a reason why I did not know Neillia, and it’s because there doesn’t seem to be much information around…

  • Lawn-mowing for beginners (Week 10, Tuesday)

    Tuesday team-working day today, we are weeding and mowing the lawn around the so-called “holly walk” – an area that has no dedicated gardener to it so is managed during team days. By the way, if you were wondering: how many gardeners in Kew? (a question several visitors ask me) The figure I got was…

  • The Palm House (Week 10, Monday)

    We had a tour of the Palm House today, one of the few remaining greenhouses that were built with wrought iron, a revolutionary technique of its time, thanks to which the arcs of metal could span more distance. It dates back to the 1840s, and sits next to the later Waterlily House that is managed…

  • Watering with a bowser (Week 9, Tuesday)

    Today I was trained in using a watering bowser, and then set off with a map of the gardens and a list of the recently planted trees to water. We only water those small trees that need to establish, generally the ones planted in the last two years. I simply loved the experience, for two…

About Me

M.Paola M.Paola, that’s me

I got my first allotment in the UK in 2007 and started gI got my first allotment in the UK in 2007 and started growing my own food. Learning as I went along was not enough, so I studied horticulture. Faced with the horticultural warfare, I became a conscientious objector: I use no chemicals and support organic principles and regulations.

Brexit gave me a new life in the Netherlands, three new plots by a nature reserve and an MSc in sustainable food systems.

I write in my personal capacity and, as a language perfectionist and a non native speaker, I keep reviewing my entries’ text for clarity.

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