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

Month: May 2026

  • Of webs and apples

    When I first came to the Netherlands I was shocked by the really extensive moth webing on several plants, which made them look as sick and neglected: not something I was very familiar with, at least in cultivated gardens. The spindle Ermine moth’s caterpillar also have a habit of hanging from threads in the webs…

  • Deformed leaves: when aphids are the culprit

    A little bit of warmth in the spring air and aphids are round the corner. Some of them feed on the underside of leaves, which causes blistering and/or deforms the leaves, so they curl up. Given as I spent some time in the last few weeks explaining red blistered and curled leaves, this post on…

  • Aphid predators

    Ladybirds and their larvae, as well as (some) hoverfly and lacewing larvae: sworn enemies of aphids and rather voracious critters – we are talking dozens to hundreds victims a day. Add to those parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs in the aphids’ bodies, turning them into shiny little golden globes, and you have an arsenal…

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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