La Mortella Gardens, Isola d'Ischia

[Maggi Young]

What a lovely place. I, too, have seen a television programme about La Mortells... I imagine it is the one which Hans has just seen.. I was impressed by Lady Susana, also.. a most gracious lady but also full of fun.Evidence of that in the blue pool'' inhabitants, I think!

It is extraordinary how steep the site is... I am glad I did not have to build or maintain these slopes.

[Paddy Tobin]

Onto the flowers:


Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

More flowers

[Paddy Tobin]

Continuing:

[Paddy Tobin]

Some more: Gerd should find these especially interesting.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Last of the flowers. Hope you enjoyed them and thank you for your patience and perseverence.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Wonderful, Paddy,I could comment on these flowers but I'd want to mention them all and I'd be here for days. Just delightful, a great virtual visit, thank you!

I've been thinking, you know, about all the talk of global warming and carbon footprints and suchlike..... well, I reckon this Forum is doing wonders to save the planet.... one or two folks go off on holiday and then hundreds of us get the pleasure without using any planes etc...   ....okay, a little electricity, but that's very small in the scheme of things, isn't it?

[Paddy Tobin]

Maggi,

What are you doing on the forum on your birthday night?

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Same as any night, Paddy.... enjoying the photos and chatting with chums
And making sure none of you are up to mischief, of course! 
I've had a lovely day and this is a pleasant 'night-cap', so to speak! Cheers!

[Brian Ellis]

Cheers Paddy that was
Fantastic

[Lesley Cox]

My God Paddy, what a marvellous collection - a real marathon of posting and such wonderful scenes, plants, buildings etc. I hope this fabulous place will go on and on, when the inevitable happens, in due course.

David, it IS an original, definitely, brought to NZ by my maternal grandmother in the very early 20th century, returning from one of her occasional trips "home.'' I love it dearly and wouldn't part with it for anything but I perhaps should have it valued for insurance purposes. It would fetch a much higher price in the UK (or perhaps Italy) than here in NZ. Likewise several other paintings (and a grand piano) from the same trip.

[fermi de Sousa]

Marvellous posting, Paddy!
Some Aussie gardeners are also using Bromeliads as groundcovers - mainly in the warmer areas like Sydney and Brisbane.
That Pitcher plant on the tree is fantastic!
cheers
fermi

[Gerdk]

Paddy,
Thank you once again. Not only for the Lotus pics but too for the Colocasia esculenta ' Black  Knight ' which I admired so much in the Westfalenpark and unfortunately forgot the name (no notepad as usual).

Gerd

[Paddy Tobin]

Maggi,

You certainly are the ever present on the forum and, of course, it wouldn't be the same without you.


Lesley,

Indeed it was a marathon posting. We spent the whole day in the gardens and I took over 500 photographs so I did pick and choose for you. I had wanted for ages to visit the garden and was not in the least disappointed when I did. It is a large garden but retains the feeling of being an individual's garden rather than that of a park or grand garden - hope you get my meaning. The selection of plants was absolutely fabulous, out of this world and completely different to what I could grow at home so it was a terrific experience. Hope you can place Ischia in relation to your picture from the details I gave you.

Gerd,

This was the first time I had seen lotus in the flesh and thought it was an absolutely beautiful plant. The colocasia are incredible.

Fermi,

There was one tree in the middle of the garden which was clothed in pitcher plants and stag's horn ferns. It was astonishing.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

David, it IS an original, definitely, brought to NZ by my maternal grandmother in the very early 20th century, returning from one of her occasional trips "home.'' I love it dearly and wouldn't part with it for anything but I perhaps should have it valued for insurance purposes. It would fetch a much higher price in the UK (or perhaps Italy) than here in NZ. Likewise several other paintings (and a grand piano) from the same trip.

I can understand your not wanting to part with the pictures or the grand piano Lesley, I was thinking about the car and the washing machine!