Thanks for the pictures. Would you be thinking of Iris Origo? I think she wrote several books about her life in Val D'Orcia. If I remember correctly, she lived in the area near Siena. However, I believe she was married to an Italian. Considering that my father's parents were from Collodi, I've been very remiss in not visiting the Garzoni Villa. The last time we were there, the gardens were "in restauro". By the looks of your photos, they look much better than in past years when we would peak in, and then postpone a tour for another time. We've never been to the Villa Massei, but several years ago a friend from Lucca took us to see Villa Bernardini, and another Villa near to it where an American writer lives (she wasn't home). I think they were south of Lucca, in the foothills. Last year, we finally visited the Villa Pfanner inside the walls of Lucca. Although not for me, I am beginning to appreciate how my grandparents' decorating and gardening taste and style were shaped - very formal. I would love to see Villa Massei. Glad to see that you also went to Umbria, whose reputation is "greener and prettier than Tuscany", which I suppose the Tuscans dispute. LOL.

I don't garden in your climate zone, so can't offer specific advice on what mediterranean plants will be hardy enough for your area. Firstly, Italian gardens are mediterranean climate gardens, so they are simply one form of medit garden. Medit gardens often do use hardier subtropicals for effect, but these will typically need supplemental summer irrigation to get them through the long summer dry season; up to 8 months long here in California, usually at least 6 to 7 months long in most of the Mediterranean proper. Mediterranean gardens will all typically emphasize plants adapted to this winter growing climate with a long summer dormancy period. This tends to favor evergreen trees and shrubs with foliage that is adapted to conserve moisture. As a result, we have lots of plants with waxy small leaves or grey hairy leaves, both protections against moisture loss. Succulents are actually not well represented as native plants in most true mediterranean climates, although there are many South African plants such as Aloes, Ice plants, and Agaves and Sedums from temperate parts of Mexico that are now well represented in Mediterranean climate gardens around the world. As to a style of Mediterranean garden for your climate, the Italian approach with lots of clipped hedges, a water feature, use of gravel as groundcover, and primarily evergreen trees and shrubs might be easily replicated in your local climate. Perennials such as Lavender, Rosemary and bulbs might be possible in your climate, but many will not take zone 5 conditions. The Italians are famous for growing many more tender classic plants such as Bougainvillea, Citrus, Oleanders, Gardenias, etc in beautiful terra cotta pots, which can be taken into enclosed greenhouses/conservatories for the winter. This may be an option for you as well if you have the room indoors. It would probably be more practical to try locally hardy plants that replicate the look, and will tolerate your mostly full shade conditions. As the typical mediterranean garden is usually associated with full hot sun, shaded areas in the gardens are usually reserved as retreats from the sun, and given over to patios under a grape arbor with a collection of shade tolerant container plants such as clivias, Boston ferns, Cymbidium orchids and the like. There are plenty of good photo books on Mediterranean gardening and gardens, try looking for some in your local library to get style ideas. Some of the classic plants in almost any true Mediterranean area garden would include Olives, Figs, Almonds, Myrtle, Lavenders, Phlomis, Rosemaries, Oleanders and Cistus, along with Boxwood hedges. In the mildest parts, this would also include Bougainvillea, palms, Aloes, Jasmines, Passion vines, Bird of Paradise/Strelitzia, Proteas and succulents such as Agaves, Beschornerias, Echeverias, etc.

I can echo ebse: our 1930 house has its original glass doorknobs backed by polished silver/chrome. But the little knobs on the hall closets wouldn't work in our kitchen--too small, and I don't want to push a tiny button to get out the plates. Our KD keeps saying: think classic, think simple: so I'm looking through Schoolhouse Electric and Rejuvenation and RH catalogs, and we're trying to reproduce the look of our shaker cabinets (but updated: slides and depth added). Our home, according to previous owners, had linoleum, and I love the Marmorette I've chosen. The finish carpenter wants to duplicate some of the woodwork, since we're taking out a wall and the kitchen will open into the former formal dining room. But the sticking point is this: I want SS appliances. I want those two lovely SS sinks and faucets. I had Traci's double-oven for 15 years (it finally died---it's from the 60's. It was the first GE to make a self-cleaning oven, according to the old appliance store where we purchased it back in the early 80's). So, we all make those decisions to try and reproduce the elements that remind us of "days gone by." Ellen Goodman wrote years ago about our generation building huge homes to act as perfect stages where we perform our lives...except, nobody's home, because we're all working hard to be able to pay for those big stages. Sigh. The most hospitable home I've ever been in was a tiny, nondescript ranch in So. Cal. where a tiny Japanese-American woman cooked over a gas range, in a non-A/C kitchen. The food was amazing, and always prepared with love. Best kitchen I knew. I want a prettier "stage," but I want her essence in that room. I'm working on it.

I have a few of David Austin's roses, some of which now seem hard to find. All here are own-root, and all came from Heirloom Roses. Abraham Darby -- many bemoan him, but for me he's rather nice, growing into a somewhat arching large upright shrub. For me, blooms come in a few waves rather than continuously. It will veer pink or apricot depending on the temperature. Mine gets some blackspot, but only in the lower 12". Golden Celebration -- mine got hit hard by blackspot in its first year, but now seems to have outgrown it, except for the bottom 12" or so. Blooms are gorgeous for the first flush, smaller in successive flushes. This one grows similarly to Abe, but a bit less upright and a bit more arching. Happy Child -- I heard it's "wimpy", but that worked for me where I put it. Right now, two years after arriving as a band, it's about 3' tall and almost 2' wide, with a generally upright bushy habit. Blooms heavily in the first flush, then lightly but steadily through Summer, with another big Autumn finish. The color holds well -- when I call it "lemon yellow" I mean that it's really the color of a lemon's rind, not the pale color of the flesh. It gets some blackspot, but for me not until about October. Jude the Obscure -- for me, this one gets hit hard by blackspot in July, then struggles the rest of the season. This year, I decided that after the first flush I'm going to cut it back hard, hoping that new growth will be more vigorous. If asked, I wouldn't recommend it for my area unless fungicides were used. The Prince -- where I put mine, I anticipated it to be "wimpy" like I kept hearing it'd be when grown own-root. Mine is about 5' tall now on three stiff upright canes, with shorter bushier growth at its base. I suppose I could cut it back harder and see what it does, but I kind of like that I just may have the world's tallest own-root example of this rose. The blooms begin a deep velvety red but finish dark purple like 'Cardinal de Richelieu'. Give this one midday shade to avoid crisped blooms. Prospero -- Jeri often says to treat this rose as a Pernetiana, meaning do little more than just dead-heading it. Mine got all set to put forth thick new canes a year after being planted, but then a squirrel decided to dig around its base and snapped those soft new canes. That sent it into shock, I suppose, and I am still waiting for new basals two years after that. What it has is one thick, stout, upright cane that's about 3' tall, with some shorter bushier growth at the base. That taller cane has branched quite a bit, so it doesn't look gawky. Give this one midday shade to avoid crisped blooms. Tamora -- this one shows its Rugosa ancestry in my garden by starting to sucker, but not far from the center. Right now, it looks like I planted three bands in a 12" circle. Growth is HT-like in shape, but as prickly as a Rugosa. I got it mostly because I wanted one "myrrh-scented" David Austin, and that it sorta resembled a Damask Perpetual in Apricot made it fit where I wanted it. :-) ~Christopher