Big changes in our garden

On taking over the keys to our new dream home, the previous owner gave me a friendly warning to be careful how many tasks I take on in the house and gardens as being such a big property they can be endless. And he was so right.
But one area where wanted to have immediate impact was the garden. We have 2.2 hectares of wonderful garden which includes 180 olive trees, orchard, parkland and dense woodland near the church.
Much of the garden, including the orchard and olive grove, had been neglected for years so we knew that lots of work was needed but that it would also be rewarding. Pixie was also keen to give a helping hand.

First things first: improve the driveway. 
When we bought the house, the driveway to the house was relatively dark and the thick bushes which lined the driveway blocked the spectacular view into the Val di Cecina. They had to go. My Dad and his friend Brian – both in their 70s – got to work and did a fantastic job removing them. We then replaced them with beautiful cypress tress, inter-planted with lavender bushes, both of which are much more fitting with the Tuscan landscape and a much nicer welcome to Villa Tramontalba.
The cypresses have settled well and the lavender has grown from the tiniest of clumps into lovely bushes already.
What a difference it has made – I love looking to the left as I enter the driveway to the house, admiring the amazing view. Come and see for yourself!

Next: Building a vegetable patch.
We’ve always had a veg patch and love growing our own vegetable wherever possible. We were particularly excited about growing our own Italian tomatoes – and we weren’t to be disappointed. Never would we expect it to be so problem-free and that they would produce an abundance of amazingly tasty tomatoes, and that the growing season would be so long.
We also grew the usual veg – carrots, potatoes, radish etc and various herbs – but also experimented with growing aubergine (wow!), chilli peppers (hot hot hot!) and our favourite kind of miniature pumpkin (which the deer seemed to like eating too, so we won’t be let them hang down the fence next year!). We had no problems at all, everything thrived. Think we’ll be experimenting even more next year.
The raised vegetable beds which I built really do make it easier to manage the veg patch – but that didn’t stop the local wildlife eating their fair share of the veg, so I had to eventual fence everything in and try to stop the boar digging under the fence. I think this will be an endless battle. When we occasionally do see the boar they always give me a look as if to say ‘what do you think you are you doing in our garden?’ They are so right.

Finally, rejuvenate the orchard and making our own preserves. We are also trying to rejuvenate the old orchard, some of which is in great shape and some not. Heavy pruning, fertilising and even replacement of some of the fruit trees has started. We still managed to have a great harvest of cherries, plums, figs (wow! unbelievable). This fruit harvest, along with vegetables, has resulted in a wonderful supply of jams, chutneys, pasatas, all of which were a joy to make and experiment with. I even made a spicy plum vodka which went down well with guests – even the extra hot variety.

Next year will bring even more experiments and an even bigger harvest too, we hope.
Watch this space! Or even better, come and try for yourself!