durobird

Does anybody know of an on-line postal delivery for plants?
The gardening places near here (Naples) arent very good,and lack choice. I wondered if there was somewhere I could view and order on-line that deliver to Italy from the UK?
Thanks in advance

Salerno

there is a great place near me and its only half an hour from Avellino. This is there site

http://www.vivaidesantis.it/

if not you could try http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/ who are good too

bricwood

why not grow from seed? its more exciting and satisfying anyway, I looked at a few garden centres and was not impressed where I live all the gardens are ever greens and fir trees remind me of a grave yard, most things are easy from seed, I have loads of seeds and cant wait for spring

Gio

I find getting any of the plants I want a real nightmare here. I loved a Sunday visit to the garden centre in the U.K, a coffee in the garden centre coffee shop, the joy of receiving the latest seed catologue()aaaaah those were the days... Here in Italy, I just swipe as many cuttings whilst passing peoples houses (), visiting the very expensive plant centres, visiting friends houses etc. And, surprise,surprise they ALL grow. Just like when we planted 50 potato plants and ended up with nearly 500kilo of spuds.

bricwood

I tell people it needs a proper garden centre where why I am but I did buy 2 bags of daffodils and 2 bags of mixed bulbs with tulips and hyacinths surprisingly they sprung up straight away but now are about the same development as england, I showed my neighbours all my packets of dahlia and cleome spinosa and lupins and I can tell they just dont get it, my garden will knock there socks off

Margaret M

I think a lot of Italian (certainly down here) think "if you can't eat it why grow it". Although I did buy three hibiscus plants for our gardener to plant last year, at which point he took me down the garden and pointed out half a dozen or so "sticks" in the ground - cuttings he had taken from friends or relatives for us

bricwood

when I point to my lupins I planted they motion as if to eat, I know they eat lupin seeds here, my neighbour gave me a stick and said keep it in water its a grape vine and it has after 3 months grown leaves, what intrigues me is on weekends people turn up and scratch about in the fields for leaves here, not poor people, I wonder what it is? I asked a city dweller and he did not know either, my garden is ringed by leylandis is that how you spell it? I cant wait to replace with roses if I can get some, living in puglia sourcing things is the big problem, things you could buy anywhere in England are hard to find, anyway soon be spring now and see what grows

indiebird

In the very early spring here you see loads of people out picking the young dandelion leaves which they eat either in salads or in fritattas. Maybe it's those? I went with my Italian teacher once to a farm owned by one of her ex-students (she taught English at the Elementary schools until she retired) and we picked them together. I couldn't even see the damn things but she could and we had loads between us. I thought they'd be bitter but they weren't they were fantastic! Not sure I'd go and do it on my own though! People already think I'm mad here for taking my kids to the park in the cold and knitting in public!!

bricwood

whatever you picked you would have to wash it well! there are all sorts of things slithering around, I saw something walking down the street and thought it was a tortoise it was the biggest toad I have ever seen you could have almost put a saddle on it! and insects that I don't even recognise

Lorna at Vicenza

Dandelion leaves get picked here too and something else they call bruscandoli which they make risotto with, frittata or just boil and eat with oil, salt and lemon juice.

Google tells me bruscandoli is luppolo selvatico so must be part of the 'hop' family.

Love the story about the toad.

angeli

I have just ordered some fruit trees on dwarfing root-stock from a nursery in the uk: www.agroforestry.co.uk, they have plant passport and will deliver approx 10 fruit tres for £28.00. Their choice of plants, mainly trees but also soft fruits etc is vast, many varieties I had not heard of before. Unfortunatly they have sold out of alot of bareroot stock now but if organised you could place an order for the autumn.... David Austin also has plant passport if you want roses and they do also sell peonies, iris's etc too so worth checking out.. hope this helps.

Lorna at Vicenza

I forgot to add the picture of bruscandoli.

bricwood

I am a bit reluctant to send for plants as delivery can take 4 or 5 days from the UK 4 weeks or not turn up at all, I bought some seeds from a man on ebay called squeaky-buffalo who sends from Thailand and the first lot arrived ok the next lot looks like its not coming ,I get them sent to my sister in London who posts them to me, I want to try to grow unusual plants from other hot countries as an experiment to see what works here, I noticed that "morning glory" grows wild here so I have imported a yellow one from china and beach morning glory from California also palm tree seeds from the Philippines and pink banana seeds too, it will be interesting, anyone know what morning glory is called in Italian? I tried to explain to my neighbour and they said campanula but that is something else

Lorna at Vicenza

It's called IPOMEA

angeli

Want roses instead of leylandii try www.rosebarni.it...big selection inc rose antiche rare e storiche and English (David Austin) ones.....Bareroot, if packed well should last a couple of weeks in transport no problem. Good luck with experiments with exotic varieties.....