We enriched the land’s sparse flora heritage —all in all there were two olive trees, two fig trees, one pine tree and around twenty oleanders (poisonous for goats, fortunately they don’t eat them)— with seeds we brought in from France and with cuttings from the island, mostly from Claudia, our friend’s garden, in Achladi.
We have gained a great deal of experience in gardens, after getting deeply involved with the International Festival of Gardens at Chaumont sur Loire, as well as a number of public works: “Loukoum Jardin” at Lille (the name is such a premonitory sign!), Manama Museum Square at Bahrein, Nelson Mandela Park at Courbevoie, Opera Square at Marseille. Each work has its own atmosphere, plants and colors. Each garden has its own bird nest.
Herbaceous plants, cacti, prickly pears, crassulas, kalankoés, agaves and aloes arborescens crop up in the rock garden’s crevices, under the pine tree. The “Red Garden” alongside the Agora is sowed with red sugarcanes, portulaca grandiflora, Christ thorn, corals, crocosmias. Plenty of sage and thyme merge through the grains of the rocky landscape. The rose garden combines red geraniums and white lilies. La vie en rose! Huge cacti and Madagascar kalankoés with velvet leaves hulk over the Mexican garden, next to the swimming pool.
The olive grove includes around twenty olive trees, sowed by us at the land’s highest spot. For the time being, the trees do their best to resist the winds, but the first olives are here and we produce our own oil. Blue prevoskias accompany their silver leaves. The grove with the four pines was sowed last summer at the main entrance. We need to wait a few years before we see the results. They will offer us protection and privacy.
We added fig trees in order to have enough marmalade for all, olive trees to produce our own oil, orange and lemon trees for their fruit and their astonishing scent during the spring nights. In a few years we shall be celebrating with fine white wine, from Loukoum’s vineyard.
The largest part of the land is kept in its natural condition, a true botanical garden with fennel, Jerusalem sage, sage, thyme, oregano, prickly pears and lots of wild herbs, which we frequently use in our cuisine.
Our interferences fade out gradually, integrating with the landscape of the hills and valleys. Phaethon, kyria Anna’s marvelous horse, strolls around the reed valley. We can’t ride Phaethon, but a riding school is just 1 km away from the house.
The soft bell sound signifies the presence of a herd of sheep in the area. The paper moon illuminates the scape, while silence descends from the heavens and the sea glows from afar. Lets take a walk…