I am a new member
mark zukaitis (Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:40:04 PDT)

Giorgio,

The farthest north I have been is Venice - but I know all about the famous lakes near you.

We have an arisaema growing wild here called Jack in the Pulpit - I have no idea what the species name is. I love Amorphophallus. For some reason my A. Konjak disappeared. I could stick my hand in the ground outside where the dormant tuber was over wintering and it was just an empty space. Maybe a squirril found it.

Pinellia is interesting, but I really don't have a place to put a collection of those interesting aroids. BUT, the cypripedium - WOW. Too expensive for me though. The first time I saw that one was in the wild in a bog - huge pink flower C. regina I think the name is.

Do you go to the botanic garden in Rome much? It is right on the way to trestivere from the vatican, before you get to the prison. Right at the end of that street - but I can't remember the name of the street. I love that place, the view from the Japanese garden is great and there is a really nice almost a hedge of Bletilla striata. That land in Rome is the most primal natural area - and spaces there have never been cultivated so it is a good way to see how the ianiculum hill looked in its natural state.

They had some Gloxinia italica growing - interesting but not too showy. Fun to see though. Not to mention the opium in the medical garden - three varieties of Digitalis, purpurea, flavescens and lanata.

You are so luck to be Italian! I am in love with Italy and Rome, especially.

Mark