Spring is always an intermediate season for my kitchen garden, when I have only a few vegetables in my hand whereas my body needs a lot of 'freshness' and loads of vitamins. However, my peas are coming up and I have eaten it fresh from the pod yesterday. The sweetness of the peas eaten straight from the vine is absolutely every kitchen gardener would enjoy. This year, I planted the climbing peas together with my mixed borders and they look lovely with the bearded iris.

I also have some rocket plants and some spring onions. Rocket or arugula is best to be eaten now, as the leaves will be hardened later in the season.Yesterday, I had some rocket salad with carrots and spring onions together with shaved parmesan. The taste is really fresh.

Centro Botanico Moutan.

Going back every year during spring time to the Centro Botanico Moutan is like a pilgrimage that could not be missed.Situated in Vitorchiano (45 minutes drive from my house) and which the name moutan is derived from the Chinese word 'Mou Dan' which means tree peony. This 15 hectar area is covered with the herbaceous and tree peony that makes you gasping for air while walking through the plants because the beauty is extremely beyond words.

I fall in love again.....

I fall in love again with Italy... after quite a while of hate and love relationship. I had a chance to take a brief visit to Siena recently. Being in Tuscany region, Siena has a lot to offer. The view of the Tuscany region is very unique and it changes throughout the year. Now, the hills and valley are so 'velvety and silky' with different shades and tones of green. The simple patch of wild grass on the hills adds to its charming panorama. The stone house with lined cypress set a typical scenic view of this region.

From the gastronomical point of view, this region is rich with its specialty and uniqueness. Walking down the main road to the historical center of Siena, my sight and smell senses are at their best. I couldn't resist to walk into the historical pastry shop which is called 'Nannini'.

'Ricciarelli' or almond cookies are their best. You can find ricciarelli in almost every alimentary or pastry shops but at Nannini, they really suit my taste because they do not use any almond flavour ingredients, instead only good quality of almonds and white eggs. Every region in Italy has its own almond cookies but Sienese ricciarelli is one of the bests.

For the cheese lovers, Siena has more than a palate could taste in a day. I have bought 2 different types of goat cheese......eventhough their is smell rather strong, the taste is absolutely divine. For a non cheese lover (like me)... it is also worth a try.

I love paper products and I think you can find a vast selection of handmand beautiful and reasonably priced paper products in Siena. Love to walk into these type of shops which really has a tremendous courage to carry on the tradition despite the availiabilty of mass produced ones.

I think Siena has not been 'carried away' with so much 'mass consumerisim' unlike other cities in Italy. Siena has remain its authenticity as much as possible without falling behind or trapped in its past splendours.

I love small bulbs. This one is from the family of fritillaria. They are very small and yet beautiful with 2 shades of colors. They multiply easily and make lovely clumps too. The first picture is also from the same family and I think it is called 'fritillaria mealagris'. It looks like a checker board. They are quite small as compared to the bigger sister which is called 'fritillaria imperialis'. These small bulbs seldom make a focal point in my garden as they love partly shade area and not many people know about these bulbs so I can really admire them fully.This year, strange enough there is one 'fritillaria mealagris' albino. As the name suggests, the flower is all white.

Spring is also known as 'capricious' season... the weather can change with a blink of an eye. The temperature has dropped to a single digit since yesterday. When I woke up this morning, the sky was dark with chilling air blowing slowly to my lungs. I ran inside the house to take my 'winter coat'..... but still wishing that the sun will show today. My flowers are happy though.... the weeds are happy too.... with my back pain, I just look at my kitchen garden covered with grass and weeds. Nonetheless, the peas are happy climbing through the hazel twigs.... with their beautiful flowers.

Tulips are everywhere in my garden now. They are also in my kitchen garden and near my compost box They are absolutely beautiful with different shapes and colors.

I mix tulips with ornamental grass, bearded iris and bulbuous iris. These combination are working very well as they flower more or less at the same time. Tulips will never go wrong in any garden at this time around and they can really make an impact in a way or another.

Spring is at full blast now and I am enjoying every minute of it.My spring bulbs are flowering at full swing and it is so lovely to see all of them together in harmony with a few new surprises here and there. I have a small clump of daffodils that have stopped flowering for 2 years and suddenly I saw a few days ago, these small yellow flowers which is sometimes called 'petticoat daffodil' are making a comeback.