Author(s): Joan Marble (illus Corinna Sargood)

Gardening

By the author of Notes From An Italian Garden. Joan Marble has lived in a sixteenth-century Roman palazzo apartment with husband Robert, a sculptor, for over forty years. A lifetime of mingling with the citizens of Rome and pottering about on her beloved terrace above the city rooftops has resulted in this warm and witty book. From the vantage point of her terrace, among lemon trees, agapanthus, amaryllis, dahlias and much else, Joan Marble discusses irrigation difficulties, the merits of plastic versus terracotta pots, and the Darwinian theory of earthworms. Woven among tales of escapades to famous Italian rose gardens are her informed views on everyday life in the city; of partying, politics and popes; of bicycle thieves, cat-catchers and gardening ladies, and how to deal with those friends-of-friends who seem to land so regularly in Rome with nowhere to stay. Imbued with a special feel for history and human observation, and scattered with serious green-fingered tips, this idiosyncratic study of Joan's beloved adopted home will delight armchair gardeners and travellers alike. First published 2003.