One of my great pleasures is seeing the new Mediterranean Garden in my mailbox. The journal, published quartertly by an almost Victorian group of plant enthusiasts, the Mediterrranean Garden Society, contains articles about various plants appropriate to a mediterranean climate, and the fabulous gardens and parched places that support such flora. I went to one of the society’s Annual General Meetings in October, 2001, in Athens, and spent the week looking at amazing gardens with blue-haired expatriate English ladies all married to shipping tycoons, each telling me of her little garden on Malta, or her hillside retreat in Tuscany, and the rest of the month toodling around the Peloponnesus and Crete. The Journal itself feels of a different time, printed on flat white stock, all the images are exquisite pen-and-ink drawings, never any photos, and the articles range from elaborate descriptions of exotic plants–on the bus from Athens to the biggest private garden I’ve ever seen our guide yelled to stop the bus and all the blue-haired ladies hopped off in their sensible flats as she yelled “It’s heliotropum europeana!!!” and everyone snapped pictures of this greek weed growing out of the cracks of the street–to Grand Tour style journaling. Membership is $35/year.
Tales of Post-Twinkie Ennui