For Maurizio. The dark purple flowers of Fritillaria persica, blooming now in pots at La Macchina Fissa. I first saw this flower in a gorgeous photograph of a friend's garden in Sardinia. A couple years have passed since then, and now I have it here with me. The flower, in real life, is just as exquisite if not more heart-breakingly beautiful than his looked in that unforgettable photo, but he had the flowers perfectly located in his garden, inserted into that to-die-for sunny, rocky, mediterranean landscape, not prisoners in pots in the Pianura Padana. But fritillaria is, to be blunt, quite a bitch to grow, at least for me in this area of Italy. I have tried several species for many years, and I am not sure this one has survived for him or could survive or thrive in my soil, either, so I have opted for pots, at least for a first flowering, and then we will see. The bulbs could be introduced to a sunny, well-drained slope between driveway and lawn, or might be dried and kept like tulips for another autumn planting in pots. Gardens are artificial, and mine have always been very long works-in-progress, made up of hundreds if not thousands of attempts to introduce common and rare plants and trees, grasses and flowers, fruits and vegetables into areas that were a bit like abandoned or neglected dumps when I arrived. I usually work alone and at my own snail pace. Gardens take time. Years. Or they can cost tons of money and be popped into a place by many workers if you are in a hurry for a picture-perfect, "done" experience. I cannot afford that option, but doubt it would bring me any satisfaction whatsoever. There is, at least for me, only one greater thing than being in a garden you love, and that is making one yourself. #gardenphilosophy #gardenwriting #mezzogiardiniere #workinprogress #mauriziousai #gardensofinstagram #giardinieri #hedoesitbetter #fritillaria #fritillariapersica #agardentakestime #parcodelmincio #provinciadimantova #clarksgarden #clarkanthonylawrence #lamacchinafissa #italy #aprilinitaly #aprilgarden #parcodelmincio #associazioneculturalereadingretreatsinruralitaly (presso La Macchina Fissa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcM8XrloQnq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=