Il giardino di Florence or Further Progress in Little Italy

I was walking through the hood with my camera the other day and decided to amble over to my pal Florence's garden to check on the progress.  If you didn't see my previous posts about this garden, you can get some background about it and it's creator here and here.   Things are coming together and looking much closer to being finished.   Because we've been here before, I'll chiudere la bocca and allow you to enjoy a little trip through the new part of the garden.  The more established area is shown  in the second post linked above.

Now completed gate posts.  The garden has been named, according to the plaque on the right post, Paradeisos, an ancient Persian word meaning enclosure, garden, park. 
 

 

Here are some other interesting definitions for your edification.

1. among the Persians a grand enclosure or preserve, hunting ground, park, shady and well watered, in which wild animals, were kept for the hunt; it was enclosed by walls and furnished with towers for the hunters
2. a garden, pleasure ground
   1. grove, park
3. the part of Hades which was thought by the later Jews to be the abode of the souls of pious until the resurrection: but some understand this to be a heavenly paradise
4. the upper regions of the heavens. According to the early church Fathers, the paradise in which our first parents dwelt before the fall still exists, neither on the earth or in the heavens, but above and beyond the world
5. heaven

The gate was unlocked so I decided to take the liberty of snapping some shots of the continuing progress on the garden.  Yes, I'm a bad friend, uninvited trespasser, and all around horrible person but should I have stood at the gate wondering, like Emily Dickenson, "Why do they shut me out of heaven?  Did I sing too loud?" Being a pig, I just barged on in,  per voi of course.

Looking down from outside.

The center spot with the phormium was occupied by a spiral trimmed topiary just a week ago.  Must have found a different home.

One of my favorite things in the garden is this simple aged bowl of Iris.

The main focal point of Paradeisos is this fountain-centered  cruciform planting with gravel paths and  arches and statuary in the background.  The lush green grass really makes a difference.

Looking back up toward the street.  As the garden matures, views of some of the buildings will be obsucred by hedges.

 

I love the way the naturalistic elements contrast with the highly formal and structrued  garden.

Side staircase leading to the "secret garden" (straight or to the side of the house (left.)

View from side stairs

Looking back down from the other side.

Looking up the side staircase.

 

 

I'm getting a little close to the house.  You'll bail me out of jail if I get arrested, right?  Do you suppose there'll be a fence around this?  Will it be equally wonderful as the fabulous gates?

 

Everything is looking so finished  and cleaned up.  The memory of  heavy equipment mucking around is fading.   With the huge number of plants and various  areas to explore, it's really starting to feel  like a garden.

Looking back down at  Paradeisos.  

 

Hope you enjoyed our Italian jaunt.