The huge bank of plumbago to the left of the garden is blooming beautifully - this doesn't do it justice. It's not actually on our land, so I hope that no one ever decides to clear it all out - it's holding the whole hillside up there in place... Its name, from plumbum agere - resembling lead - seems rather unclear in terms of the reasoning behind it: it was first used by Pliny the Elder, but is that strong pale blue meant to resemble lead, or is it because the sap leaves lead-like stains on the skin (I'm not going to try that one) or because, as Pliny thought, it acted as a cure for lead poisoning? It's non-native (but considered friendly) - it comes originally from South Africa, so there's another question: how did Pliny end up with it? From how far south did Roman soldiers come?
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