Nuccio's in Altadena on a Saturday Flavored with Amore

Last Saturday, we went on some excellent adventures of an Italian flavored kind.

They involved flowers and food.  (Are you surprised?)

The bonus of the day was this groovy mobile home we happened upon en route to......

Nuccio's Camellia and Azalea Farm in Altadena, just a hop skip and jump from where we live.

But who knew?  It was a little heaven on earth.  Nestled at the base of the 

San Gabriel mountains.  (Since like the 1940's!!!!!!  They'd been in Alhambra in the '30's)

A lovely man greeted us who reminded me of my Dad's cousin Jack.

He had snowy white hair and was dressed in a cheery outfit of well worn old school heavy duty jeans

red checks, and I'm sure there was a bandana involved somewhere.  He was very chatty and so helpful and of course knew immediately exactly where the camellia was located that I was after - the one in the top picture.  The greenhouses and plantings are vast.  And so peaceful,  looking down and across to downtown L.A.  (I think I'm in love and I'm going to run away from home to live there.)

Mr. Nuccio seemed to think it was a very good idea that I wanted to espalier my camellia.  He already knows a thing or two about espalier-ing.  So my own is still not planted but he tells me that camellias are very easy to grow here in California.  (Something that surprised me, because my frame of reference for such flowers is the Delaware/Maryland/Virginia region of the U.S. and England.)  

I now just have to be patient some more because my plant will take TWO YEARS to flower!  But it will be worth it.  Any other camellia fans out there?

(I found out about Nuccio's and my particular camellia via Matt at: Growing With Plants - also on the blogroll.  He's a great resource!)

The food part of our Italian themed Saturday comes next week.  Watch this space!