TERRACOTTA TALES: a talk on the book BULBOMANIA

Good things often happen unexpectedly…

We met Christian Shejbal at a trade fair many years ago and we have worked with him on various projects over the years; Christian – a great connoisseur of bulbs – is the owner of Floriana Bulbose (on Instagram @floriana.bulbose), a beautiful nursery on the outskirts of Rome that boasts a very important collection of unusual bulbs.

Simonetta Chiarugi is a blogger from Genoa who, after a career in the Milanese fashion world, decided to devote herself full-time to her passion for gardening in 2006. On social media, on her much-followed Instagram profile @aboutagarden, she offers tips on how to take care of gardens and terraces, making home furnishings “from branches, petals and leaves”, using the resources found in green spaces, with a focus on sustainability and aesthetics.

And it was on social media that we ‘met’ Simonetta, and a very interesting exchange of ideas and inspiration began, until recently, when we received the news that we would be writing a book with with Christian Shejbal on a subject that is very close to both of our hearts: BULBOMANIA. – which is the very apt title of the book that will be published today – about four bulbous plants in particular: tulips, daffodils, snowdrops and hyacinths.

We were very intrigued by the project, which we had guessed to be very interesting, given Christian Shejbal’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject ‘Bulbs‘ and Simonetta Chiarugi’s particular, curious and narrative touch.

It was Simonetta herself that we chatted with over the last few days; because we were curious to learn more about some aspects of the book, first of all why she chose to present four types of bulbs in particular, and here is her answer:

“We chose the four types of bulbs – tulips, narcissus, snowdrops and hyacinths – that have been of interest in history and economics, starting with the tulip, which was the subject of the first economic bubble“.

This is really interesting news that even we were unaware of and, doing a little research, we discovered that in the 1600s in Holland there was the first economic speculation centred on tulip bulbs!

Who is this book for? Experts like you, or even those who call themselves ‘black thumbs’?

“There is no such thing as a black thumb, it is only the interest and attention that one devotes to the plant that makes the difference. Bulbomania is aimed at both beginners and experts, as it contains, in addition to technical data, food for thought and decoration for their use.”

From our point of view, it is really interesting to understand how to match pots to plants, following not only the aesthetics of the final result, but above all the needs of the plant; will we find some useful hints on Bulbomania in this regard?

“A section of the book is devoted precisely to the choice of pots, as bulbs lend themselves very well to being grown in containers.

Poggi Ugo pots, in all their shapes, are perfect for growing flower bulbs, both for their aesthetics and for their weight. In fact, many bulbs grow tall and tend to topple over when grown in containers that are too light, in strong winds. My advice is to choose pots that are heavy enough, not necessarily tall, as the bulb does not have a deep root system.

Here’s a decorative tip: Group at least three of different sizes but the same shape close together and fill them well with bulbs for a WOW effect!

The watchword with bulbs is to overdo it!!!

Which pots did you choose for them and why?

“I chose the classic Liscio, Due Orli and Pejrone pots because I personally like clean, flared shapes where the ornaments are not predominant, because they slender the plants and make them the protagonists.”

This is why we were happy to supply the terracotta pots for BULBOMANIA: according to our philosophy, a container must be the best place – after the soil – for the plant to grow at its best.

Poggi Ugo’s handmade pots made from the precious clay of Impruneta allow the roots to breathe, have a long thermal inertia, allow an exchange of moisture with the potting soil, and have this handcrafted, textured appearance, which also makes them aesthetically perfect.

By cultivating bulbs in pots, you also have the possibility of recreating small flowering corners indoors or on balconies.

Each plant, as we know by now, and Simonetta and Christian in Bulbomania make it clear, has its own ‘demands’: some prefer a very tall pot so that they can develop their root system in depth, others prefer bowls or wide pots because they propagate horizontally and so on… in short, knowing the needs of the plant when choosing a pot is always a good thing, so you can create perfect pairs that will last a long time!  

Poggi Ugo’s handmade clay pots from Impruneta are an excellent choice for planting bulbs, and Bulbomania offers the opportunity for everyone – both gardening experts through aesthetic and decorative cues, as well as gardening neophytes – to understand the right match between pot and plant.

This is the perfect time to read ‘Bulbomania‘ because autumn, for many species, is the perfect time for planting – as they say in the jargon!

Below you can find some small previews of the pairs of bulbs and terracottas created by Christian and Simonetta, but to discover them all you just have to read on.

So,

as Simonetta always says: not only “Happy Gardening!”, but also “Happy Reading!”

This is precisely the time to plant daffodils, which will fit perfectly in pots that are not too tall, such as a window box. In spring it will be a real show!

More daffodils sprout in the 20 cm high Double Rim Vase or in the Oval Flared Planter. Even the 18 cm diameter Pejrone Vase is enhanced by this explosion of daffodils.

The Lory vase has a very special rim, simple and geometrically designed, which is softened by romantic tulips.