Let's smell the Chocolate Cosmos in a renaissance garden.

After a few beautiful autumn days, the weather has turned a bit bad - but that doesn't bother me. At least I have time to browse photos from my recent trips.

A few weeks ago, I promised to show pictures from the Italian-style garden located in the castle in Pieskowa Skała, so I'm going to do it right now. They are a perfect counterbalance to my last, slightly melancholic post about the cemetery 😉

Although I prefer natural meadows and wild gardens, I cannot remain utterly indifferent to the art of gardening from the Renaissance era. But I have always wondered why people wanted to form, trim and control everything? Was man's desire to rule over nature out of pride or fear of its power? Perhaps being able to tightly control a small patch of land makes him feel safer, more confident?

Or maybe it's just a matter of style and trends of the era?

Anyway, in Pieskowa Skała I was able to walk among the perfectly formed greenery and assess up close if I liked such an orderly nature.

And guess what, I figured shrubs and flowers would always be themselves, no matter how much controlled by people. I can smell life from them; I can see colors - they are simply beautiful.

The Italian-style garden at the castle in Pieskowa Skała is not significant; it is "squished" between the walls of the southern bastion.

Looking down from the courtyard level, we can see the garden's fragments.

You can see the whole garden from the observation deck at the top of the bastion fortification. I have already shown this one photo in my post about Pieskowa Skala.

The garden is on a lower level than the courtyard - first, you have to go down the stairs and then through a small tunnel in the wall.

A long time ago, there were stables and a coach house in this place. Remember that the main body of the castle was built in the 13th century. It served as a stronghold - in those days, no one thought about the gardens. It was not until later centuries that the castle was expanded to fulfill residential functions.

A bit of greenery in combination with thick and high defensive walls makes a great impression.

We're in the garden. Due to the high walls around, it seems to be cut off from the world. You can see a fragment of a colossal oak growing in the outer courtyard on the right side. Straight ahead, right next to the tower, there is a beautiful Renaissance viewing loggia. It was added in the 16th century. On the left - the outer wall.

There is also a mini-garden on it, which I liked very much. Plants have a little more freedom there :)

Multicolored flower beds attract eyes and... insects :)

There are several varieties of sage here, I liked this one the most.

Impatiens in the various colors.

Dahlias, wiht many visitors.

And the flowers I liked the most. Small but very effective. And the best part is that they smell like chocolate! Here is the Chocolate Cosmos:

I envy the naturalists who discovered new species and could give them such beautiful names!

Do you think I know flowers? Not at all. I met a woman who worked in the castle garden. She was very eager to talk about her plants. She even gave some tourists gardening advice, such as how to deal with a hedge-destroying fungus 😄. A few listeners gathered around her very quickly, including me. It was evident that she loved her job.

I think it must be a delightful thing to do - taking care of the plants. I am not surprised that people spend so much time in their small, home gardens. Unfortunately, I am the type who makes that even cacti withers, which is why I have not had any plants at home for years. At least it used to be that way. Maybe it's time to change that and develop new, good habits. After visiting the castle garden on Pieskowa Skała, I felt that plants are grateful companions. It is worth inviting them to your home. Stunning conclusion 😉

See you soon!

^{--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinminI'm the only author of the text and photos}