Thus the Latin name of the plant that now thrives in the planter under the north wall of my terrace. Well, five pots of it were planted only today, but each plant was about my height when it was bought in a garden shop close to Umag, some twenty kilometers west of Motovun. It is also known as the Silver Lace Vine. Tough and wiry, it has dense foliage and a profusion of tiny white flowers. As so many sites on the World Wide Web proudly claim, it is a very fast grower. It can cover a surprisingly large area in a single season. Which is why I went for it, of course. Besides, it does not require too much care. If everything goes as planned, my terrace will be out of sight of tourists and neighbors alike in less than a year. Hooray!