Author: languedoc-garden.com
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Rodents in the Garden
I was not quite sure what they where or what to call them – those small animals of which I only ever see the holes or hills they make all over the garden. Along with the occasional corpse, thanks to the cats. Their names are confusing in French as well as in English and gardening…
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Lobularia maritima
Another one of those seemingly boring little things that turn out to be “superplants” in the dry garden. Lobularia maritima is a Mediterranean native and a fast-growing, long-blooming ground cover with small white or purple, honey-scented flowers. In my garden, depending on location, they bloom in the spring before going dry in the summer (can…
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The Potager in Winter: Cabbage & Co.
Cabbage works like a charm here – at least if planted over the winter. I usually plant cauliflower and Brussel sprouts in early or late fall. They’re just fine with colder temperatures and as soon as the weather gets warmer you can watch them grow bigger by the day. Last year I planted a little…
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Sedum & Sempervivum
Sedum and sempervivum are very drought and frost tolerant plants and are sold as such by garden centers. However, all will not work in my Mediterranean climate and I could kick myself that I didn’t do my own “due diligence” research before trusting garden center descriptions. Petrosedum sediforme This true mediterranean native grows all over…
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Soil Improvement
When we first saw the garden in February 2022, the soil was bare, chalky-grey, and powdery soft. In parts of the garden I sank in to my ankles. You could have dug it with a table spoon and yet, about 30 cm down, you needed a pickaxe to make any kind of a hole. In…
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Aizoacea & Mesembryanthemum
The Aizoaceae family is endemic to South Africa and has brought forth a multitude of mostly low-growing, spreading plants with fleshy leaves and bright flowers that work well as ground cover on dry soils in full sun. Several of its members are know as “ice plant” or “mesembryanthemum”. Interestingly, even “New Zealand Spinach” that grows…