Category: Plants
-
Mediterranean Fruit – the Orchard 2025
It’s been a year since the last orchard “status report” 2024. Time for an update: Pyrus / Pear Tree “Clapp’s Favorite” I covered the ground around the tree with horse manure and green waste in October. In April the tree looked very good and bloomed profusely. In May it suffered from a heavy attack of Dysaphis pyri…
-
Roses for a Mediterranean Garden
A garden without roses? It’s possible but is it necessary? I did my research in 2022 and chose what I thought was a varied selection of robust roses. My experience so far shows that there are huge differences between varieties, even those said to be robust and resistant. And there are a lot of aspects…
-
Valeriana locusta & cornucopia
Growing vegetables during the Mediterranean winter is as easy as sowing/planting in October/November and harvesting from January on. Last fall I sowed sugar snap peas, cima di rapa, wild chicory, salsify, purple cauliflower, radiccio, lattughino, lamb’s lettuce and fedia etc. Valeriana locusta, aka Lamb’s lettuce, is one of the easiest and most satisfying lettuce crops…
-
Cordyline australis
Overall not really a success story. I planted this garden center plant in the spring of 2023 in a pot on the very sunny and hot terrace. In the summer Egyptian locusts chomped on the leaves and the plant itself was rather underwhelming with the tips of its leaves constantly brown. Too much water? Not…
-
Asphodelus
If you drive along the Languedoc countryside in spring and early summer you can’t help but see Asphodelus everywhere. They are definitely a Mediterranean native and despite their frail appearance they are tough as nails in this hot and dry climate. Olivier Filippi gives them a 5 of 6 on his drought tolerance scale. There…
-
Planting Season Autumn 2025
It is amazing how much empty space there is in this garden at the end of summer… And even though I know that by April it will all be more than full with poppies and such, there are still a lot of spots left to fill with “forever” plants. This year I began planting quite…