Category: Plants
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Oenothera
In the past three years I’ve not had much luck with the Oenothera I planted myself. Several plants of Oenothera missouriensis and Oenothera speciosa, reputed to be a vigorous if not invasive ground cover, died a few months after planting never to be seen again. But, after I had totally given up on this plant,…
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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…
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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…