Category: Plants
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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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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…
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Vinca minor / major
Periwinkle as ground cover Vinca has always been a “must-have” for me. I love it for its shiny dark green leaves and the bright blue, purple, or white “pinwheel” flowers, appearing between February and May and for some varieties again in late summer. In the front garden near the entrance portal are some Eleagnus and…
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The Potager in Winter: Lamb’s Lettuce & Fedia
Growing vegetables during the Mediterranean winter is as easy as sowing/planting in October/November and harvesting from January. Last fall I sowed sugar snap peas, cima di rapa, wild chicory, salsify, purple cauliflower, radiccio, lattughino, lamb’s lettuce and fedia etc. Lamb’s lettuce is one of the easiest and most satisfying lettuce crops – it’s not prone…