Category: Plants
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Erysimum linifolium Bowles Mauve
I love the wonderful heady perfume of Erysimum cheirii but they seem a bit difficult for a low-maintenance mediterranean garden. So I decided to try Erysimum linifolium Bowles Mauve in a very pretty lilac color. It’s a perennial (if supposedly short-lived – remains to be seen) evergreen shrub, flowering from March ito July and forming…
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Springtime Bulbs 2025
As planned I tried out some additional bulbs that should work well in the sometimes pretty hot spring sun we have here in this Mediterranean garden. Last fall I added: New Tulips Not new but for the first time very beautiful: normally the flowers of Tulipa fosteriana “Flaming Purissima” fade very fast on sunny March…
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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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Osteospermum
I’m normally not that crazy about daisies but I’ve grown to love Osteospermum or Cape Daisies for their bright and cheerful look and drought-resistance. They come in many colors and shapes with either simple or spooned petals, some spread out over the ground, some grow like little shrubs, and they are more or less hardy.…
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April in the Mediterranean Garden: Managing Abundance
Spring is probably easy in just about any garden anywhere. It is definitely easy in our Mediterranean garden. The spring rains were plentiful again this year and so for once there are no water restrictions in force. The sun is getting stronger by the day and everything grows by leaps and bounds. Sometimes I just…
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Ceanothus
Ceanothus is an American native, growing mostly in California. It thrives on rocky or sandy soil and is resistant to salt as well as to drought. Soil that is too humid or a location with too much shade will shorten its life expectancy – which is only around 10 years anyway. The colors of Ceanothus…