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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…
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The Joys & Challenges of Mediterranean Gardening
I was very honored to do a presentation on my approach to Mediterranean Gardening for VEEM (Vivre Ensemble En Minervois) in Olonzac on March 6, 2025. Many of the more than 40 gardeners who came are way more experienced than…
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Jasminum mesnyi
When we moved in last summer, it took some time for me to discover the large Jasminum mesnyi because it was well hidden behind a thick Eleagnus hedge. It had been planted up on the retaining wall between the garden…
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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…
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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…
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Lavandula
One of the quintessential Mediterranean plants, lavender comes in a variety of types, differing in size, height, and blooming season. It is not easy to tell them apart and depending on where you buy them they may all just be…