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Tomatoes, well, surely tomatoes grow like crazy in the Mediterranean!? Yes and No. When I first planted tomatoes in the open vegetable plots in 2022 I was shocked to see them turn completely white on one side with “sunburn”. In…
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Helianthus annuus
Helianthus annuus or the common sunflower is a native of North and Middle America and needs rich soil as well as sufficient water to thrive. I would therefore never have bothered planting it – the birdfeeder took care of that…
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In the shade
Minimizing Water Evaporation in the Vegetable Garden After a very changeable spring it got up to 25 and 29 degrees in June with nary a cloud in sight. So I started to test my idea for shading the vegetable garden…
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Eschscholzia californica
As I keep saying: I don’t really like orange or yellow flowers. But there are some lifelong favorite exceptions like Calendula officinalis or Eschscholzia californica. You just have to love these totally uncomplicated flowers with their deeply luminous orange color…
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Gaura Lindheimeri
Supposedly Gaura Lindheimeri should thrive in this climate and I’ve been dreaming of large swathes of them swaying in the breeze. But I’ve not had much luck so far. Since 2022 I’ve planted quite a few and until last fall…
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Buddleia davidi
It’s not my favorite shrub and I would never have planted it myself in this garden… but I have to admit that the color of Buddleia davidii “Black Knight” is simply splendid: a very dark and sumptuous purple with pink…