Tag: perennials
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Euphorbias
There’s practically no mediteranean garden – indeed not even a wild mediterranean landscape – without Euphorbias. I love the luminous bright green color and the pretty little flowers of wild Euphorbias appearing all over the place in February and March when there’s not much else. And I have grown to love the graphic look of…
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Cistus
Cistus, along with Helianthemum, Halimium and Tuberaria, are members of the rock rose family. They are native perennials of the Mediterranean, North African and Middle Eastern regions. These small evergreen shrubs can be found all over the garrigue here which is what convinced me to plant them in our garden. They bloom mostly in April…
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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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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…