Hardly a vegetable is it?

I may plant artichoke though we are unlikely to utilise it as a vegetable, whilst I am less than impressed with their taste Carol thinks they are a complete waste of space on the plate. I think they would fine in the flower garden adding a variety of foliage that would suit the climate and be a foil to the softer and lusher leaved plants.If you have followed this Mediterranean garden blog for a while you may recall we turned down the chance to live on an artichoke farm.

Lest we be tempted to fiddle and fart around with artichokes in an attempt to turn them into food, we may better to try cardoons their larger scale and ornamental cousins.

Iris

I am more a fan of the Iris now than I ever was. Even as the blooms fade they still have a presence in the garden. This sort of photograph always puts be in mind of a Rembrandt painting

Water conservation.

For a few months this year the rain water I collected during the Spring period provided enough moisture to keep everything alive. The water collected in the ´chacca´ or small swimming / plunge pool which was originally part of the agricultural water system on the farm which predates the house. The pool was renovated by us and seems pretty water tight now. I read advice on the Internet that water cress added to any standing water would help to avoid algae build up. The watercress helped for a couple of weeks but then the hot Spanish sun burned it up and the watercress joined other failures on the compost heap. If we get sufficient rain next year I will try the cress earlier in the season though I don´t think it will ever make the salad drawer in the refrigerator.

Near Normal Service

I had a visit from Dick, a friend from home, for a few days this week and took a chance to look around the area with him taking a well earned rest from the garden. Now though it is business as usual.

Carol arrives in two weeks time so we can start work on future plans like patios, swimming pools and garden planning. I had better polish up her gardening boots as she likes to hit the ground running!