In this ongoing column, I continue to highlight not just plants blooming in Rockridge, but those that can thrive without irrigation. Many come from Mediterranean climates like ours, with wet winters and dry summers. While it’s often assumed all plants need regular watering, many of these have adapted to long dry seasons—and watering them at the wrong time can actually harm them.
This spring, I feature favorite plants that look great in bloom and still add interest to the garden when they’re not.
Here is my pick for the week:
Convolvulus cneorum
Convolvulus cneorum is actually related to the morning glory, but grows as a low-growing, mounded shrub rather than a vine. It also stays in place and won’t end up taking over your garden—or house—like morning glories can. Native to coastal areas of Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Albania, it is perfectly at home in our climate.
One of the toughest Mediterranean plants, it can be planted in fall, watered deeply once or twice (spaced about a week or two apart), and then left alone—you likely won’t have to water it again. Its leaves are silver-tinged and shimmer in the light, giving the plant a real presence in the garden even when it isn’t in bloom.
As for the flowers, they emerge in early spring, before the peak bloom time of many other Mediterranean plants. Once established, the plant will give you an explosion of white flowers for a couple of months on end. Small solitary bees and hoverflies (often get mistaken for bees or wasps because of their yellow-and-black colorin) enjoy them too.
One word to the wise, though: it must have good drainage. While many Mediterranean plants are surprisingly unfussy about soil type, this one demands drainage; otherwise, it will be short-lived.
