Bring the Mediterranean home with you
Croatia-inspired planting gems
The Croatian landscape is a wonderful mix of Mediterranean flair and unique native planting. Taking walks around the landscape is a fascinating adventure. On one walk alone I came across too many native plants to even describe. Some of these beauties were wild thyme and sword-leaved sage, euphorbia, salvia, wild calendula and many more. Here are some more plants that have that really Croatian feel.
Croation flag iris
The national plant of Croatia is the iris Croatica It is very rare now and can only be found in the mountainous regions of continental Croatia. To get the look in your own garden I would advise using the lovely Siberian flag iris. They look fabulous with the light limestone native to this region, so if you have a light stone like sandstone in your garden, then generous groups of irregularly planted iris would really stand out.
Ponderosa lemon
In many shops in Croatia you can find a delicious sweet called arancini. This is not the rice recipe from Italy, but rather takes the rinds of the orange and candies them to become a native delicacy. The same thing can be done with the rinds of the massive ponderosa lemon, left, which grow in the garden right in front of the pool in Villa Carmen. If you grow your own lemons, remember to take the plants inside for the winter.