MEDITERRANEAN TREE HEATHER

I couldn't decide between a semi-closeup or a full picture. This member of the heather family grows to be 3m or over 10 feet high. It is a tough and rugged plant, can withstand drought, cold and is seaside friendly. Locally, it is called stipa and the wood is prized for pizza ovens because it burns so hot. This means it is also a fire hazard in dry summers.

Our land was covered with it when we arrived. It has a beautiful scent, bees love it and birds nest in it but most of it had to go. Under it we found strangled olive trees, some of which were still alive. New olive trees were planted on the cleared terraces and a local restaurant was delighted to have the wood. We still allow a lot of it to grow. I can see great bursts of it from my window and one of the plants is well over 3 m.

This is the alternate picture which shows stipa growing over a small shed.

Shed.

This has gone out of focus again.

For the record: +20 C. Sunny. Humidity 82%. I whisper this, but it is too warm for the time of year. It was not this warm last year until late May. Does it mean an arctic blast next week or does it mean a very hot summer? Time will tell.