I have some doubt if the above is a naturally occurring plant in the garden or if I imported early on when i used manure to fertilize. Regardless, it is very pretty and the most aggressive weed of all. It is called τριφύλλι ("trifili" roughly trefoil or three leaf) and possibly a clover. [Actually Oxalis pes-caprae, Bermuda buttercup is the most appealing name in English]. It starts to show up in January and carries on well through April.
Left to its own devices this plant forms a dense carpet. It seems to coexist with other plants without choking them although in some cases it will completely cover them. It's quite easy to pull out although it often leaves the root in the ground.
After allowing it to spread for a couple of years I decided to start restricting it but i didn't want to eliminate it completely. Coincidentally, I was also struggling with another plant in the main bed. The periwinkle (Vinca major) is a very aggressive creeper who's crab grass-like roots do strangle neighboring plants. It's called βίγκα in Greek.
It is also very easy to transplant. About 5 years ago I began removing it from the main bed, potting and later replanting it around the base of the big pine tree. Where, unencumbered, it spread rapidly.
As it turns out, the "trifili" manages to grow in the dense cover of periwinkle and last year the combination of the two blooming simultaneously inspired me to make it official.
I ordered a steel ring to edge the pine tree bed and also provide a fixed edge for these two aggressive but beautiful plants (the iron ring is perfect for running the weed-whacker against to terminate escapee periwinkle and "trifili"). It turns out that the main water line of the house runs below the pine tree bed so the installation of the steel ring is temporary until the line is moved.
Another plant that was growing wild in the garden is the asphodel (possibly Asphodelus albus although the species of this genus are difficult for me to tell apart) below. It puts on a spectacular show in March and has been expanding slowly over the years that I've been preserving it. It is very common on the island and is call ασφόδελος.
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