Marvels of the Mediterranean

Bring a touch of the Mediterranean to your garden and help drought-proof your plot, says Anne Swithinbank, as she reveals a range of plants suitable for the UK

- Anne Swithinbank

TRAVELLING abroad and stepping into the sizzling heat of a Mediterranean summer is an exciting experience for gardeners accustomed to more gentle maritime climates. We look in awe at palms, citrus, bougainvillea and oleander flourishing in the heat and wonder how well they would grow at home.

Hot summers and mild, wet winters characterise not just countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, but also California in the USA, parts of South Africa and Chile, plus a small slice of Western Australia. These areas often have poor, thin soils and the plants adapted to thrive in them often falter on fertile, damp ones.

Get the backbone plants in place

Both the cultivated plants of gardens, and the wilder vegetation on waste ground and in the natural landscape, are equally fascinating. Planning a Mediterranean-style garden is easy if you start by getting the larger backbone plants in place, focusing on shapes and year-round effect. Smaller flowering plants will fall into place and fill gaps.

Plants with fan-like or long pointed leaves strike a pose in the garden, and there are several hardy palms worth a try in mild areas. Like monkey-puzzle trees, they take up more space when young because their spreading leaves are close to the ground. With maturity, the long leaves of date palms (phoenix) and the fans of chamaerops are held aloft on tall trunks composed of old leaf bases. Torbay palms (Cordyline australis), silvery astelia and yucca (cultivars of Y. flaccida are of modest size and softer leaf tips) have the same effect.