Mediterranean / Dry gardening

Are we talking about a small normal sized garden or a country estate.

Most people have to use every inch for the actual plants they want to grow

Go on, go on, how do you know?

 

Because I planted all the big trees quite low down on the plot in the days when I thought I didn't want too much shade. Ha! We don't get easterlies as often as westerlies, but they're humdingers when we do.
Even the initial selection of evergreen shrubs and trees planted on the south- easterly side of a border nearly all gave up the ghost, although I've got a few 'old faithfuls' like Eucalyptus, Photinia and Eleagnus going now.
All you lucky folks in (most of) UK must revel in the wide range of plants you can grow

 

I could ask more questions but I think the would be hijacking a thread.

What I would say is that in summer my garden tends to be pretty dry, mainly because I don't water anything once established, the soil started out as clay.
I've got a fairly unusual attitude to watering in that it stops plants from deep rooting, so once established they have to get on with it, and mostly do.
I mostly grow shrubs and trees and they look after themselves apart from winter pruning, i do add slightly exotic stuff where possible.
I don't think you can go wrong with medditteran type plants but they may not look their best in a dry year, they will shut down.
Much like lots of bedding plants from areas like S Africa, that only flower in the wet season, so in a dry UK garden in summer you have to water them.

 

I don't find that attitude unusual, it's the same as mine for most things, as always there are some exceptions. I think it's a commoner approach than you might think.

 

One thing for a Mediterranean garden are bulbs, crocuses, alliums species tulips, muscari and such like for spring colour. There are a lot of bulbs from South Africa, many flower in autumn for example Amaryllis belladonna and the nerines plus a range of spring flowering bulbs for example species gladioli. These bulbs often need a good hot summer to produce flowers and definitely don't appreciate watering when dormant. A lot of these are hardier than you might think.
ps don't forget South America including Mexico for plants that will grow in Mediterranean conditions, the further south and the higher up in the hills the hardier they are.

 

My Belladonnas bloom in September.

 

Great - many thanks and I hope it is of interest to folk. This weekend's weather is feeling very Mediterranean!!

 

The Beth Chatto gravel garden, which is never watered. Perfect for a weekend with weather like this:
Beth Chatto's Gravel Garden - Beth Chatto Gardens

 

My favourite genus of dry gardening plants is eryngium. I grow Eryngium planum 'Blaukappe', zabelii 'Big Blue', zabelii 'Neptune's Gold', alpinum and giganteum 'Silver Ghost'. The last of these is biennial so I'm really pleased that it has self-seeded well, at least 20 seedlings have appeared so far! I also grow two evergreens, agavifolium (which almost got completely devoured by slugs in previous years but seems better this year, still no flowers!) and yuccifolium (which is surviving but not growing much at all and also hasn't flowered yet, perhaps this species needs a few years to get going).

I wanted to try more dry gardening plants so have added Phlomis italica, Lychnis coronaria, Hyssopus officinalis, various scabiouses/knautias and perovskia to my garden. The phlomis is a frustrating one because as much of it is killed by frost as comes up in Spring, so it never really increases in size!

Nick

 

Eryngium agavifolium is a good one; if you don't mind spikes. It is tough, hardy and drought resistant.

 

Agreed. I have three, which this year, is having the best growth spurt since planting three years ago.