Mediterranean / Dry gardening

Even with optimal temperatures for germination and lots of Miracle-Gro? It's only mid-July and good seed germinates within a few days, or even quicker to buy plants! Even if there's a light frost in September there's 6-8 weeks of glorious summer to come.....

 

As the Irishman said, if I was you I wouldn't start from here,

Days are getting shorter the forecast is rubbish, at least until the end of the month, the jetstream has decided it likes the UK.


6 to 8 weeks of glorious summer, maybe down your way, but I'm sceptical, even miracle grow cant alter some things

A 2ft screen might happen depending on what plants, but I think you need to be buying something fairly established Chris.

 

Things in the garden have been neither Mediterranean nor dry for what seems like a year! Granted, we had a few weeks of summer weather, but other than that... Here's hoping that next year will be drier.

 

To be honest it was pretty dry here during the summer, but I like that, saves mowing grass every week.
It's pretty swampy now though.

 

I'm with you on that @pete. Dry, sunny weather just short of a drought suits me fine.

 

We went straight from drought to boggy without passing 'Go' and definitely without collecting
£200 Standing puddles on a slope and I can't begin to describe the chicken parc! If I lose another load of cherry trees (having replaced the 9 I lost before installing a land drain across the garden) I'm going to give up and move to a flat in Bordeaux

 

Serious drought to still in it!

 

If it's possible to pipe the snowmelt from the Pyrénées to Nouvelle Aquitaine during the summer, which it is for the agriculteurs, then it should be possible to pipe all the excess water in winter from SW France back down to Portugal? You'd be very, very welcome to it

 

The consolation being the vin rouge and access to the Arcachon beaches...

 

Thank you, it would be gratefully accepted.

I posted an article, last month I think, where 'they' are investigating piping to Algarve from up north. Also, they are building a desalinating plant in Albufeira for drinking water .... and also cutting off golf courses, municipal gardens, upping the rates where folk have swimming pools and closing municipal swimming pools because we have beaches nearby.

I will say, our drinking water is not drinkable and we buy lots of bottled water.

We are not concerned but have sympathy for famers.

 

Per last July, the jet stream has produced a sub-optimal summer here, to put it mildly. Déjà vu. Interestingly, all my Med plants are doing well, nevertheless. Nature finds a way.

 

If I had tried to grow Mediterranean plants I'm sure most of them would have rotted and died by now. The only plant of that type which is flourishing for me is lavender and that was planted in about 6" of gravel with the only proper soil being what was in the pot when I bought it.

 

During the last few years I have been dithering between using Mediterranean plants or swamp plants. Down here we have begun having searing temperatures in Spring and intermittently during the summer backed up by monsoon wet for most of the winter, intermittently during the summer plus gale force wind all year round.
There are not many plants that can cope with all extremes. I have lost so many plants this last year or two.
I don't know what to doooooooo!

 

I feel for you Goldenlily26! Those are exactly the conditions that I've been battling for the last 18 years. Add in the total unpredictability of the winter temperatures and the best that you can say is that the garden is never going to be boring Expensive, yes, but not boring....

 

I seems to me it is easier to cater for a plant that likes water in a drought than a plant that likes drought during a very wet yr (like this one). So, I go for the water-lovers. Yes, they need vigilance in a hot spell, but they can manage in the ground through a wet winter and spring. I have never thought dry gardens practical on a small island like ours, unless your soil is exceptionally free-draining.