W
HETHER or not you’re
jetting off abroad this
summer, you can bring a
flavour of your favourite
holiday destinations to your garden with
some Mediterranean planting. Many
of the plants you see in these summer
hot spots will grow quite happily in the
British climate if given a sunny, sheltered
spot and soil with good drainage. And as
climate change starts to have an impact
on gardens, parts of eastern and
southern England already have similar
growing conditions – low rainfall,
summer sunshine and dry winters – to
those in the Med, making plants native
to this area ideal for a hosepipe-free plot.
For small growing spaces, a few
simple terracotta pots – the classic
choice for Mediterranean containers- planted with colourful pelargoniums
and fleshy-leaved succulents will
recreate the spirit of a Greek balcony. Or
you could transform a sun-baked seating
area into an Italian-inspired terrace,
surrounding it with herbs like oregano,
thyme and bay. Add a pergola, then
plant scented climbers, or grow a vine - the bunches of dangling grapes will
also provide welcome dappled shade.
Focal point
If you have room to spare and a mild
location with free-draining soil, you
could create a whole Mediterranean-
inspired garden. Use a tree such as agnarly old olive or a hardy palm as
a focal point, then add shrubs and
perennials such as the Portuguese
laurel, euphorbias and genista. Plant
fragrant flowers like jasmine and
lavender – as their perfumes are
released, they’ll conjure up happy
memories of sun-baked escapes.
Mediterranean winters tend to be
cold and dry, so native plants can be
surprisingly hardy. But when prolonged
cold is combined with wet, as it so often
is in a British winter, they will suffer. If
your soil isn’t naturally free-draining, be
sure to dig in plenty of grit; alternatively,
consider building some raised beds.
Growing these plants in containers is
another option, particularly if you have
heavy clay soil or live somewhere with
high rainfall. Pots have the bonus of being
easily moved under cover in autumn.
Whether you simply want to add a
touch of the Med or embrace its planting
wholeheartedly, it’s surprisingly easy to
do. Garden centres will offer a decent
selection for instant colour now, while
specialist nurseries not only have loads
of plants, but advice and inspiration, too.Bay and lavender are two Med staples that are
easy to grow in a UK garden, and both work
well in pots if drainage is an issue for you32 AMATEUR GARDENING 13 JULY 2019You needn’t live in Italy or Spain to incorporate herbs, shrubs and flowers from those
areas – a sheltered spot in a border or on the patio will do just fine, says Louise Curley
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Mediterranean plants
Where to buy
Beth Chatto bethchatto.co.uk 01206 822007
The Citrus Centre citruscentre.co.uk 01798 872786
The Palm Centre palmcentre.co.uk 020 8255 6191
Primrose primrose.co.uk 0118 903 5210
Sarah Raven sarahraven.com 0345 092 0283 (calls as per 01/02 numbers)