Mediterranean garden

Last post 06-02-2012 6:58 PM by Anne Marigold. 5 replies.

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03/02/2012 11:24 AM
Anne Marigold Location: Surrey Joined on: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 7	Reply \| Contact Garden on Costa Blanca. Faces north over the sea and is between 700 and 1000M above sea level. Sloping with terraces. Plot 1300m sq. Summer drought. When it does rain it pours! Winter can get cold - ice in buckets today. Very windy. Soil stony and iron pan (plus builders rubble!!). Citrus do not survive and this year we lost a couple of bottlebrushes. Natives are pine and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Oleanders do well. Jacaranda seems to be OK but no flowers after 6 years. I would like a few more trees, all year round colour and fruit but I'm losing heart and wondering whether to put whole area over to rosemary and other Mediterranean herbs. I would welcome any ideas for this difficult site.

03/02/2012 11:24 AM

Anne Marigold
Location:
Surrey
Joined on:
21 Oct 2011
Posts:
7

Reply | Contact

Garden on Costa Blanca. Faces north over the sea and is between 700 and 1000M above sea level. Sloping with terraces. Plot 1300m sq. Summer drought. When it does rain it pours! Winter can get cold - ice in buckets today. Very windy. Soil stony and iron pan (plus builders rubble!!). Citrus do not survive and this year we lost a couple of bottlebrushes. Natives are pine and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Oleanders do well. Jacaranda seems to be OK but no flowers after 6 years. I would like a few more trees, all year round colour and fruit but I'm losing heart and wondering whether to put whole area over to rosemary and other Mediterranean herbs. I would welcome any ideas for this difficult site.

06/02/2012 12:43 PM	In reply to
madmuncher Location: Nottinghamshire Joined on: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 140	Reply \| Contact Wow..you do have some challenges.. I think you need to start with creating layers of diffrent plants..so taller ones will provide shelter for some other that are not necessary as hardy. That is only way for you to get some diversity on the hill site. Start with some trees..what are type of useable trees that do grow in your area in similar conditions? How about few bay trees...they do survive UK winters of so should be hardy enough over there..they create some windbreaks and are not fussy about soil neither. Trees will slow down soil errosion that will happen a lot in exposed hill sites. But, it will be slow process..once you get few trees to settle..give them couple of years and start introducing undergrowth..bushes..and again..after couple of years lower growing plants..and so on. While you permanent planting is getting their feet in..perharps making use of annuals and other seasonal plants will provide enough diversity with flowers and edibles?..you could camouflage some planters by sinking them into ground and piling rocks to hide and anchoring them down for some taller temporary plants. How about some Grape vines..they are surprisingly adabtable..?..or Kiwis? When you plant something..keep the medium quite free draining..plain compost would hold too much moisture if you do get heavy downpour..so even it sounds daft..mix plenty of grit and sand into planting holes/containers..you need to keep you plants getting used to harsh conditions..and although they will need little bit of help from some 'good stuff' and perharps mulching, but with too lush planting medium, any new growth will just depend from 'cosy' conditions and you end up being slave for the never ending circle of trying 'provide'. You will need to 'provide' but keeping up with more 'natural' level..or just enough for them to succeed. Use lot of the natural stones to create planting pockets..and perharps doing lot of cuttings on site will give you plants that are hardy enough , rather than buying plants and planting those..they will take getting used to harsher conditions. Use some of the soil that you have when doing your compost mixes..root will adabt better for surrounding soil. Good luck with you challence..it will be hard slog..and you will loose a lot of plants to get few to succeed...but after all it will be all worth it..

06/02/2012 12:43 PM

In reply to

madmuncher
Location:
Nottinghamshire
Joined on:
20 Mar 2010
Posts:
140

Reply | Contact

Wow..you do have some challenges.. Indifferent I think you need to start with creating layers of diffrent plants..so taller ones will provide shelter for some other that are not necessary as hardy. That is only way for you to get some diversity on the hill site.

Start with some trees..what are type of useable trees that do grow in your area in similar conditions?

How about few bay trees...they do survive UK winters of so should be hardy enough over there..they create some windbreaks and are not fussy about soil neither. Trees will slow down soil errosion that will happen a lot in exposed hill sites.

But, it will be slow process..once you get few trees to settle..give them couple of years and start introducing undergrowth..bushes..and again..after couple of years lower growing plants..and so on.

While you permanent planting is getting their feet in..perharps making use of annuals and other seasonal plants will provide enough diversity with flowers and edibles?..you could camouflage some planters by sinking them into ground and piling rocks to hide and anchoring them down for some taller temporary plants.

How about some Grape vines..they are surprisingly adabtable..?..or Kiwis?

When you plant something..keep the medium quite free draining..plain compost would hold too much moisture if you do get heavy downpour..so even it sounds daft..mix plenty of grit and sand into planting holes/containers..you need to keep you plants getting used to harsh conditions..and although they will need little bit of help from some 'good stuff' and perharps mulching, but with too lush planting medium, any new growth will just depend from 'cosy' conditions and you end up being slave for the never ending circle of trying 'provide'. You will need to 'provide' but keeping up with more 'natural' level..or just enough for them to succeed.

Use lot of the natural stones to create planting pockets..and perharps doing lot of cuttings on site will give you plants that are hardy enough , rather than buying plants and planting those..they will take getting used to harsher conditions. Use some of the soil that you have when doing your compost mixes..root will adabt better for surrounding soil.

Good luck with you challence..it will be hard slog..and you will loose a lot of plants to get few to succeed...but after all it will be all worth it.. Yes

06/02/2012 12:54 PM	In reply to
madmuncher Location: Nottinghamshire Joined on: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 140	Reply \| Contact Other thing I forgot to mention..(whopsie..this is going to turn into book soon ) ..use smaller rocks and stones as 'mulch'..what ever you plant and if you have some organic matter to add as mulch..anchor it down by using smaller stones..they will not only hold the plants and compost in place but will also act as insulator against hot sun or pouring rain..hopefully slowing everything being washed down the slopes. All the natural things you have there..although on their own they might seem to be 'pain'..they might become very usefull stuff for you.. That's it..no more from me..

06/02/2012 12:54 PM

In reply to

madmuncher
Location:
Nottinghamshire
Joined on:
20 Mar 2010
Posts:
140

Reply | Contact

Other thing I forgot to mention..(whopsie..this is going to turn into book soon Confused )

..use smaller rocks and stones as 'mulch'..what ever you plant and if you have some organic matter to add as mulch..anchor it down by using smaller stones..they will not only hold the plants and compost in place but will also act as insulator against hot sun or pouring rain..hopefully slowing everything being washed down the slopes.

All the natural things you have there..although on their own they might seem to be 'pain'..they might become very usefull stuff for you..

That's it..no more from me.. Embarrassed

06/02/2012 01:36 PM	In reply to
Anne Marigold Location: Surrey Joined on: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 7	Reply \| Contact Thank you so much madmuncher. I'm going to print off your replies and keep them with my gardening books. I'm really pleased you have understood the problem. Garden Centres here are geared up to conventional Mediterranean gardening and so are full of quite tender plants. At the moment we have a terrific wind blowing and it's very cold although not a cloud in the sky. Buckets are frozen! The sea is very choppy. We look directly over the sea although we face due North. That's bacause we are on the pointy bit of the eastern Spanish coast. Luckily the garden is full of stones so plenty availble to mulch with! Again thank you so much for your very helpful advice.

06/02/2012 01:36 PM

In reply to

Anne Marigold
Location:
Surrey
Joined on:
21 Oct 2011
Posts:
7

Reply | Contact

Thank you so much madmuncher. I'm going to print off your replies and keep them with my gardening books. I'm really pleased you have understood the problem. Garden Centres here are geared up to conventional Mediterranean gardening and so are full of quite tender plants. At the moment we have a terrific wind blowing and it's very cold although not a cloud in the sky. Buckets are frozen! The sea is very choppy. We look directly over the sea although we face due North. That's bacause we are on the pointy bit of the eastern Spanish coast. Luckily the garden is full of stones so plenty availble to mulch with! Again thank you so much for your very helpful advice.

06/02/2012 06:12 PM	In reply to
madmuncher Location: Nottinghamshire Joined on: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 140	Reply \| Contact I found one more thingy to say....have a look in internet or books how South American Indias..Incas used to grow their crops in hill ,well..more like mountain sites..it might give you lot of idea how to prepare soil conditions. The sites they prepared all those years ago are still used and when kept on farming with traditional methods, they are fertile, unlike the sites that were turned into more modern way of cultivation. There is some articles about it on.. http://www.kokopelli.asso.fr/articles/desertification.html ...sorry, but its all french..you should plenty of Inca agriculture methods in english somewhere else.. You could also think of using course mulching underneath the stones..that is in form of slightly composted wood chippings..it is excellent stuff in your situation..its heavier than compost or other organic matter..it will hold some moisture down and being low in nutrients it won't actually feed the soil..but will give some so important humus to the soil that is essential for plant life or if you can get hold of straw..that would work too..or chop any plants that has finished their life cycle straight on ground rather than composting it or clearing it away, weigh it all down with stones and hopefully after winter some it managed to stay situ and turn into 'good stuff'. Done..

06/02/2012 06:12 PM

In reply to

madmuncher
Location:
Nottinghamshire
Joined on:
20 Mar 2010
Posts:
140

Reply | Contact

I found one more thingy to say.. Big Smile ..have a look in internet or books how South American Indias..Incas used to grow their crops in hill ,well..more like mountain sites..it might give you lot of idea how to prepare soil conditions. The sites they prepared all those years ago are still used and when kept on farming with traditional methods, they are fertile, unlike the sites that were turned into more modern way of cultivation.

There is some articles about it on.. http://www.kokopelli.asso.fr/articles/desertification.html ...sorry, but its all french..you should plenty of Inca agriculture methods in english somewhere else..

You could also think of using course mulching underneath the stones..that is in form of slightly composted wood chippings..it is excellent stuff in your situation..its heavier than compost or other organic matter..it will hold some moisture down and being low in nutrients it won't actually feed the soil..but will give some so important humus to the soil that is essential for plant life or if you can get hold of straw..that would work too..or chop any plants that has finished their life cycle straight on ground rather than composting it or clearing it away, weigh it all down with stones and hopefully after winter some it managed to stay situ and turn into 'good stuff'.

Done.. Zip it!

06/02/2012 06:58 PM	In reply to
Anne Marigold Location: Surrey Joined on: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 7	Reply \| Contact Thank you again! I think you should write that book! We do have to be careful what we put on the garden. If loose it will end up with the neighbours along with the plant saucers from the terrace!

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