When many people paint the perfect picture of an exotic Mediterranean style garden, they often straight away think of leafy plants such as palms, flowering vines and bamboos. However, you can still make a pretty good replica even with locally available plant types. Arid plants, for instance, and many other hot climate dwellers namely cacti, aroids and succulents can also do an excellent job. In this guide, you’ll learn how you can fuse all these vibrant plant species to come up with a Mediterranean masterpiece- or something very close to it.
Pointers
For your ground canvas, you can use mosaic tiles synonymous with Mediterranean architecture or a mix of stained glass and broken dishes; seashells can also make an alluring base. You’d need sanded grout and mosaic adhesive to attach the materials in place but you should have no problem getting either material as they can be found at your local craft and tile store. As for which design you should go for, you’ll find plenty of accompanying purchase instruction manuals that’ll help you choose a great fit for your garden.
Add a chair or table at a suitable location (if you have some space to spare) to create a peaceful haven cast aside from the rest of the world. Fragrant flowering vines like honeysuckle and climbing varieties like grapevine are perfect for creating that serene outdoor ambience so be sure to incorporate some into the fold. You can grow these in vertical rustic-esque supports (e.g. an arbor or a trellis) to minimize wasting any unnecessary space.
Mediterranean Garden Plants
Unglazed terra cotta pots are particularly great accessories if you’re hard-pressed for space. You can place these pots on surrounding rooftops, patios and doorsteps and grow a plethora of plant species in them. For a Mediterranean theme though, go with lavender and other pleasingly smelling plants.
Don’t forget to also throw in some big architectural varieties like tree ferns, bay topiary and palms to create a nice backdrop that you can finish off with alluring bamboo pots. To plug the spaces in between vegetations, you can turn to exotic fruits, flowers and grasses which provide the perfect lively bridge.
No matter where you live, the following flowering plants are a great addition when seeking to attain that mesmerizing Mediterranean flair:
- Sedum
- Sunflower
- Coreopsis
- Blanket flower
Tone down the colorful scenery with complimentary blue plants- e.g blue fescue- and other kinds with a silvery-gray outlook. Some excellent options in this regard include:
- Mexican-bush sage
- Lamb’s ear
- Catmint
- Artemisia
Citrus and olive trees personify the typical Mediterranean spirit and you can also incorporate these alongside fragrant herbs such as thyme, rosemary and lavender. Lightly colored boulders across the landscape will also aid the cause even more and if you’re garden still doesn’t quite have that Mediterranean style; you can paint the walls in terra cotta or a slight variation of beige and pink. Finally, complete your work of art by placing a gravel-mulch layer across the open soil.
All done! Now you have yourself a nice slice of the Mediterranean landscape in your own backyard!