What’s not to love about the Mediterranean? Fragrant pine forests, sparkling azure sea, sandy beaches, amazing fresh food and leisurely lunches. Studies have shown that Italians and Greeks tend to live longer than people in the UK – a lot of this is down to climate and a healthy diet but it’s also valuing the importance of spending time together as a family, catching up with friends and neighbours, relaxing over a meal and doing something you love every day.
So why not bring a touch of this culture into your life through your garden and evoke the Mediterranean lifestyle. We can’t promise that you’ll see instant health benefits but it’s a great start. No matter what size or shape garden you have, if you follow these tips there will be nothing stopping you from creating this style of garden.
Design and Landscaping
- Outdoor living, seating & cooking areas – this is an essential part of any Mediterranean garden
- Lighting – people like to sit outside later in the Med, in our climate consider installing a fire pit or working outdoor fireplace
- Architectural planting such as olive trees and palms for instant Riviera glamour
- Colourful paving, earthy colours
- Create areas to provide shade
- Formal water features
- Sculpture – pots, urns, classical statues
- Frame any views you have
- White or terracotta rendered feature walls
- Gravel planting
Which plants to use?
To create this look you need plants that capture the spirit of the Med rather than trying to replicate exactly what you have experience on holiday <more on which plants to choose>
Our top tips picks are:
- Cordyline australis
- Trachycarpus fortunei
- Drought tolerant plants
- Olive Trees (Olea europaea)
- Arbutus unedo
- Hebe pinguifolia
- Passiflora caerula
- Rosmarinus officinalis
- Cupressus sempervirens (Italian cypress)
Above: One of our superb gnarled Olive trees – each one unique from Italy for instant impact and effect. We have olive trees in all sizes, perfect for creating a Mediterranean style courtyard or patio plus a range of lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage and other sun lovers to complete the theme.
Things to avoid
- Trying to use the exact plants you saw during your Mediterranean holiday as not all of them will thrive in our British climate
If you are looking for planting ideas, garden advice or you are considering having a garden design, then a Consultancy Visit from one of our experienced horticulturalists or garden designers can really help. Meeting with you ‘on site’ and experiencing the garden first hand enables us to provide much more specific advice.