All aspects of Landscaping and irrigation service

A well-designed landscape can be inspiring. It can provide a sense of calm, a sense of awe, and a sense of balance. It can boost your spirits and give you solace. A beautiful landscape can also improve the curb appeal of your home and inspire other people in your neighborhood to turn their own yards into inspiring landscapes.

Landscaping and gardening are also ideal outlets for your creativity. Nature gives you an expansive palette of colors, textures, scents, and structural compositions to choose from. In a home garden, you can take these gifts from nature and combine them in any style you desire. But with so many landscaping options at your disposal, where do you begin?

Whether you want to create a sanctuary, a retreat, an entertainment area or any other environment, you'll get ideas here on how to do it. The photographs, expert insights, and troubleshooting advice in this section can help you create a landscape that suits your unique tastes and appeals to all your senses.

Get these tips

In this section, you'll find tips from landscaping professionals on:

• How to plan the perfect backyard, including ideas for layouts, design styles, outdoor rooms, patios, water features and hardscaping.
• Ways to boost the curb appeal of your front yard, including design ideas for driveways, sidewalks, front porches and courtyard gardens.
• Designing the perfect patio, with advice on sizing and placement, materials, patio styles, and patio layouts.
• Design ideas, planning tips and appliance options for outdoor kitchens.
• The most popular garden styles and themes, including modern, traditional, country, Mediterranean, tropical and desert.
• A look at award-winning projects from landscaping professionals across the country.
• Ideas for regional landscape designs suitable to the climates, available materials and plant types characteristic of different areas of the country, from San Diego to New York.
• Solutions for solving typical yard and landscape challenges.
• Advice on planting bountiful vegetable and container gardens.
• Ways to simplify your landscaping plan by choosing hardy low-maintenance plants, sticking with basic materials, minimizing complex details, and choosing straightforward uncomplicated layouts.
• The latest landscaping trends, including meadow gardens with native plantings, growing your own food, going lawn-free, landscaping as an art form, and planting gardens that attract butterflies, birds and bees.

Mother Nature gives you a bounty of beauty to work with to create the landscape of your dreams. A landscape designer can help you make the most of this bounty by steering you to the best plants, materials and garden layouts for achieving your goals.

A relva sintética e a sua popularidade estão em crescimento

A relva sintética e a sua popularidade estão em crescimento e é cada vez mais utilizada em diversos espaços, desde escolas, recintos desportivos, jardins residenciais, por todo o mundo e em todos os climas, com todas as suas vantagens, desvantagens e garantias.

A relva artificial ou sintética é uma solução com uma manutenção que não apresenta dificuldades, é resistente e não sofre com as alterações climatéricas.

Essa é uma vantagem clara em comparação com o que acontece com um relvado natural. Mas não é a única. E nem tudo são benefícios. Conheça as suas vantagens, desvantagens, possibilidades de aplicação e garantias.

Vantagens

As principais vantagens podem-se dividir em dois grupos, a vantagem económica e a vantagem do tempo. A vantagem económica, faz-se sentir com maior incidência no custo da água (para rega diária) e nos custos associados à manutenção do jardim. Um relvado natural, dependendo do tipo de clima e do tipo de relva, pode exigir mais do que uma rega diária e necessita de cuidados periódicos, incluindo a utilização de adubos, herbicidas, pesticidas, máquinas, ferramentas, entre outros custos.

A vantagem referente à disponibilidade tempo, pode dividir-se em dois campos. O primeiro e mais imediato, o tempo que gastaria (tradicionalmente) ao sábado de manhã, para cuidar e tratar da sua relva, que pode ser aproveitado para cuidar dos canteiros, ou mesmo para passear com a sua família. O segundo está relacionado com a meteorologia, um fator por vezes menosprezado quando se planeiam este tipo de aquisições.

Um jardim com relva sintética, uma opção que tem vindo a ganhar adeptos nacionais ao longo dos últimos anos, permite-lhe em estações mais invernosas, uma recuperação mais rápida e um escoamento das águas das chuvas mais eficaz, permitindo em pouco tempo voltar para o seu jardim exterior e disfrutá-lo sem ter que se preocupar com todos os cuidados que teria numa situação com relva natural.

Desvantagens

As desvantagens resumem-se a duas:

- A primeira incide no facto da relva sintética aquecer quando exposta (diretamente) ao sol. A forma de compensar esse sobreaquecimento é regando um pouco a superfície da relva, arrefecendo-a rapidamente e automaticamente. Este arrefecimento é útil para quando vai ser utilizada. Caso não haja essa utilização premente, não se justifi ca a utilização de qualquer tipo de rega ou arrefecimento.

- A segunda é referente às junções entre tapetes. Não raras vezes os trabalhos realizados em relva sintética ficam com as juntas denunciadas, tornando o aspeto final do trabalho realizado em relva sintética, menos apelativo. As junções entre tapetes, são atenuadas ou completamente despercebidas, com tapetes de relva sintética de gamas mais elevadas e de melhores qualidades. Em alternativa, o leitor pode socorrer-se da experiência de equipas de aplicação de tapetes de relva sintética.

Veja na página seguinte: Garantia e durabilidade

Garantia e durabilidade

As relvas sintéticas de gama elevada, de forma generalizada, têm uma garantia de fábrica que pode variar entre os 5 e os 8 anos, sendo que a sua durabilidade pode chegar aos 35 ou 40 anos, dependendo dos fatores climatéricos e da utilização imposta a estes tapetes.

Aplicação da relva sintética

No fundo, a aplicação da relva sintética é um trabalho de bricolagem, sendo o grau de espectativas do resultado final equivalente ao conhecimento e empenho do seu aplicador.

As partes mais complicadas no trabalho de aplicação são o elevado peso dos tapetes, exigindo sempre mais do que uma pessoa para o manuseamento e aplicação, o tratamento/afinação/colagem das juntas para as tornar o mais despercebidas possível e os cortes e redireccionamento dos tapetes, em especial no seu perímetro. Em resumo, qualquer espaço pode ser alvo de uma restruturação em relva sintética, sendo o modo de fixação ao solo dos tapetes, variável conforme as exigências.

Onde se pode aplicar

Cada vez mais surge uma procura por parte dos clientes, para colocação e aplicação de relva sintética em espaços como varandas e terraços, dando um pouco de ar do campo a espaços tendencialmente mais confinados e urbanos. O aparecimento da relva sintética em terraços abre uma nova janela de oportunidade aos clientes, para investirem o seu tempo no cultivo e manutenção de alguns elementos florais nos seus terraços, criando espaços com mais vida.

Jardins tradicionais em relva natural ou noutros tipos de resolução, são sempre pontos de partida para espaços em relva sintética. Em espaços adjacentes de piscinas ou espaços de lazer, a relva sintética tornou-se uma solução cómoda, eficaz e rentável.

Five Landscape Planting Mistakes How to avoid expensive problems caused by misplaced plants By Maureen Gilmer, landscape designer, author and LandscapingNetwork.com columnist

In a residential landscape, there will be mistakes. Some of these are related to construction and appear immediately, but others don't present themselves until many years later. The majority of these are related to plants which can become problems as they mature. An innocent little sapling can indeed become a destructive monster ten years later. Such mistakes can be enormous and very expensive to resolve. Landscape architects fear the potential law suits they cause. So to free yourself from the most costly repairs and even the prospect of litigation, avoid the following five bad planting ideas.

1. Vines penetrate structure

There is nothing more beautiful than a front porch dripping with long lavender wisteria blossoms in spring. But one home engulfed with this vine literally had its roof raised by the pressure. This is one of the vines that produces slender runners that are adept at penetrating the tiniest slots and gaps in a structure. Runners gradually grow thicker over time, and harden into woody branches. A thin runner that penetrates a gap in your eaves will increase in diameter with each new season. When it exceeds the allowances of the space this plant is strong enough to pull nails out of lumber raising up a roof joist a few millimeters every year.

This example doesn't mean you can't enjoy wisteria, it just means that you must be attentive to its adventurous growth and cut it back enough each year to reveal any penetration. The same applies to English ivy which also reaches large diameter with time. If you are not willing or able to give your vines this kind of attention, then it's best not to plant them.

• Pro Tip: Vines allowed to grow up tree trunks into the canopy can kill their host. Those that climb telephone poles can be very expensive to remove. A good rule of thumb is "Never allow your vines to grow beyond the reach of your ladder.

Possible Problem Plants

Problematic large vines: Wisteria, English Ivy, Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Grapes

Trees with problem roots: Maple, Poplar, Willow, Locust, Fig

2. Underground utility invasion

When the toilet won't flush and the kitchen drain clogs up, chances are you have roots in the sewer line. This problem can arise from trees and shrubs planted on or next to water lines, sewer, septic tanks and leach fields. While all trees are water seekers, there are two groups that are the biggest offenders: water lovers such as willow and drought tolerant species such as locust. Willows and their kin produce a vast network of fine roots designed to hold banks of rivers, and these are the most able to penetrate the tiny gaps in underground pipes. Drought tolerant species evolved large and aggressive root systems able to travel a great distance and to surprising depths to reach water in their arid homelands. Both groups are excellent water sensors and always root directly toward any regular source.

It's always wise to know exactly where all your underground utilities lie on site. This includes underground electric, phone and cable because these must be accessible for future service. If there is a large shrub or tree growing on top of the line, replacement or repair is next to impossible without damaging or even killing the plant. Keep woody plants well away from all utilities to save you plumbing problems and replacement dilemmas when things go awry in the future.

• Pro Tip: Trees considered fast growing often produce aggressive roots to feed all that new growth.

3. Power line interference

Most power companies advertise their mantra: Don't Plant Under Power Lines. They must budget tremendous amounts of money each year to have old established trees pruned back due to interference. If they don't prune them, there is always a threat that your trees may cause damages that could end up costing you plenty. Also be fully aware of utility easements on your property which are provided in the event that overhead lines are one day undergrounded. Trees on or at this easement will be destroyed should this change occur.

Abrasion is one of the key causes of damage to power lines, which is caused when wind moves tree branches back and forth where contacting the wires. This gradually wears away the insulating cover to eventually expose twigs to the bare copper wire. This can cause a short that can blow up a transformer or start a fire. The primary offenders are palm trees with dead fronds that contact the wires or poles. Even the slightest spark can lodge in the dry tinder of a palm and set it on fire.

If overhead utilities exist on your site, make sure your planting is well away from the lines. This requires a knowledge of how large a tree will be at maturity to ensure there is enough clearance. Otherwise you will suffer the tragic practical pruning of trees that leaves them flat topped or the canopy cut in half to allow lines to travel through unencumbered.

4. Set back from masonry

Anywhere you have paving, foundations, curbs and other forms of masonry, consider how close the trees are to these elements. Masonry tends to trap moisture in the soils beneath a concrete slab, for instance. Trees located near that slab will try to root there to access the cool damp conditions in the heat of summer. Year after year they continue tapping into this resource, and like vines, grow larger in diameter. The result is inevitably pressure upon the masonry, no matter what kind it is, and soon it will crack or buckle under the pressure.

Not only do you want to set the tree or large shrub back from the masonry, be sure to select a tree that bears a well-behaved root system. City street tree lists are often the best source of species screened for local adaptability and a lack of aggressive rooting. If there's no way to avoid placing a tree near masonry, install a root barrier product to separate roots from masonry underground. This device works with newly planted container root ball, preventing it from branching out horizontally so growth is forced downward, to reach deeper soil moisture.

5. Property line disputes

Large trees, shrubs and vines on property lines are the bane of city public works and the money makers for lawyers and tree trimmers. The potential size of a large tree at maturity is enough to negatively influence conditions in your neighbors' yards. It may shed litter, produce hazardous branches, send roots under the fence to invade the lawn, and present a dozen other common problems that crop up on property lines. And if your neighbor has a swimming pool, consider this doubly important.

To preserve your next door relationship and avoid litigation, keep shade trees well inside your lot. Avoid invasive vines on perimeter fences and walls because inevitably they'll find conditions more to their liking next door. If your neighbor is not a lover of plants, this results in serious conflicts. Where there is a situation of liability present, such as a dangerous overhanging limb that could fall on a person or vehicle in the next storm, the cost to remove it can become a bone of contention since this can require a cherry picker or other special equipment if access is limited. If you fail to correct this and someone is hurt, you may find yourself in court accused of negligence.

Getting plant selection and placement right from the beginning will help you avoid major headaches and costly repairs. Vines and trees with aggressive roots are examples of plants that can mature into problems. You can avoid planting mistakes by knowing the growth habits of the plants you select, as well as their mature size. Don't be afraid to ask your designer about this especially when it comes to plants that will be growing near your homes eaves, underground utilities, power lines, masonry work, or property lines

As this is a special edition, a mini anniversary so to say, we tried to pick the best of the best, looking out for essentials like style, mediums and perspectives.

No. 10 by Wiktor Kłyk, landscape architect

Symmetry and well thought design

‘This is a sketch for an outdoor garden. The concept was based on symmetry and geometrical shapes, in respects to the outdoor furniture as well as the trees and plants that accompany them. The perspective of the sketch is semi-aerial, so that we can see how the atmosphere in the garden will be. It features a small pond, benches and rows of trees and flowers set geometrically to the whole concept. The sketch was done in pen and colour.’

No. 9 by Anton Comrie, director at PrLArch

Urban Utopia

‘This sketch is called ‘Urban Utopia’ and I made it with a felt tip pen on a 100mmx100mm white post-it note. When exploring ideas in design, it is often a matter of putting pen to paper and starting to draw. With this as an example, it does not matter what the drawings are at first. They are, in a way, just like stretching exercises before a workout. Personally, I find this way of exploration liberating and fun while offering different angles of approach to a design. As landscape architects, drawing assists greatly in making us better designers rather than makers of good drawings.’

No. 8 by Van Cam Hoang

Viewing platform product of Landmark

‘Landmark is a construction company which is specialised in council kit form. This is the viewing platform product of Landmark. The hand sketch perspective helps us to imagine how the platform looks e and how much people could enjoy it. The perspective gives us the view of the surrounding landscape as well as shares the enjoyment of the viewers. ‘

No. 7 by Wiktor Kłyk, landscape architect

An urban garden

‘Gardens are essential in urban areas. This one fits great among the surrounding buildings and it also holds true to their geometry in its design. Its style is quite minimalistic, with simple plants and a few covered and semi-covered leisure spots. Wood is quite prevalent as a material, but overall, the garden can be a nice spot for meditation or a coffee break. I drew it in pen and colour.’

No. 6 by Kiemah Hakiemah

A recreational park

‘This sketch shows a recreational park and activities that bring people together within this gathering area. Here we tried to fulfil the parks requirement as an area for connection with open spaces or  an area set aside for recreation, which includes the delightful aesthetic result of enhancing the space.’

No. 5 by Hamidreza Massahi, designer from Iran

The style of this sketch is quite futuristic with a gloomy note, but it shows how great design comes by just by putting down your ideas on paper.

Sketching spontaneously and doing designs that come just out of your head on the spot, can made for the best sketchy work and later to great real-life designs.

‘This sketch was made on A4 paper and I did it in about 20 min. I tried to capture the best view of my idea and to show the scale of the building. I drew a bus and some buildings in the background on the left and some human figures. I did this sketch with just a pen and marker, without a model or erasing, just from my imagination.’

An imaginative sketch

No. 4 by Attila Tóth, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra

A pond in Hungary called Római tó

‘This picture was sketched on a sunny summer’s day at a pond in Hungary called Római tó with the aim to capture the calm and idyllic atmosphere of the water scenery. The unruffled surface of the pond and the pleasant tiny fishing cottages are framed by tree and shrub compositions. The reed and the small pier impart depth to the sketch and draw you into the composition.’ A basic pencil sketch in itself, this is the most definite and pleasant way to capture a detailed view of a special perspective.

No. 3 by Jehanna Abdulkarim, LA student from University of the Philippines Diliman

UP Diliman College of Architecture Building 1I

‘I made this sketch when I was a 1st year LA student and we were asked to do some sketches for our class. This is a sketch of UP Diliman College of Architecture Building 1I was drawn towards its unique architectural design among other buildings in the campus. The medium used was pen and ink.’

No. 2 by Eirini Mouka, landscape architect

A corner of Budapest

‘This is a drawing from a place I visited in Budapest in 2011, during my participation in Erasmus IP, at the University of West Hungary. I used pencils and pens for drawing, and Photoshop for painting.’

No. 1 by Alexandre Guillet, Landscape architect at J.N. Jardins naturels SA., Switzerland

Natural swimming pool project in the area of Geneva

‘This represents a natural swimming pool project in the area of Geneva, Switzerland. The perspective was elaborated by J.N. Jardins naturels Chavornay SA and illustrates the integration in the garden using hand sketching (the house plants) and Photoshop (the water and background).’

The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley

Dan Kiley at the US Air Force Academy, courtesy Aaron Kiley

Should not the role of design be to reconnect human beings with their space on their land? - Dan Kiley

Landslide 2013: View Online Exhibit >

This year's Landslide, TCLF's annual thematic compendium of threatened and at-risk landscapes, is dedicated to the life and work of Dan Kiley (1912-2004), one of the nation’s most important Post War landscape architects. During his prolific career, which spanned more than half a century, he worked with equally significant architects, including Eero Saarinen, Louis Kahn and I.M. Pei, to create internationally acknowledged Modernist design icons. Kiley's legacy is substantial, influential and, like the broad swath of our Modernist designed landscape legacy, ephemeral. To honor Kiley and his legacy, and call attention to the need for informed and effective stewardship of his work - and by extension Modernist landscape design - TCLF has organized a traveling photographic exhibition: The Landscape Legacy of Dan Kiley. The exhibition which opened at the Boston Architectural College on November 14, 2013 will be on view at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC from February 8 to May 18, 2014, and other venues to be announced.

The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley Gallery Guide

The exhibition features 45 newly commissioned photographs of 27 of Kiley’s more than 1,000 designs including: the Miller House and Garden, Columbus, IN; the Art Institute of Chicago South Garden, Chicago, IL; and one of his final residential projects, Patterns, a garden for Gov. & Mrs. Pierre S. “Pete” du Pont IV in Delaware. A full color gallery guide –What’s Out There: The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley – funded through a Kickstarter campaign, includes images from the exhibition, brief site descriptions, site plans and excerpts from recently collected personal recollections from colleagues (an additional site currently under restoration at the National Gallery of Art is included in the catalogue but not the exhibition). A more in-depth treatment of Kiley’s life and legacy will be available on TCLF’s Web site. An opening reception will be held at the Boston Architectural College’s McCormick Gallery on November 14, 2013 beginning at 4:30PM.

“When the 100th anniversary of Kiley’s birth came and went last year – and nothing happened – The Cultural Landscape Foundation decided to mount a tribute to this great Modernist landscape architect,” said TCLF Founder and President, Charles A. Birnbaum. “We have received tremendous support from the artists, who donated their time and work, along with professional associations, landscape architecture firms and individuals who underwrote the exhibition and helped TCLF’s Kiley Exhibition Catalogue Kickstarter campaign exceed its $7,500 goal by more than 20%.”

Patterns, photo copyright Roger Foley

This exhibition was organized in the space of eleven months and, though by design it's not an exhaustive survey, it does manage to illustrate the breadth of Kiley's design vocabulary and how his collaborations synthesized architecture and landscape architecture into elegant artistic statements.

However, there are Kiley designs that are not illustrated because they have been significantly altered. Examples include Lincoln Center in New York, NY, and Dulles Airport, outside Washington, DC, which architect Jacquelin Robertson said was, "in some ways the most lyrical piece of large-scale landscaping that I know of in this country." Indeed, the present day condition of Kiley's legacy is mixed.  Some works are dying quite deaths through neglect, while others are doing well. The Miller House and Garden is now owned and operated by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which has been a very effective steward. Fountain Place in Dallas has been well maintained by Crescent Real Estate Equities. As mentioned above, the National Gallery of Art has recently replanted the portion of Kiley's design between the East and West Buildings and additional work will occur in conjunction with the East Building's renovations. In Tampa, FL, the ground plane of the Kiley Garden (originally NationsBank Plaza) has been rehabilitated, but plans for replacing the trees have stalled. Fortunately, what remains undiminished is Kiley's great influence.

As his former colleague Peter Ker Walker wrote in a recent recollection: "The legacy of Dan Kiley is that his work demonstrates how place informs life and how life in turn gives meaning and value to place.  That he has done with art, grace and good humor to the lasting benefit of all."

Kimmel Residence, photo copyright Neil Landino

The exhibition is co-curated by Charles A. Birnbaum, Amanda Shull and Nord Wennerstro

GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN, NO GREEN THUMB REQUIRED

Fresh, local produce is the way to go.  But it can be expensive to buy and hard to grow, especially in the city.  Gardening can involve a lot of guesswork, whether it’s picking the right plants and seeds or matching it with the right spacing and planting times.  But, worry no more because with UrbnEarth’s new garden system, UrbMat, gardening can be made simple and fun for everyone.

Created by Phil Weiner, the UrbMat, is intended to help families, educators, and kids learn about gardening as well as protecting urban resources.  The UrbMat makes growing food and flowers easy; all you need to have is six inches of healthy soil, water, and sunlight.  Or, it can be used with raised beds or existing soil.

If you don’t have a huge backyard, or maybe no backyard at all, don’t fret because the UrbMat is a small-space garden system that helps you grow 12 different types of herbs, vegetables, and 

flowers such as arugula, basil, carrots, cilantro, chard, lettuce, marigolds, spinach, radishes, and kale.   

The UrbMat is 3’ × 2’ and creates an optimized planting and growth layout for the included GrowUps Plant Starters.  GrowUps are a mix of chili powder, compost, worm castings, clay, and non-GMO seeds.  To make it even easier, plant types are color coded, pre-spaced, and integrated with companion planting.  And, there is no digging required.  In addition, the Urbmat controls weeds, saves water, maximizes small spaces, and takes the guesswork out of the gardening process.

The UrbMat can be reused for several seasons and will last over three years if in direct sunlight.  And, GrowUps can be reordered for easy re-planting.

                                                                                                                                          

Also, for every mat bought, two meals are given to children suffering from hunger in the United Stated.  According to Wiener, the idea is simple—grow food, give food.

Order now at www.ecossistemas.com

What is a mediterranean climate?

by Heidi Gildemeister

It is generally accepted that the mediterranean climate occurs in southern and southwestern Australia, central Chile, coastal California, the Western Cape of South Africa and around the Mediterranean Basin. The largest area with a mediterranean climate is the Mediterranean Basin, which has given the climate its name, although stretches of the Mediterranean coast (in Egypt, Libya and part of Tunisia) are too dry to be thus classified. More than half of the total mediterranean-climate regions on earth occur on the Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean-climate regions are found, roughly speaking, between 31 and 40 degrees latitude north and south of the equator, on the western side of continents. Yet they can extend eastwards for thousands of kilometers into arid regions if not arrested by mountains or confronted with moist climates, such as the summer rainfall that occurs in certain regions of Australia and South Africa. The most extended penetration goes from the Mediterranean Basin up into western Pakistan and into some areas of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (the source of many of our cherished bulbous plants).

In contrast, the mediterranean areas of California and Chile are constricted to the east by mountains closes to the Pacific coast. This is not the case, however, for Australia and South Africa, where monsoon troughs may bring summer rainstorms. In fact, the mediterranean-climate regions of both Australia and South Africa have important but unpredictable rainfall in the summer, a factor that has a significant effect on their vegetation.

The seasonality of the mediterranean climate differs profoundly from that of latitudes to the north or south. Writers, especially those from the north, tend to rave about the attractive features of the climate as "one continuous summer," "an ever-blue sky," or "everlasting sun." But those who live near the Mediterranean Sea know that these descriptions are not really accurate.

In most mediterranean regions climatic changes are pronounced. It is in the autumn – after summer drought and dormancy – that the yearly life cycle of plants starts anew, like the awakening in spring that follows winter dormancy in the north. As I write, in late autumn, the day is radiant and warm, and garden work is a joy. "Such a nice autumn," I say to the farmer, who replies, "Si, es el veranillo de San Martin." (Yes, it is the little summer of Saint Martin – 11th November) This "little summer" is known to last just a few days attesting to the variability of the mediterranean climate.

Autumn-flowering cyclamen in the MGS garden. 

Photo by Chris Wassenberg

In winter, periods of rain alternate with warm, sunny days. We know that after three days of howling winds, during which one closes all windows, turns inwards and appreciates the solid walls of one’s house, one can expect mild, sunny days.

Later the splendid spring display is brought to an abrupt end by hot, dry winds and rising temperatures, which cause seeds to ripen and disperse. When the glorified “continuous summer” arrives it is painfully long, so that plants retire into dormancy, making us believe they are about to die. Indeed, a long, hot summer is required by most mediterranean bulbs if they are to go dormant and ripen in the dry ground. But that summer must be preceded by cool seasons (winter and spring) with soft rains that let the bulbs grow and sprout, so that their juicy stems and shiny foliage can develop in a humid soil before their jubilant spring display. These contrasts are characteristic of the mediterranean climate.

Anemone blanda flowering in March under a plane tree. 

Photo by Davina Michaelides

Spring bulbs – wild garlic and tulips in the MGS garden. 

Photo by Barbara Diamantides

Irregularity of the rainfall, which can vary considerably from year to year, accentuates the severity of the mediterranean climate. Rain does not fall evenly. Generally speaking, you can register more rain in the north than in the south, more in the west than in the east of a continent. Nor does the rain arrive yearly at the same time or within the same intervals. In Gibraltar, for instance, rain starts falling nearly half a season earlier than at the Dead Sea. In the Holy Land no rain at all falls in summer but early rains may come in autumn – manna to the arid soil and parched riverbeds – though it is not until the winter rains that the basins fill.

This variability is true for temperatures. In winter the thermometer may fall to zero degrees Celsius and may even bring a short-lived frost, yet these temperatures depend a lot on the location of your house. In a hill garden, the clouds will hang low over the mountains, but on the coast in a protected corner you may enjoy the cherished winter sun. Mediterranean gardeners are grateful for their mild winters – mild enough for garden work to be an ongoing activity.

Reprinted from: Gardening the Mediterranean Way – practical solutions for Summer-dry climates. Published by Thames and Hudson, 2004. ISBN 0-500-51183-7

See also:

Greek edition: Κήποι στο Φως της Μεσογείου, Potamos Editions, Athens, 2004, €35. ISBN 960-8350-37-9 (available in Greece and Melbourne, Australia)

American edition: Gardening the Mediterranean Way, How to create a waterwise, drought-tolerant garden, Harry Abrams, New York, 2004, $35. ISBN 0-8109-5600-4 (available in the USA, Canada and South America);

French edition: Jardiner sous un ciel méditerranéen, Editions Aubanel, 2004, €25. ISBN 2-7006-0324-9.

Heidi Gildemeister is a past president of the MGS with an established garden in Mallorca. Her previous publications include: Mediterranean Gardening, A waterwise Approach, Editorial Moll, Palma de Mallorca, 1995 ISBN 84-273-0749-7

http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/climate.html