With the right plants, materials, and design you can create a beautiful Mediterranean garden in your own back yard. Here are a few key elements of any good Mediterranean garden:
Use warm, bright colors. Cream-colored stone, white walls, and terra cotta pots are all great examples of Mediterranean colors.
Keep the design simple and functional. All gardens should create a sense of calm, not chaos.
Keep it water friendly. Most Mediterranean regions have warm climates, and the native plants grow well on low amounts of supplemental water.
Incorporate something to cool down the garden, such as shade plants and trees or a water feature. Oak trees and olive trees are distinctive Mediterranean plants that can provide year round shade. Tiered and terra cotta water fountains are also iconic to Mediterranean regions.
Provide space for outdoor seating. Ideal climates in the Mediterranean allow people to spend most of their time outdoors.
Some common Mediterranean plants include:
Olive-Olea Europaea
Coast Live Oak-Quercus agrifolia
Mediterranean Fan Palm-Chamaerops humilis
Citrus-Citrus cultivars
French Lavender-Lavandula dentata
Rosemary-Rosmarinus officinalis
Pomegranate-Punica granatum
Agave Americana
Agave attenuate