"A Mediterranean Garden" evokes a vision of drifts of lavender, grape vines, stucco walls and tile roofs to many, but to a gardener it speaks of plants adapted to a particular climate type. The Mediterranean climate is subtropical and characterized by dry, rainless summers and wet mild winters, and occurs in only five regions of the world, including the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and north Africa, the western cape of South Africa, southwest Australia, central Chile, and most of California. The climate supports incredible biodiversity--though Mediterranean climate regions cover only 2% of the world's land area, they supports 20% of the world's plant species. The western cape of South Africa alone hosts 1,300 species per 10,000 km, compared to just 400 species per 10,000 km in the South American rainforests. Plants from these regions have many strategies for surviving without water in summer, including going deciduous, going dormant, being succulent, being hairy, thick leaves, and many more. It makes for an interesting array of plants to choose from!

Planting Mediterranean plants is usually most successful in the fall, after the heat of summer has passed and close to when the winter rains begin. During the wet winter, they form a large root system to cope with the long dry summer ahead. Normally, it takes only a winter to get a new plant "established", though many may require supplemental water in summer if they are grown in conditions much different than their native habitats. Others, though, prefer complete summer drought with no water at all. These plants generally rely on a symbiotic relationship with an extensive underground network of microrrhizal fungi to sustain themselves during the summer. These fungi funnel moisture to the roots of the plants, effectively multiplying its water gathering capacity. Garden watering and fertilizing may kill the fungi,depriving the plant of its ability to survive without care. For most plants, this shortens their life spans considerably.

I knew none of this when I started my garden, turning first instead to plants I knew from back east, such as snapdragons and cosmos. As an avid reader, I quickly learned of better alternatives, and among my first choices of Mediterranean plants were rosemary and euphorbia. Some Mediterranean plants contain oils that also help conserve water during the summer, and the fragrance of the oils are a delight in both the garden and the kitchen. I've since added culinary sage, several varieties of oregano, terragon, many lavenders, and various species of thyme, which I harvest regularly. All originate in the European Mediterranean region. Many salvias are native to Mediterranean regions, including a wide range native to California. Most have very aromatic leaves, either small in size or in a silvery color to reduce transpiration. After spectacular spring bloom, many go into dormancy for the summer, only to awaken again with the cooler fall temperatures and rain. A favorite California salvia is Salvia pachyphylla, with near-white leaves and bloom heads covered in purplish bracts around lavender flowers. The bracts remain long after the flowers are gone, providing continued visual interest.

I've gradually added more native California plants to the garden in the last two years. My favorites include ceanothus, or the 'California Wild Lilac'. They range from low ground covers to tall trees, but all have either small or leathery leaves to get them through the long dry summer. I also enjoy the range of native zauschneria (now epilobium) which put on a great show in August and September with their red/orange trumpets of color. These plants have deep roots and silvery foliage to survive the summer. California also has a nice variety of flowering shrubs and trees. My favorites include the Fremontodendron californicum, and the Carpenteria californica, rarely found in gardens.

California has many native bulbs for the Mediterranean garden as well, and most flower in spring to early summer before disappearing until late fall. Among those used in gardens are Brodiaea, Dichelostemma, Calochortus, and Triteleia. I think the Calochortus--also known as the Mariposa lily--is the most beautiful, though I have none in the garden yet. As with most Mediterranean bulbs, they require summer drought for their dormancy and will spring up with fresh foliage when the rains begin. An unusual local native bulb is the Dichelostemma ida-maia, also known as the "Firecracker", which I've paired with other native and South African bulbs.

The western cape of South African provides a dizzying array of plants for the garden. The well-known Amaryllis belladonna, the western US version of the "Naked Lady," is from South Africa, as is osteospermum, plectranthus, bulbine, euryops a and other species I use around the garden. But South Africa is best known for its succulents, and what Mediterranean garden would be without succulents? Delosperma, fenestraria, some aloes and crassula are common succulents for the winter-rain gardens, joining native California sedums, dudleyas, and lewisias. I favor aeoniums as well, originating from the Mediterranean climate of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, for their dramatic foliage and bloom.

Western Australia provides another spectacular range of Mediterranean plants. Most common in California nurseries are anigozanthos, correa, banksia, and grevillea, in a wide selection of sizes and bloom color. A stand of  anigozanthos, or Kangaroo Paws, is a wondrous sight, and flowers come in yellow, orange, red or tinged with green.

Mediterranean plants from Chile are not well known in the nursery trade. In my garden, I have only one puya native to this region, though the popular nasturtium also originated here. Probably the most well-known tree from the region is the Araucaria araucana or Monkey Puzzle Tree, a true beauty to behold. There's a mature specimen I saw growing at Kew Gardens, far from its native home.

It's impossible in the short space here to adequately cover the variety of perennials, annuals, bulbs, shrubs and trees available to the Mediterranean garden. If you have the opportunity to visit a botanical garden with a Mediterranean section, you can enjoy the smells, colors, textures, and forms of these wonderful plants.

Mediterranean gardening presents a lot of challenges to gardeners raised in the tradition of summer-growing and winter-dormant plants. The lack of summer water, the low humidity, and the lack of winter chill obviates the choice of many common garden plants, though of course many can be grown if given irrigation. Nonetheless, by drawing on the incredible diversity of plant life from the five Mediterranean regions, and letting Mother Nature respond as she has so well on her own, a Mediterranean garden can provide you with year-round beauty to enjoy.