An Easy Care Mediterranean Garden Idea

Plant Combinations, Spring Borders, Summer Borders, Fall Borders, Gravel Gardens

Garden Ideas, Landscaping ideas, Mediterranean Garden, Mediterranean Border Idea, Olive Tree, Erigeron, Santolina, Thymus, Dasylirion, Olea europaeus

Looking good all year long, this Mediterranean garden includes a number of iconic elements of Provencal or Tuscan gardens such as olive trees, lavender cotton (Santolina), thyme (Thymus), or shrubby bindweed (Convolvulus). Most are fragrant, their foliage releasing scent when they are brushed against.

All are water-wise, drought tolerant, and require little care.

Garden Information

Hardiness	8 - 9
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Maintenance	Average
Water Needs	Low
Soil Type	Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH	Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Well-Drained
Characteristics	Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy
Tolerance	Drought
Attracts	Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders
Garden Styles	Gravel and Rock Garden, Mediterranean Garden

Plants In This Garden

Olea europaea (Common Olive)

A mainstay of Mediterranean gardens, Olea europaea (Common Olive) is a slow-growing, evergreen tree prized for its picturesque habit, gnarled trunk, silvery foliage and spreading crown. The gray-green leaves, 2-3 in. long (5-7 cm), are silvery beneath and beautiful through the seasons.

Hardiness	8 - 10
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	20' - 30' (6.1m - 9.1m)
Spread	20' - 30' (6.1m - 9.1m)

Santolina chamaecyparissus (Lavender Cotton)

Santolina or Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus), a favorite of Mediterranean gardens, is a beautiful evergreen shrub noted not only for its dense, fine, silvery gray-green foliage all year around but for its drought tolerance.

Hardiness	6 - 9
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)

Thymus 'Silver Posie' (Common Thyme)

Both useful and ornamental, Thymus ‘Silver Posie’ (Common Thyme) is a bushy dwarf evergreen shrub with a wonderful foliage of white-margined, aromatic, gray-green leaves with a hint of pink on the tips. In late spring to early summer, the plant is smothered in clusters of small, tubular, bright purple to white flowers

Hardiness	6 - 9
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	9" - 1' (23cm - 30cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)

Convolvulus cneorum (Shrubby Bindweed)

Native to the Mediterranean region, Convolvulus cneorum (Shrubby Bindweed) is a small, spreading, evergreen shrub noted for its attractive silky, silvery-green foliage and large morning-glory-like flowers.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)

Dasylirion serratifolium (Desert Spoon)

Dasylirion serratifolium (Desert Spoon) is a very ornamental evergreen succulent boasting a perfectly symmetrical rosette of long, narrow, prominently serrate, blue-green leaves. The leaves can reach 3 ft. in length (90 cm) and are adorned with feathery, tufted ends.

Hardiness	8 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)
Spread	3' - 6' (90cm - 180cm)

Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Daisy)

Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Daisy) is a graceful, trailing, woody-based perennial noted for its endless production of small daisies almost year-round. Opening white, the delicate flowers turn soft pink, fade to purple and attract butterflies and bees.

Hardiness	6 - 9
Exposure	Full Sun
Height	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Spread	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)

How Many Plants Do I Need?

judywhite / Garden Photos .com

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.