the Mediterranean Garden

So many of my favourite memories have been made in the warmer, drier, temperate climate of the European Mediterranean Basin. Filtered sunlight through an ancient olive tree falling on a glass of wine or a walk along a sea front esplanade among towering Washingtonia robusta palm trees. So many typical characteristics we associate with our summer holidays across “The Med”… However…..

Returning home to the UK, cool and damp, forcing ourselves to wear flip flops at the slightest sign of a blue sky, BBQs under parasol with a determined host standing defiantly in the rain turning burgers and burning aubergine, who can blame us for wanting to recreate a small piece of what gave us so much joy abroad!

 Lucky for us, there are an abundance of Mediterranean style plants suited to our climate here in the UK. From the iconic olive tree, Olea europea and Ficus spp. particularly “brown Turkey” to Cistus, Stipa, Yucca and Campsis. And, when we think of the Mediterranean climate zone including Western Australia, South Africa, Mexico up into California and parts of Chile the plant index rises dramatically. Our climate is shifting and changing at an incredible rate and plants like Leptospermum, Callistemon, Westringia and Prostranthera from down under plus Watsonia, Protea spp. including Banksia and Leucadendron are not that unrealistic to experiment with in UK gardens. More and more succulents are becoming available from Agave spp., Aloe species and even species of Cacti as the growing interest in xeriscaping gathers momentum.

These structural trees, shrubs and large succulents can be elevated with low maintenance, dry garden plants associated with Mediterranean gardens such as Eucomis, Halimium, Sisyrinchium, Pennisetum and Osteospermum. Annual displays of Cosmos, Zinnia, Aeonium, the exquisite Tradescantia Pallida “purple heart” and for the brave, I have even seen Strelitzia reginae growing outdoors in stunning glory here in the UK.

Even though we associate many Mediterranean plants with a climate a far cry from what we expect here in Devon, there are plenty of hardy plants perfectly adaptable to our garden here at Marwood. And, with some key design considerations, will not only live, but thrive in this tiny corner of the Southwest.

First and foremost, consider the site, the aspect, the soil and how these will suit prospective planting especially with our ever reliably wet winters. The Mediterranean Garden here at Marwood Hill Gardens is sited on a south facing slope, steep in places with poor, rocky soil due to the historic building site of the house. This well-draining area of the garden is ideal for plants whose roots are moisture sensitive. The site is protected to the north by the house, to the east and west by mature, evergreen shrubs and trees which filter chilly winter winds and offer moisture uptake even in winter.

Drainage, however, becomes the overriding factor in plant success, and we further improved this with added aggregate in the planting hole of some plants, surface mulch of gravel and larger stone for effect. This kind of mulch serves several purposes, to drain rainwater away from the plants and to act as mini storage heaters as they soak up the heat from the sun during the day and slowly release that warmth through night. Even during winter, storage of daytime sunshine before a frost can be just enough to make the difference between life and loss of the plant.

The plants are then positioned on the site with discipline regarding space. Our climate is changing, becoming milder in winter, but also wetter, this creates the perfect breeding ground for fungal spores and disease which can cause die back and even rot. Allowing for space between plants, enough to walk through without touching, is good practice as this will promote air flow, dispersing fungal spores and drying out plants quickly after rainfall. Woody, Mediterranean shrubs and trees can be damaged by high humidity, browning foliage on Lavendular, rotting Salvia spp. and hardy, Aloe striatula stems and mushy growing points on Yucca, palms and Echium pininana are all signs of poor air flow.

I was very keen to get stuck into the Mediterranean garden here at Marwood Hill Gardens as soon as I became a gardener here. I wanted it to thrive, to showcase what is possible to grow here and demonstrate good design so that visitors may try to grow these plants successfully in their own gardens. These plants, I feel, are some of the most thought and memory provoking plants that can be grown, I enjoy recalling trips with family and friends, when I see certain flora and believe this to be true of many visitors to the garden. I hope to inspire visitors to seek out and try these plants in their own gardens as we propagate more and more of them in our plant sales nursery.

The first stage of the rejuvenation was to remove the grass from the lower slope, clear several older rhododendrons that were clearly past their best, removing and thinning invasive Houttuynia cordata, bramble, Hedera and all other plants, either seeded or spreading prolifically over the years to outgrow their original space. An example of a thuggish, strong grower being the Acanthus spinosus of which I am still removing the sprouting root segments remaining in the rock.

Stage two was to simply prune back shrubs, raise canopies and lift and split larger plants to regain that space which had been slowly reduced, this allowed the rocky ground to really set off the plants by reflecting light onto the pastel colours or foliage, bark and flowers. Rock and space are almost as important as the actual plants in a Mediterranean theme garden. The two old olive trees were given a first stage pruning, removing many of the crossing stems, hollowing out the centre to promote light and removing ferns and moss on the trunks. The two had grown into one another restricting light and air crucial for fruiting. It is now my hope, that after the next phase of pruning, these trees will provide some of Marwood’s own olives!

Our head gardener, Malcolm, has propagated some wonderful and exciting new plants from the Mediterranean parts of the world including Prostranthera “Badja peak” with incredible scent from the foliage, many Corea varieties from Australia, Manuka honey trees, Leptospermum “burgundy queen” and “apple blossom” and sourced the very rare Californian Dendromecon Rigida, among others which certainly deserve to be on display. Along with my own personal interest in architectural succulents such as Agave Americana, Agave Salmiana var. ferox, Aloes including the hardy striatula, wickensii and polyphylla, Echium and palms we certainly had a lot to go with when it came to the final stage of planting.

The lower slope was originally discussed as a site for the Agave spp. but we then decided it would maybe be better to display them in the central border, with upper and lower vantage points for visitors to observe the incredible rosette forms. The lower slope has now been planted up using a group of the giant Canary Island bugloss, Echium pininana “snow tower” capable of reaching 3-4 metres during second season flowering, the lower growing shrub Echium candicans “pride of Madeira” with its electric blue flower spikes and fluorescent pink stamens. The foreground was then dot planted with the large yellow flowering shrub Phlomis varieties “thermesii” and “Margaritae”. Height would then be achieved using two Cordyline Australis, several Yucca Gloriosa “Spanish daggers” and a rather rare Desmodium Yunnanensis which, although not necessarily Mediterranean in origin, had the blueish, fury leaf I was looking for in a small tree. Striking foliage contrast was achieved using the burgundy leaved Astelia “red shadow” which would pick up on the dark leaves of Cordyline “redstar” , Acacia Baileyana and Dodonea viscosa “purpurea”. Mexican native Amicia Zygomeris encompasses all the before mentioned colour bringing the design together.

It has been a poorly kept secret, my love for the genus Agave. I have a great respect for a range of plants that can survive in some of the most inhospitable regions and thrive. Primarily from Mexico, these architectural succulents can be found well into the southern states of the USA and throughout Mediterranean Europe all the way into the Adriatic. By far the most common being Agave Americana of forms “variagata” and “franzosinii”. Agave Americana is reliably hardy in UK gardens with unprotected specimens sizing two metres in all directions, found randomly across the British Isles. Trials have proved successful for many others and the varieties available is ever expanding with some of the best performers in our climate being Agave Ovatiflolia, Agave Salmiana var. Ferox, Agave Montana, Agave Gentryi and Agave Parryi to name but a few general species. (It should be noted that a good size plant should be the subject of an outdoor trial, 5-7.5 litre rootballs being ideal). Associated with much warmer, dryer parts of the world, it is often forgotten that these plants experience huge temperature fluctuations from as high as 50 celsius in the day to minus 20 at night. The one factor we must consider is our rainfall, especially in winter. With this in mind, a small collection was sourced to showcase here at the garden and as they grow, I have no doubt, they will become a show stopping addition to the site. Over the last few years the UK has recorded temperatures as high as 40.3 Celsius in August 2022, the driest spring on record in 2025 and declared drought in summer 2022. There is no doubt our climate is changing, and Agaves provide a viable, future proofing, planting option. Their adapted, thick, moisture storing leaves have the ability to keep stomata closed during the daytime, when all other plants are transpiring and losing moisture, and open them at night where moisture loss will be minimal.

Drainage is critical for succulents, so they were planted into gravel and surrounded with varying sizes of local stone. Alongside the Agaves we planted Dyckia “Morris Hobbs”, Furcraea Longeava, hardy Aloe Striatula and Polyphylla, which is endangered in its native Lesotho, isolated to just a single ravine! Large rock was used to set the plants off and highlight their gnarly spines and teeth. We look forward to the incredible flowers of all these remarkable plants in the future.

By far the strangest of the succulents are the Aeoniums, or house leeks. These colourful rosette forming plants were mainly native to the Canary Islands but have found themselves colonising well across north Africa and down the eastern seaboard to Ethiopia and even as far as Lebanon. They can grow seemingly out of nothing but a crack in a cliffside and remain unphased by lack of irrigation. Exposure to sunlight increases colour intensity, from the almost black of Aeonium “swartkopf” to the rusty bronze of Aeonium “copper kettle”. A small rockery was built to display a small selection of these unique plants alongside the South African purple flowering Delosperma. It should be noted that Aeoniums will be lifted in November for dry winter store.

The rejuvenation project continues as we look to add exciting new plants such as Melaleuca, Protea and others. This constant progress is crucial in a garden as we push the boundaries and adapt with climate change. We, as gardeners, must remain stoic and be adaptable, revel in new successes but learn from mistakes and failure (and try again!) Above all remain passionate about plants and presenting hope and excitement through design and planting. I continue to take inspiration from gardening hero Ruth Bancroft, who pioneered xeriscaping from 1950, trialling thousands of climate busting plants up until her death in 2017 aged 109! Her garden, the first to be protected by the American Garden Conservancy now provides education and conservation services to this day.