80 Planting recipes
Mediterranean moods
Choose the sunniest spot in the garden,
away from cold winds, and select plants
reminiscent of Mediterranean
vacations: irises, grasses, euphorbias, and
evergreen shrubs, such as olearia. Add
herbs, like rosemary or sage, and
bright-flowered bulbs, such as alliums.
Terra-cotta pots planted with more
tender species, such as succulent
agaves, will help reinforce the
Mediterranean feel.
Border basics
Size 10 x 10 ft (3 x 3 m)
Suits Grasses, neat evergreen shrubs,
irises, bulbs, herbs, succulents, semi-tender
plants Soil Any free-draining
Site Sunny and sheltered, ideally by a
wall
Shopping list
•
3 x Iris ‘Jane Phillips’
•
1 x Olearia x haastii
•
3 x Euphorbia characias subsp.
wulfenii
•
5 x Allium hollandicum
‘Purple Sensation’
•
1 x Anemanthele lessoniana
(Stipa arundinacea)
•
1 x Bergenia cordifolia
•
2 x Ballota pseudodictamnus
Planting and aftercare
Dig over the soil, removing any stones
and weeds, and add plenty of organic
matter, such as manure. If the site is
not well drained, dig in gravel. Set
taller
plants at the back of the border, at
least 12 in (30 cm) from the base of
the wall. Plant shrubs and perennials
first; bulbs are best planted in drifts
around the key plants later. The iris
rhizomes should be near the soil
surface, so that they are partially
exposed. Mulch with gravel and water
well.
Remove the flowering stems of irises
after the blooms have faded. In spring,
cut out the previous year’s flowering
stems
of
euphor
bias as
close
to the
base
as
possibl
e,
avoidin
g the
toxic
sap.
Iris ‘Jane Phillips’
qda