Incorporating Mediterranean Style Back Home

Mediterranean Style in Detail

The popularity of the Mediterranean as a vacation destination created a thirst for gardens that reflect it. The mild winters and warm, dry summers favor specific groups of plants, often hardy and low-growing, with olive trees, vines, lavendar, various hedges and many succulents combining to produce a distinctive look. These plants are designed to look natural, against a background of textured hardscapes.

Pathways are often not defined by formal paving. Instead, gravel is used across the entire space, serving as both hard landscaping and a mulch for planted areas. This unifies the garden, allowing plants to be grouped informally and leaving smaller areas of paving to provide more stable surfaces for seating.

Pergolas or arbors are used for shade, and when planted with vines and other climbers provide the perfect location for un-rushed, outdoor dining. Alternatively, trees give dappled shade, either in groves or as individual specimens in key locations.

Water is used to create sound or as a focal point, but, as a precious resource in these landscapes, it would not normally be seen in the form of large pools; instead, it accents the design in decorative fountains and channels.

Mediterranean Garden Plans

This garden features a low, curved seating wall close to the house and shaded by trees. The wall frames the space while providing a backdrop to the water feature.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - Garden Design © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Key Design Elements

In these sun-drenched gardens, shade is key, and can be provided by trees planted as individuals or in groups. Wood pergolas and arbors with climbers also provide a shady setting for outdoor dining (image 1).

Limestone forms the typical gravel of the Mediterranean, creating a light, textured surface through which plants can grow (image 2). Larger boulders and other elements can be used as focal points. Landscape fabric below suppresses weeds.

Water is often confined to channels in more formal Mediterranean gardens, and used to refresh the air or to mark spatial divisions (image 3). In gravel gardens, overflowing containers or water bowls are used for reflections and gentle sound.