Gladioli - Applause

Old new borrowed and blue

Collecting seed is a favourite hobby of mine and I am not adverse to knocking on strangers doors to ask for a seed or two from their garden plants. Most people seem surprised though they are often genuinely delighted that a stranger took an interest in their garden. The draw back with this tactic is that often the plants are unnamed, the occupants having inherited the plants from a previous occupant, and I often have to wait several months before I can identify my new plants. The advantage is that you get much more satisfaction from growing a plant from seed as well as the obvious savings. Don’t be frightened to ask for seed as most gardeners are only too pleased to encourage others and much material if unclaimed simply ends up on the compost heap.

On a visit to a garden nursery near to Empuriabrava on the Costa Brava I befriended an elderly Doberman bitch that belonged to the owner. She reminded me very much of my own Doberman ‘Z’ who had died a couple of years ago. Glad of the company she followed me around the garden taking each and every opportunity that presented itself for a stroke. Dobermans, contrary to their Hollywood reputations, are intelligent and friendly creatures but will guard their home ground.

Agapanthus was high on my wish list but the plants in this nursery were really quite expensive. However the owner who was amused at the way his dog and I had bonded during my visit and he offered me a little seed from his Agapanthus display. This had turned out to be a great visit I had a new friend in the Doberman and I also had my Agapanthus seed. Plants are a great reminder of the personalities you meet and as you tend your garden each flower carries it’s own story of an episode from your life, evoking happy memories of family and friends.

I sowed the Agapanthus directly in a new and raised nursery bed containing amongst other things varieties’ of dianthus and the yucca’s pups. The three young seedlings sprouted and looked healthy enough to form strong plants.

With so much ground to contend with and a lot of work involved in renovating the house, weeding is a constant battle ground. The plot being so open means that wind distributed weed seeds are free to descend onto my carefully tendered soil. Fransico’s sheep are not adverse to importing weed seed on their frequent and untimely visits either.

On cultivated ground a push hoe makes light work of small weed seedlings which here can be left on top of the soil to perish under the hot Mediterranean sun; before being turned into the ground to add humus. It was on a day like this that I found to my horror that I had murdered my Agapanthus seedlings. Cut down in by the blade of the hoe.

Carol and I paid a visit to the same nursery I had visited earlier, half the attraction was the promised introduction to the Doberman. The owner told us that she, the dog, had gone blind suddenly and at nine years of age had to be put to sleep. He had another dog but still missed his old friend.

We haven’t replaced the Agapanthus yet. We haven’t replaced our Doberman either.

A Spanglish Country Garden

How many kinds of sweet flowers grow
In an Spanglish country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Cistus Roses of course Thyme
Cannas that are doing fine
There are even Grapes for wine
Dahlia Lavender all in a line
In an Spanglish country garden.

How many insects do come and go

In a Spanglish country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

Those we miss you'll surely pardon

Mosquitoes’ that buzz our heads

Shield bugs in flower beds

Mantis Spiders and a fly that’s dead

And of course the ants

Moths that eat my underpants

In a Spanglish Country Garden.

How many birds go too and fro
In a Spanglish country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Swallows, Eagles, pied wagtail
Pheasant Chickens and a Quail
Thrushes that will eat the snail
Bee-eaters, Crested lark
Even nightjars in the dark
In our Spanglish Country Garden.

How many kinds of critters lie low

In a Spanglish country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

Those we miss you'll surely pardon

Squirrel Fox Hedgehog Wild Boar

Snake Toad and Worms that glo’

Maybe even Bears that roar

That reminds me yes indeed

I really must be planting seeds

In our Spanglish country garden

Sunflower

Aeonium aboreum - green

In the last couple of years Aeomeums have become quite fashionable amongst garden designers.The plant is easily grown from cuttings just cut of a piece of stem and plant it in damp compost, it should root readily and within six weeks can be potted on or planted.

There are a variety of coloured and variegated leaf forms. The leaves form tightly packed rosettes on bare woody stems, mature plants can be quite striking.

Although they are reputed to be frost tender as long as they are not standing in water they will survide light frosts.

Hawthorn blossom

White flowers are one of the hardest to photograph in the garden because the camera exposure meter is designed to measure an average mid tone and therefore under exposes the flower. A way round the problem is to take the exposure reading from the back of your hand and set the exposure on the camera to that reading.

Underplanting potted specimens

Under planting potted specimens calls for restraint and balance, gaudy coloured annual planting would destroy the effect achieved here by the placing of the tree and it's soft foliage companion plants against the architectural features of the garden.

Over another garden wall

Artists at work!

You will be well rewarded and perhaps even inspired, if you follow the link on this page to the blog of Lady Luz at Salamander Verde.

Pam and her husband are both gardening and producing their own pieces of art for their plot.

Over the garden wall 1

Here is an example of Mediterranean style planting on a windy coastal site. This is a holiday home and therefore the garden needs to be low maintenance, and this I think is reflected in the design and choice of plants.

The low growing mounds and silver grey foliage and indicative of plants suitable for this environment.

Zoned

According to the map I'm in a zone 9 area, but the weather doesn't know it! Since I began this garden I've experienced ,

• The hottest summer 48C
  
• The coldest winter and -12C
• The Longest drought - rain what's rain?
  

since the weather was first recorded in Spain.

http://www.aroid.org/horticulture/zonemap/

It's behind you!

On a warm evening, though there will be fewer of those from now on, when the insects gather around the lights on the terrace their number and variety of forms can be astounding. One of the most welcome of them is the predatory Praying Mantis if, as it is often claimed that, patience is a virtue then this must be the most virtuous member of the insect world. The barely discernible movement of the Mantis before it's lightning quick strike on an unsuspecting prey make them a joy to watch.

I have seen groups of hundreds of insects gathered all around the Mantis some of which pass within range of it's grasp and yet they go unmolested. Others are not so lucky.

Carolina Mantid or as the scientific community would have it Stagmomantis Carolina, also feed on mosquito's; now that really is welcome news!

Texture and colour

This photograph shows the colourful bark of a mature Eucalyptus tree, my own Eucalyptus is quite small and it will be sometime before I can match this specimen found on a canal bank in Empuriabrava, on the Gulf of Roses. As the tree matures the bark peels away in papery layers to reveal the previously hidden colours.

Stems and branches of many shrubs can provide structure and colour during winter when there are fewr flowers around.

Architectural planting

The Yucca's strong form makes it an obvious and popular architectural plant. This example is growing on the edge of the beach. It is planted in a position which exposes the plant to bitingly cold winds and salt laden sea spray.

The late show

Colder nights will soon put an end to the colourful late blooms in the garden. The seed catalogues are starting to arrive and the planning for next years show begins in earnest.

The low sun gives a very directional light which accentuates the form of spiky flowers like this.
Softer morning light gives reduced contrast and is more suited to delicate blossom and fine detail.

There are still some late flowering plants like the Hebe which are producing enough non flowering shoots to enable cuttings to be taken and I will try them, if they do not root now springtime will give me a second opportunity to strike cuttings taken from the same plants.

Home to roost

This is the Avery of our neighbour Joan (pronounced jshuan) his fine collection includes some rare examples and many birds that he has bred himself. He told us that he has been keeping birds for many years, at one time he had kept two emus which he had lost to the local foxes.

The birds were nervous, and even though he encouraged me to go into the cage the birds became unsettled by even the slightest movement, they had only ever had Joan enter their territory before. He invited us to return and become familiar with the birds and was quite keen to let me photograph his birds. On this day it was only possible to snatch a couple of shots.

A few days before Carol had arrived for her summer activity holiday; I was seated at a table in the garden drawing up plans for the next phase of planting. When suddenly, my concentration was broken by the arrival of two unexpected visitors. Particularly so as they had landed upon the table, albeit at the opposite end to me. And there they remained for several minutes each studying me as intently as I was them. The birds remained there on the table while I offered them seed and bread crumbs, and they departed only when I went off to get the camera. If I was any good at sketching I might have been able to draw them without putting them to flight.

Now, here in the Avery I recognised those birds. If you click on the top picture to enlarge it, you will see the first bird in the foreground and it's mate on the central nesting box. When I told Joan the story, he said that his two birds sometimes escaped but always came home to feed and roost.

Succulents and stone

These succulents were rooted from discarded plant material I found on my travels and once they flower it might be possible to identify them. The dark green fleshy foliage shows well against the warm colours in the local stone.

Grass trials and tribulations

With a shift towards Xeriscape type planting we will experiment with different grasses planted en mass or as specimens. I have seen examples of gardens where grasses have helped to link different planting ares together. However some grasses can be a bit thuggish and may need to be restrained to prevent them taking over the garden.

Love lies bleeding -Amaranthus Caudatus

Amaranthus Caudatus or Love lies Bleeding has proved to be very resilient this year surviving several dinner dates with the local sheep. Their pruning of the plants encouraged the plant to become even bushier, with each stem carrying long tassels of blood red cascading from the heart shaped green leaves . Even the stems add to this striking show turning from green to crimson as the plant matures, each plant arching to present the cascading flowers towards the sun.

When the flowers fade they form thousands of tiny seed resembling millet. Easy to collect, the seed germinates readily and even self sows so that you should always have a progression of plants throughout the year. The plant is an annual, sowing and flowering in one year; and whilst many will end their days on the compost heap it is worth leaving a couple of plants with their seed heads in tact to feed the birds.

Bend it like Beckham

I paid a visit to a specialist tree nursery near Bascara, a nursery which supplies the stock to the local garden centres and landscape companies. The owner made time to show me around his stock which was very impressive indeed. Pride of place went to the old gnarled olive
trees of course, those on sale for up to 1000€ each. He told me that as a rule of thumb the best trees were priced at 1€ per year of growth, pointing out well structured trees across the age ranges.

Olive trees so old as his finest stock were not bought for the number or quality of olives that they produced, but purely for aesthetic appearance, better olives came from much younger trees.

As we walked and talked he turned the conversation to football and of course to Barcelona. Then he asked me what I thought about David Beckham the Englishman playing for Barcelona's great rivals Real Madrid. This was obviously a trap, and I had to be careful because too much praise for 'El Beckham' and the price of my trees would surely go up. He agreed that Beckham was a good player but insisted that he would never match Ronaldinho. 

When I told him that I thought Beckham was a lot prettier than Ronaldinho, he laughed out loud and then whilst patting his cheek ever so daintily and suggesting vanity in his action said,

'Si,Si es muy guapo no'?

I was in dangerous territory here and turned the conversation back to the trees. Looking at my land and it's planting possibilities, he went on to suggest that I buy four trees at 1000€ and plant them across the finca; the rest of the 14,000 m2 area I should plant at 5 metre intervals with young trees for their more prolific crop. This he believed would really set of the villa and give me a useful income as well. I must have gone as white as Beckham's football jersey because he laughed again.

'Maybe in the future' he said adding 'poco y poco' (little at a time)

Poco y poco indeed.

Photographs Mediteeeanean Plants

If you are searching for unusual or native plants for a Mediterranean garden; one of the best resources on the internet is the photographic gallery of Thomas Scoepke. There is a link on this site - Plant pictures.

Wriggle when you may.

If a dog is mans best friend then surely this has to be every gardeners best friend. This one was around a foot long and 1/2" thick, and is photographed in the bottom of a wheel barrow.

The soil here bakes like concrete but when wet becomes sticky with a porridge like consistency
and like porridge the more liquid you add the sloppier it becomes. For some months I had been digging the plot with a pick and a matock, because my garden spade and fork did't even break the surface. Throughout that period I did't come across any worms. It was only after the monsoon like rains that they appeared; it seems that they occur at a deeper level in the soil coming to the surface when the ground is moist.

Given the size of this worm and a few others I found, I would't like to meet a mole in the dark!

Plants for free

These suckers from the base of one of the Yucca plants that I bought seem to be developing nicely. They should be useful additions to the garden within a year or two.

This variety has points at the end of the leaves but they can be easily snipped off without damaging the plant. Although they are common Mediterranean plants they do help to add structure to the garden especially when grouped together. Repeating the same variety can also I believe help to unify a garden design.

Night flight

The bats have returned with the slightly cooler night air. Plants with evening fragrance are obviously pollinated by the numerous night flying insects around the finca.

An abundance of farms and barns around our home provides the ideal roosting site for the bats.

As the garden develops we will incorporate low voltage lighting in selected areas to both illuminate the plants and also create a theatre for the bats. The lighting needs to be low key to take advantage of the brilliant night sky we experience here. Frequent shooting stars animate the star lit night, though light pollution occurs in the city and tourist zones just a short distance away.

Beneficial bugs

Trying to identify friends and foes amongst the bugs which hop fly and crawl around me while I work.

As a first rule I have decided - if it eats something else it is probably a friend.

Rule number two - if it tries to eat or bite me it is not a friend and gets whacked.

Town and country

This photograph locates our finca (marked in red line) on the edge of the pueblo although we have some protection from the oak and stone- pine trees on one side we are also bounded by open farm land. The fields which are fairly small are used for the production of barley.

Open terrain and grazing sheep mean that we get weeds in abundance. We have watched the wild flowers and grasses over two seasons and we are decideding which we can retain.

Xeriscape style gardening may be the answer for our hot dry plot, using plants native to the region.

Site plan Mediterranean Finca

Over wintering Cannas.

Richley coloured and exotic tropical foliage are sure signs that a plant likes moist conditions. Given those conditions Cannas will produce leaves almost as big as a banana plant. Our own plants were originally intended to form a mass planting scheme at the foot of the raised south terrace of the house.

There were several good examples of the plant growing in the neighbourhood, though when studied it was obvious they benefited from the protection of nearby buildings, orchards and shrubs. Our own wind swept site was therefore problematic, and having experienced the severe Tramontana winds of the last year we decided the Cannas leaves would at the very least look scorched if not tattered and torn.

There was however a narrow bed bordering the patio area, outside the cassita which houses our gas supply. The bed was protected on its northern side by a small wall and fence and the naturally free draining soil could be fairly easily enriched. Beyond the wall is the access road to the house bordered by a standing of oak trees.

Options for the Cannas included, raising them from seed, or buy bulbs or plants. We didn’t know anyone in the area who might split their own cannas to supply us. Seed raising would take too long, we had a barren plot and needed a quicker result. In the garden centres they were displaying the smallest of bulbs at 2€ each. Flowering plants in a four litre pot were 8€ each.

Having scoured the behind the scenes sections of several plant centres we found our bargains. The Cannas had bloomed and were looking a bit tatty and pot bound, they were really bursting out of their pots. Priced at 4€ each they were worth trying.

When we arrived home, we soaked the plants in water for a couple of hours before trimming away the ragged leaves and spent blooms. The pots had to be cut away to free the plants, though the roots looked healthy enough.

The shape of the bed really dictated that we should plant them in a row spaced at about 60cms. We prepared the bed by removing the rocks and weeds that are ever present here, before we enriched the soil by digging in some recycled compost from the national scheme. Once planted we kept the plants watered and soon they rewarded us by quickly regenerating themselves producing exotic foliage and flowers.

The fence behind the Cannas was used to grow runner beans the green foliage and red flowers of the beans complemented the lush red foliage of the Cannas. The remaining summer and autumn days the cannas thrived though we knew we were facing a problem. What did we do with the Cannas in winter? They were tender plants that do not like frost at all. Back in the UK most people lifted their plants and over wintered them somewhere warm. The Catalan countryside around us was no stranger to cold weather though snow we were told only happened once in fifty years. Funny thing was that that was the previous year!

We decided to leave them were they were but would not water them from early December; the cold combined with the wet we thought was the real threat to the plants. That winter produced temperatures of minus 12c. I saw snow twice so much for the influence of the Mediterranean Sea.

The drier soil stopped the bulbs rotting in cold wet ground, and a protective layer of compost protected the shoots. The Cannas survived they are now very robust plants and soon will be big enough to divide.

Christmas shopping? My wish list!

Only 47 shopping days left to go!

Garden gifts

Looking through the numerous and seasonal garden brochures and catalogues which are proliferate at this time of year. I am struck by the wide range of products now available to us gardeners, everything from traditional hand tools to modern gizmos and gadgets. There are even robotic grass cutters which live in the garden and just get on with it year round, even recharging themselves. It surely won’t be long till it scarifies as well as cuts, and maybe version 2 will also weed, feed and water the lawn too.

Exotic plants and planters in abundance and all manner of greenhouse equipment are there on display. Eco friendly options are the vogue, though always at a very healthy premium. And, if you are at all uncertain in making your purchase of a gift then there is the option of buying a gift token. All needs and tastes appear to be catered for, that is except for mine. All I really want for Christmas is an Anteater.

Is this such a mad idea? After all people send chickens and goats to people who need them. And believe me I need an ant eater.

This after all is just another step on the way to being Eco friendly. I already compost garden and kitchen waste, I plant to encourage wildlife, allow sheep to graze as well as fertilize my grass. An anteater would be the logical extension to this a natural solution to a natural problem.

The territorial range of an anteater is about 2 square kilometres, I can only provide 14,000m2 but there is a solution. You can hire us! That’s right, think about it no more chemicals just a quick phone call and we could pop round to clear your patio and plot of those unwanted pests.

Rose Pink Favourite

Still looking good in the early fall is this rose named pink favourite. Although it has only a weak fragrance it has a good flower and shows up well amongst the lavender plants at the shadier end of the flower bed. It's pink petals also pick up on other red foliage within that same bed.

Going Solo ? Going loco!

The blood curdling alarm call from Carol stopped my heart for a moment; even though I know that such a shout or scream could be the result of nothing more than a mere shadow. I hastened to the garden to see what terrible manifestation it could be. It was a sheep a solitary sheep was stood in the garden eying the lush vegetation in our flower beds. Facing the sheep was Carol armed with a broom, shooing the ship for all her worth. The sheep stood impassively chewing on it’s last mouthful of grass.

Now an independently minded sheep can be a worrying-some thing. They were designed after all to follow each other around until such time as somebody or something eats them! This one had been emboldened, leaving the other 499 to follow Ubacca the African shepherd boy; it has evaded the two dogs and headed for us.

I understood at once why Carol was nervous. Yesterday I had allowed Francisco the owner of the flock to bring 50 or so of his sheep on to what little grass we had. I was about to cut the ragged sward when I saw him heading out across the field struggling to find fodder on the parched land around us. The sheep seemed grateful for the opportunity and quickly devoured the grass. Gradually the body of our own small flock separated into ever smaller groups, each manoeuvring their way around the garden trying to pass us and get to the shrubs and flowers. Several of them went round the back of the stable block, and Carol was now caught in a pincer movement. Which ever way she ran the sheep on the opposite side of the stables would get by; and now some of my group were heading for the trees on the far side of the garden whilst the remaining sheep strolled purposefully towards the flower beds. It was chaos!

Hearing our frantic calls Fransisco and the two dogs came running, even the dogs were grinning to themselves; and possibly a few sheep too. Soon order was restored and the sheep resumed the journey over the fields.

And today one of them had returned to try again, single handily, a stealth sheep, a sheep which had almost evaded our defences until confronted by the Memsaab and her broom.

The sheep decided that two of us and a broom had changed the odds. It left the arena crossing to the finca where it grazed beneath the fig tree. And there or thereabouts it stayed, occasionally approaching the garden perimeter but staying a broom length or two away. We were therefore confined to the house if we turned our back, Solo as we had decided to call the Ewe, Would feast upon our plants.

When Ubacca and the flock returned I told him he was missing one of their number.

He looked concerned and asked if the ewe was feeding, when I told him she was he smiled and said

¡No Problemo! 

This is of course the typical Spanish response to any difficult situation they may encounter up to and including the end of the world. Before I could say another word he pointed, there trotting happily towards the rest of the flock came Solo.

¡No Problemo! Repeated Ubacca. 

Solo would have a story to tell that evening I’m sure.

Mediterranean planting ideas

• This garden uses a lot of low ground covering plants which are native to the area. 
  
• 
  
• High winds which occur often here would not trouble this planting scheme. 
  
• 
  
• It is a low maintenance design but you need to be close to the plants to see them.
  

Canna leaves on the breeze.

Cosmos

Fragrance

Fragrance, either from foliage or flowers, in the garden is an essential element of any successful planting scheme. Given the wide variety of plants available to the gardener it should be easy to achieve.

Mediterranean terrain has scented wild plant species in abundance, many of which have long been cultivated. Those plants were often cultivated for both medicinal and culinary purposes, but they have now become an integral part of the ornamental garden.

The scented garden can be as heady, laden with perfume or as subtle as you wish.

Citrus smells freshen the air and often repel insects, which make them especially suitable for outdoor dining areas.

How and when to use scented plants poses a dilemma for some gardeners. I think there are a couple of basic ideas which can help.

Around the entrance to a property or building is perhaps the most obvious choice, for stronger scented plants; another is the patio or any location at which people linger, viewpoints and vistas and garden benches. Plants like Jasmine, Gardenias, Roses, Nicotina and Lavender.

Walkways are another favourite area, foliage that will be crushed underfoot like chamomile or thyme, realising their scent.

Amongst the planting areas either side of your walkway place plants with scented leaves that will be brushed past as well as the fragrant flowered varieties.

The garden framework planting of trees and shrubs can also play a part. Pine, Cedar, Eucalyptus or Rosemary are good examples.

Combinations of some fragrant species may appear to be more problematic than it probably is. Often plants have evolved to release their perfume at a particular time of day when the insects they require for pollination are most active. It is therefore possible to have powerfully scented varieties planted in close proximity to each other and their scents dominating different parts of the day. Perfumed air changes the atmosphere just as fading light does.

Crickets & Grass hoppers

Field crickets & Grass hoppers seem to follow me around the garden often shadowing my movements around the flower beds. Even shaking the plants does not dislodge them.

When you study them they really look like little aliens.