How to create a Mediterranean garden

Water conservation and drought-ridden summers are hitting the headlines once again. You may wonder how relevant this is to us in Cumbria.

If you are smitten with the idea of a Mediterranean garden, bear in mind that we still have to endure some very wet winters. In order to survive the winter, plants that are designed for summer drought and heat-waves need adequate drainage. Heavy rains followed by a frost are likely to kill a plant if its roots remain sitting in water.

You can never have too much drainage in a Mediterranean garden. Remember that in the wild the plants you wish to grow would be growing hard on the poorest of soils under the fiercest Mediterranean sunshine. On these things does their survival depend.

But in the UK we cannot help our higher rainfall and temperate climate which makes the plants grow more vigorously than they would in the wild. Soft and leggy plants do not survive a bad winter. It's important to select an appropriate location.

First, choose a warm south or west-facing sunny site which will be sheltered with walls, fencing or hedging. If you have heavy clay soil remember that water-logged soil in winter, which then freezes, is the chief enemy of this style of planting.

It's impossible to over-egg the pudding when providing drainage so don't worry about introducing too much. Get hold of some gravel or pea shingle that is between 6-10mm. If purchasing large quantities it makes sense to buy it loose by the ton from a builders' merchants rather than in sacks. Gravel will have sharp corners which slugs and snails hate while pea shingle will have rounder edges and more variety of colour. It's a matter of personal choice.

Dig in plenty so that you can still see it and you can feel the soil becoming lighter.

If you were starting a garden or border from scratch with new topsoil it would be a good idea to fill the bottom with stones, broken plant-pots - anything that will provide drainage.

Make sure the water can drain away through holes at the base of the raised bed - don't just build a raised area on an unbroken concrete base for instance. If you are not bothered about growing bulbs, and are worried about maintenance, go the extra mile and pin down a woven plastic membrane on the soil. It is more time-consuming to plant in but will certainly keep the weeds down and help give the plants a good start as moisture underneath will remain the same - even some Mediterranean plants do not want to dry out in their first weeks. The time saved in future with no weeding to do will be incalculable. Whether sheeting is used or not, a gravel mulch sets the plants off.

It will also retain moisture and keeps the necks of plants drier in winter which might otherwise be prone to rotting off - a familiar treatment when growing alpines. During heavy frosts it will also help to prevent the soil from freezing totally.

It's important to get the planting time right. The survival rate when planting in spring will be much greater than when planting in autumn if there is a hard winter to come, so it's vital to plan ahead. Plan the garden in winter and plant out in spring.

I like the eyes to rattle and bump over spiky architectural plants and soft fluffy ones when creating a Mediterranean garden. The bones which provide structure and evergreen interest are to be found in palms, plus phormiums and yuccas.The most easily obtainable palms are Trachycarpus fortunei and Chamaerops humilis. Trachycarpus wagnerianus is another useful palm as the leaves are smaller and more tolerant of wind than T. fortunei, which must have a sheltered location to survive. I find the variegated yuccas more interesting than the plain ones and Yucca gloriosa Variegata' sits like an opening water-lily on the ground.

Of the countless phormiums available, Phormium tenax Bronze Baby' is good because it only grows to about a metre in height. The Tricolor' form will also grow to no more than a metre in height with gracefully arching leaves. The pencil-thin Italian cypress Cupressus sempervirens Stricta' will offer a contrasting different shape.

A lovely shrub to include is Pittosporum tobira, which has heavily scented flowers mid-summer. An absolute must is Aloysia triphylla - lemon verbena, the foliage has a more pungent scent than actual lemons.

Architectural perennials continue the theme and add weight. Cynara cardunculus and Acanthus spinosus are perfect for this. Eryngiums and echinops add spiky drama with their metallic blue sheen and long-flowering interest.

One of the most amazing perennials - or rather triennials as it dies after flowering - is Echium pininana, which erupts into a soaring spike of thousands of blue flowers in its third year. As it can reach more than three metres in height in one season it becomes a great talking-point. It is tender so often gets wiped out in its two winters before flowering. It needs a sheltered wall as protection and a mild, preferably seaside garden. In shady areas beneath larger plants, green-flowered hellebores will flourish and provide winter interest.

Soft, fluffy plants include trailing plants. Prostrate rosemary hugs the surface it tumbles down - put it where you will brush against it most frequently.

Anthemis punctata subsp. cupaniana and Osteospermum jucundum will have their first flush of flowers in early summer followed by more flowers during the summer so are excellent value.

The ground-cover perennial, Euphorbia myrsinites, has scaly glaucous leaves and is the perfect plant for trailing over the edges of the raised beds.

Shrubby mounds are created with the curry plant - Helichrysum italicum, purple sage - Salvia officinalis Purpurascans', and the santolinas - preferably not the silver one as the yellow flowers on the greener ones look much more attractive.

Good silver or grey plants are Lavandula stoechas - French lavender - Convolvulus cneorum, Artemisia Powis Castle' and the larger shrubs of Teucrium fruticans and Perovskia atriplicifolia Blue Spire' which flowers in late summer.

For lightness of touch add the golden oats grass Stipa gigantea (echoed by the smaller Stipa tenuissima) and the large Mount Etna broom Genista aetnensis, which is a tumbling mass of yellow flowers in mid-summer on delicate green stems. This yellow can be echoed by the lemon flowers of Anthemis tinctoria E C Buxton, which flowers prolifically for several weeks.

Pots are very much a personal choice but it would be best to select terracotta and have one or two larger ones which will not dry out as quickly as smaller ones.

Tender Agave americana is best over-wintered under glass but makes a stunning focal point in a pot on the terrace in summer. Convolvulus sabatius is a delightful trailing blue-flowered annual.

No matter how cloudy the summer might be every Mediterranean garden needs some shade and a vine-covered arbour provides just the right amount of dappled shade. For colour from other climbers I would include the hardy passion-flower Passiflora caerula and Campsis x tagliabuana Mme Galen', which has masses of orange-red flowers from late summer to autumn. This would be the perfect refuge for dining with friends while enjoying the sights and scents of a Mediterranean garden.

Christopher Holliday's web site is www.cuttingedgegardendesign.co.uk