Our local fiesta, Noche de las Candelas in early September is, in part, a pagan type festival looking for good weather during the grape harvesting and subsequent drying into raisins. It also seems to mark a distinct change in the weather, just a tickle of autumn entering. There is a certain looking forward to the turn of the seasons, anticipation for a change, both for ourselves and for our plants. In northern Europe we probably most look forward to the arrival of summer and lazy warm days but, here, I’m sure that many of us welcome summer’s departure!It’s a long season here so that even the enjoyments of beach, swimming pools, barbecues and siestas start to wear a little thin! Dewy mornings and cooler evenings seem fresh and exciting; the pleasure of snuggling under a light blanket in bed at night; being able to go for long walks – they’re just some of our re-awakenings from sweltering ‘summer mode’.
Our plants, too, start to re-awaken from their summer dormancy, life starts to stir. Being accustomed to more temperate climes, this summer dormancy is, often, a hard concept for us to accept in our gardens. Summer is, above all, the time when we’ve been taught to expect our gardens to look their best, lush and colourful and we strive to achieve the same in our Mediterranean type gardens. Butjust think how glorious our gardens are when their northern counterparts are often bare-looking, brown and dismal. Our climate enables us to grow a large range of plants that will look fabulous during autumn, winter and spring, that’s their time of glory. Accept this and work with it. It doesn’t mean that your summer garden has to look dismal but learn to use the plants that will stay green and vibrant looking on minimal watering, often using stored water from the winter period. Don’t struggle, and become disappointed, when all your old summertime favourites refuse to put on the same show here. Use tough natives as a green backdrop and you’ll never be disappointed – things like myrtuscommunis, cistus, cytisus, arbutus unedo, pistacialentiscus, tamarix, vitexagnus-castusalongside easily cultivated stalwarts like nerium oleander, viburnum, pittosporum, lavandulaand rosmarinus. Add in some structurals, like yuccas and dracaenas, juicy succulents, like aeoniums, sedums and echeveriasand spiky drama from opuntiasand agaves and you’ve got an easy-care and good-looking garden where splashes of colour can easily be introduced.
Our beautiful Mediterranean autumns are more like spring-times of northern climes.This is the start of the annual growth cycle, helped along by kinder temperatures, those morning dews and occasional rainfall which softens the soil making it ideal for new growth of roots, germination of seeds and awakening of bulbs. Rainfall and temperatures can fluctuate wildly but we always know that cold wet spells are accompanied by some mild sunny days and these ideal conditions push our plants along to the wonderful blossoming of March, April and May. In turn, this glorious display is ended by rising temperatures, accompanied by hot scorching winds. Wise plants set seed and they are rapidly dispersed, the plants curl in upon themselves for protection and return to summer dormancy.
This is our Mediterranean plant cycle and, once you accept these seasonal differences, planting times become easier to understand and losses are considerably less.
So, now is the time to start planting almost everything, especially shrubs, climbers and most trees, particularly deciduous ones. They’ll relish the warm soil and get off to a rapid start helped along by the autumn and winter rains. By the stressful period of next summer, they’ll be good strong plants and ready for the battle! Earlier autumn planting ensures maximum advantage, though planting can be carried on through until springtime. Semi-tropicals, such as bougainvilleas, palms, strelitzias, bananas and more tender trees like guava, papaya and mango, because of their more delicate nature, need to be planted now (to benefit from warm soil conditions and kinder conditions) or leave them until early spring.
I still often get asked for planting dates for vegetables. For autumn, try these:artichokes, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radish and spinach.
And, if it’s a touch of autumn glory you’re after, try the magnificent liquidambarstyraciflua, or sweet gum. This native of the eastern U.S. and Mexico is ablaze in autumn, burning orange, red, purple and yellow. It’s a big imposing tree, reaching some 25m tall with a spread of 12m, and is happy on clay soils or in good rich earth, slightly on the acidic side. Our cooler winter temperatures in the foothills suit it well and induce good colouration. Lushly green in summer with its 5-pointed star-shaped glossy leaves, its speciality is autumn!
Lorraine Cavanagh has lived in Spain for 24 years; a mother, grandmother and hispanófila, her passions are plants, the environment, food and drink, and travelling within Spain. A landscape gardener and writer, she’s always happy to give advice. Call and see her at ViverosFlorena, 2km from Cómpeta down the Sayalonga Road – have a free coffee and cake in their tea-rooms.Her book Lorraine Cavanagh’s Mediterranean Garden Plantshas been nicknamed ‘the bible’. The new edition at €24.90 is now generally available throughout Spain.
ViverosFlorena: Don’t forget, our monthly garden club meetings will resume on 29 September 2010 at 4pm. Everyone welcome! Contact Bryan Stapley for details on 616747289 or bryanstapley40@yahoo.co.ukIf you’d like to receive regular updates of what’s happening in the garden centre, new stock etc. let us have your email address or mobile number.Hours: June, July and September 9 – 2, Closed for August, October to May, inclusive, 10 – 4. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Tel: 689928201. E-mail: florenaspain@hotmail.com and check us out on Facebook.
