Customer Reviews

Create a Mediterranean Garden

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If your idea of gardening is low-maintenance, informal and full of creativity, this is the book for you. I own many gardening books but must say that this is one that has given me lots of great and useful ideas to try out. Last year we adapted a suggestion from the book and painted pieces of broken terracotta pots in vivid colors and patterns. We then used those pieces in our gravel path, mixed with colored glass marbles and beach glass. It looked great - almost better than the original! There are also lots of useful practical tips on planting, propagating and over-wintering, as well as pictures of how a flower bed develops over the course of a season - very hands-on, ideal especially for someone who doesn't feel overly confident with gardening... Very good buy!

This book is written by Brits, so the perspective is a "how to" from a relatively cold climate, and the advice is a bit skewed. If you live in a mediterranean climate and are new to gardening, I don't think this would be the best advice book (check a regional book). The mediterranean gardens used for inspiration are the wild, hilly areas of France, Spain and Italy--not the quaint domesticated gardens in homes and villas along the sea. On the plus side, there is good information on how to prepare the soil for planting a mediterranean garden, which plants will likely succeed, and how to get the look they've described. I enjoyed the details about how specific plants survive in a drought-tolerant climate. There are "weekend project" ideas (i.e., creating mosaic pots and tables) that may or may not appeal to the reader. This is the kind of book I'd rather get from the library, than purchase, as the information I found helpful was minimal.

As a beginning gardener with a large garden to plan, I've found this book to be a wonderful inspiration and a good gardening resource. My idea of low-maintenance is NO maintenance, and that's pretty much the idea behind this book (although the soil preparation required can be quite extensive). I return to this book whenever I need to be reminded that a garden can be beautiful without being rigidly planned.

The only weakness is that the plant lists include only true Mediterranean plants, rather than including other plants (for example, plants native to Southern California) that meet the criteria for drought-resistance and low-maintenance.

This book is clear and easy to follow, practical yet artistic.
From preparing the ground, to creating special personal spaces in the sun. It has taught me a lot about Mediterranean terrain,
and how the plants have adapted to survive the climate.
There is no doubt planning a Mediterranean garden is very different from planning an English one and this book is ideal with its suggestions for planting, be it open ground, pots or courtyards. I loved it!