Mediterranean garden style
in Queensland
As an aesthetic style, "Mediterranean" on this page refers to a general look derived from those parts of Europe bordering the Mediterranean Sea, particularly Spain, France, Italy and Greece. A few years ago, a "Tuscan" style of home and garden became popular. Tuscany is a region of Italy. The Riviera is the strip of coast spanning the French/Italian border including Cannes and Monte Carlo (Monaco)
With some adjustments to allow for climatic differences, the Mediterranean style in many ways suited to the modern suburban landscape of Brisbane with its high density housing, development of remaining outdoor spaces into paved and walled entertainment areas, and restricted water supply.
Plants
The Meditteranean climate is characterised by rainfall occurring in mainly in winter. Summers are hot but dry. Besides the Mediterranean region, other parts of the world having a "Mediterranean" climate include south-western parts of the African, South American and Australian continents.
Many popular ornamental plants come from these regions and tend to be tolerant of dry conditions. Unfortunately, they can be sensitive to the hot wet conditions characteristic of tropical and subtropical climates. Most of Queensland would be classed as having a tropical or subtropical climate, a characteristic being hot and humid summers. Summer is typically the storm and cyclone season with potentially large volumes of rain falling (and associated waterlogging).
Unfortunately, many classic Mediterranean plants don't cope well with the combination of heat and humidity characteristic of a tropical/subtropical climate. Queenslanders can help overcome these limitations with tricks such as:
- using less sensitive species or varieties (e.g. among the lavenders)
- using subsititutes with a similar look (e.g. salvias vs lavenders)
- soil amendments
- planting in containers and raised beds
A few plants have been listed on the right. This list will be developed further in future updates.
