Mediterranean Gardening

VETIVER - A wonder plant for sloping gardens

After 28 years of gardening in Spain I have come across a really useful plant for stabilising, preventing corosion and terracing sloping banks or entire gardens. It's name is Vetiver, 

After 14 months of drought I  cannot believe that we have now had rain for three days and that more wet days are forecast. However it forecasts that Saturday will be fine for my Paella party on Saturday. But although not very heavy rain, except for an hour, the steady drizzle is refreshing plants, softening the soil for planting vegetables and trees.Not only plants will enjoy the change but also wild birds and animals as all the ponds and springs had dried up in oiur valley and surrounding countryside.

Now just four weeks to the longest day and still no rain with records for drought back to the end of the 1980's being broken. But it amazing how gardens planted up with trees for shade and mainly drought resistant plants are coping and indeed thriving , The garden is indeed a mass of colour and with numerous shrubsbudding up June colur should be amazing. On the fruit front trees seem to have deepened their roots duiring the past year and require little watering. Peaches might be a bit bigger if we did but not as juicy and sweet.

Mediterranean gardening requires that one has to plan for and cope with long periods with little or no rain. Unfortunately many newcomers to Spain think that this means daily watering and large water bills. But this is not necessary if one improves the soil, chooses drought restant plants, provide shelter from the hottest and coldest drying winds, mulches mulches  and mulches, provide plenty of semi shade in the garden and collects and stores rainwater when it does fall..