Re: Mediterranean??
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Mediterranean??
- From: S* A* O*
- Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2000 11:57:41 -0700
Hey Charles -
It seems to me also that the mandate in a 'mediterranean' garden would be
to choose plants that will get by without irrigation over our summers, or
with minimal irrigation. Getting to that point is part of the challenge.
Soil is one of the factors that contribute to this goal. Much of
California has heavy clay soil, at least those areas in which people tend
to garden (though we do have a diversity of soils locally). Clays are most
productive when the water table is not far from the surface - also no
longer the case in areas where people tend to live due to excessive well
usuage. Much of the time, these heavy soils have been poorly treated,
compacted, and allowed to becaome far worse than they were orginally.
Other types of soils have also had questionable histories of managment.
Getting the soil into good condition is the best way to ensure the best
success with a 'mediterranean' garden. Too often people tend to remove
much of the original soil, replacing it with the best they can afford.
This creates a very unnatural situation that does little to promote the
natural qualities of a garden suited to our mediterranean climate. The key
is to assess the existing soil, determine what its individual needs are,
and amend appropriately. On heavy clays, the soil is already very rich -
the texture is the problem. Berming is a great help here, creating the
drainage that many desirable plants prefer. On other, nuritent poor soil,
composting and amending may be seriously needed. Specific organic
components may also be required in certain circumstances. Hopefully, at
your botanical garden there in San Luis Obispo, some thought is being given
to these issues.
Selecting the appropriate plant for a specific place is next. From one
side of your garden to the other, I'm sure there exist many, slightly
different exposures and drainage types. Choosing plant that will grow best
in each of these places is paramount. In our natural environs, you never
see some plants on the eastern slopes that you do on the western, and
visa-versa. Often, just a little wrinkle in the land can provide all the
extra moisture (or dryness) a plant might need to really thrive, or not.
Acclimating plants is also very important, as you suggest. The best
success, with either evergreen or deciduous plants, is to plant with the
onset of the rains in the fall. If the rains do not come in a timely
fashion (we have haad some very dry autumns here in California in the past
few years), then irrigation to simulate the rains would be necessary.
Plants can get themselves acclimated most easily during the cooler months
when there is available water. Irrigation during the drier periods of our
winter is also advisable. In the summer, my general rule is to pay
attention to the irrigation over the first year. If the plant is obviously
thriving, or has clearly become acclimated, and if you are satisified that
it has developed a good, deep root system, then allowing it to get by with
available winter rainfall can be tried. Irrigation once a month might be
considered if needed - your area is much hotter and drier than my own.
If a plant is not doing well after a year, analysis of the soil, exposure
and drainage conditions should be done to determine if the plant should be
moved or is suitable for the garden at all. I am perfectly willing to
allow plants to die off and not replace them if, after all of the above,
they seem unsuitably to the site. There are so many plants to try, it is
best to move on to other experiments. A wide variety of plants normally
not considerd for a 'mediterranean' garden are proving to be good bets,
after someone actually tried to grow them 'dry'!
I'd say keep up the fight, but temper it with consideration of specific
plants and conditions.
Sean A. O'Hara sean.ohara@groupmail.com
h o r t u l u s a p t u s 710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose' Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
