Re: potting soil mix or: from desert to jungle

Several years ago one August I had to plant my small Cretan garden in
construction rubble with a ton of limestone gravel heaped on top of it.
There was no more topsoil than what the plants carried with them in their
growing pots.  Guess what?  Whatever didn't fry the first week (ivy comes to
mind) is thriving today-really thriving.  I planted nerium oleander,
pittosporum tobira, bougainvillea, cedrus libani, cypress, pyracantha, and
cortaderia first. As more shade was achieved over the years, I planted the
rest:  teucrium fruticans, phlomis, thevetia peruviana, cercis siliquastrum,
acanthus mollis, rosemary, succulents, plumbago, pelargoniums, osteospermum,
felicia and numerous others.  I believe dissolved nutrients in the
limestone, warm rooting conditions and perfect drainage made up for what I
then believed to be "good soil."

It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has had experience with
unorthodox planting media.

Karen-Athens, Greecc, Zone 8/9
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