Re: What do gardeners think?

Vavourakis wrote:
Dear Nan and Fellow Gardeners (common or uncommon!)

The Mediterranean Garden Society classifies the following areas as
sharing a similar "Mediterranean" climate: the Mediterranean region as
well as much of California, Chile, Australia, and South Africa. This was
surprising to me when I first joined the society, but definitely
explained why I was stuffing MGS journals into envelopes to all of those
places! Of course there are many microclimates within our Mediterranean
zones, but the common denominator seems to be a long, hot dry summer with
a rainy winter season where temps do not persist under freezing for more
than a few days in a row (plus alkaline soil, I expect.)
Even though central NZ with its coolish summers (rarely attaining the high 20s C) could hardly be described as a true Med climate, we do have (or used to have until about the last four years) the typical pattern of dry summers and rainy winters which suits Med plans very well. Even without the heat I have found my garden very good at growing both lavenders and cistus and particularly benign towards typical bulbs from the region such as Narcissus of the bulbocodium group and species of Cyclamen. Anemone fulgens is another beauty which grows and spreads like a beautiful weed without any encouragement from me. Sunny banks are also a very good home to Australian Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthus) from the similar region of that country) and many bulbs such as Gladiolus, Babianas and and Lachenalias from the South African Cape - all of which suits me very well as bulbs are a particular interest of mine.

Something (I suspect global warming) has somewhat disrupted this pattern over the last few years making our summers much more wet, but last season at least we made up for this with an exceptionally hot fine autumn which lasted right into June, when it should by rights have been already rainy winter. At least the Med. plants look as happy as usual so it must have worked.

Moira

--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm

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