Re: Mediterranean is a Big Word

Pamela, Olivier Filippi's book is now out in English (Thames and Hudson). In it one reads that it's not just a question of "to water or not to water" but "when, how often, and how?" Many of your plants that died might not have under a different planting/watering regime. I have found that it helps to plant in zones of similar watering needs, otherwise it can get confusing.... 
Cali
----- Original Message ----- From: "Pamela Steele" <pamela.steele@re-taste.com> To: <benwiswall@pacbell.net>; "medit plants forum" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu> 
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 2:56 PM
Subject: RE: Mediterranean is a Big Word



Hello Ben
We have had some major disappointments this year. We are not classfied as
'inland' Mediterranean as our villa is 300 meters from the Mediterranean sea about 100 meters high on a rocky alkaline coast mostly with indigenous Pinus Halepensis of which we have about 15 in our garden, but I thought you might 
be interested.

Although we had a week of unseasonal good solid rain in early June I have
still lost plants which I have planted in the last 3 years. All the big
established (20 years or so) trees and shrubs are fine so I wont discuss
those.

Plants that have died or a languishing since I planted them:
Ceonothus griseus (after 3 years of magnificent blooms and a trunk of around 
50cm in the space of last three weeks it has become brown and
dead.)Unbelievable!
Leptospermum scoparium has been about 18 inches for 2 years...very
disappointing
4 Lavendula dentata planted 2 years ago ..dead
Pittosporum tenufolium  ‘Variegatum’ planted April ...dead
Lavendula angustifolia planted April.... dead
Cistus laurifolius subsp ‘Atlanticus’ planted in april...dead
Grevillea olivacea planted April ...dead
Thymus vulgarus planted April ...dead
Salvia officinalis planted April ...dead
Salvia officinalis 'Icterina' planted April ...dead
Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Woolly Thyme)  planted March ..... dead
Clianthus puniceus ‘Flamingo’ planted April ..dead
Meryta sinclairii( New Zealand Puka)...dying much to my great
disappointment, it lost all its leaves and just looks dreadful. I thought it might be root rot as it was on a watering system (its only 18 months old) so I treated it but to no avail. I am wondering if I should prune it now as a 
last resort.......

Some successes .....Frankly I don't hold my breath anymore and just hope
that they will survive but at the moment they look good

Rosemary prostrata (excellent)
Eriobotrya japonica (excellent)
Ficus carica   (good)
Feijoa sellowiana (v.good)
Arbutus unedo (very good)
Morus alba Pendula (v.good)
Acacia longifolia (excellent
Acacia dealbata (excellent)
Ceratonia siliqua (excellent)
Ficus nitida (excellent)
Ficus elastica (excellent)
Grevillea robusta (good)
Laurus nobilis (good)
Olea europea (excellent)
Plumeria rubra alba (3 years old0 (good) but I am sceptical here!.
Schinus molle (excellent)
Cestrum nocturnum  (v.good)
Cestrum elegans purpurea (v.good)
Justicia brandecans (good)
Westringia fruticosa var. Alba (good)
Teucrium fruiticans (excellent)
Acanthus mollis (excellent)

All these Palms do well * denotes new plant under 3 years old
Chamaerops humilis
Cordyline australis (New Zealand cabbage tree) *
Cordyline baurei  (Red Leaved Dracaena) *
Cycas revoluta
Dypsis lutescens  (Areca lutescens) (Butterfly palm) *
Macrozamia communis   (Australian cycad) *
Musa *
Phoenix canariensis
Phoenix sylvestris (Silver Date Palm)
Phoenix  roebelenii *
Syagrus romanzoffiana  *
Washingtonia robusta
Washingtonia filifera
Yucca gloriosa
Zamia furfuracea  Cardboard palm *

Succulents never die here so we have a lot. Bulbs and rhizomes are not
always easy except Agapanthus

We are not fond of Cactus so we don't have any except Opuntia ficus-indica

I hope this is of interest and there may be some correlations.  I have
become quite philosopical about my plants now as we have lost quite alot and 
it really depressed me. I don't think its to do with watering or not
watering because I have tried all regimes but I am minded now to think that 
its more of wrong plant, wrong place.

Pamela

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
[o*@ucdavis.edu]On Behalf Of Ben Wiswall
Sent: 19 September 2008 01:59
To: medit plants forum
Subject: Mediterranean is a Big Word


Not long ago  we took a family trip from southern California to Silicon
Valley.  We travelled through the Tehachapi Mountains, the San Joaquin
Valley, and the inland foothills on the way north, then south through the
coast ranges to Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Carmel, and on through Big Sur,
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.  We covered a lot of ground.
For the entire journey we were in the California Floristic Province, or the 
mediterranean climate region of California, and yet the climate and
vegetation varied greatly from place to place.


What I've found in our own garden in Simi Valley, a hot, dry inland valley
north of Los Angeles, is that the greatest difference in mediterranean
climates (for a gardener, anyway) is determined by distance from the ocean
or sea.  I've found many coastal species, whether native like Myrica
californica or introduced like Leptospermum scoparium, languish in my inland 
garden regardless of the irrigation schedule.
Can any of you gardening in inland mediterranean areas recommend plants that 
have thrived for you?  I've had good luck with Olea, Laurus, Melaleuca,
Heteromeles, Arbutus, Cistus, Ceanothus, Lavandula, Rosmarinus, and
Limonium, bad luck with Myrica, Leptospermum, Viburmum, most Arctostaphylos, 
and Acacia, and middling success with most succulents and bulbs.


Anyone else's triumphs or failures would be welcome!


Ben Armentrout-Wiswall
Simi Valley, California
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