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 OVariegatum¹ planted April ...dead
Lavendula angustifolia planted April.... dead
Cistus laurifolius subsp OAtlanticus¹ 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 OFlamingo¹ 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
