Crete
Sean wrote
> I am curious, Janet, what it is like living and gardening on Crete?
> There are interesting species we try and grow here, and I imagine
> there are others we've not yet tried. Any elaboration on your
> local conditions and gardens would be most appreciated!
>
> Regards,
> Sean O.
>
> P.S. Folks, please note my new e-mail address!
>
> 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.
Sean
We retired to Crete two years ago following 18 years as a specialist plant
nursery in England. We are passionate gardeners, both plants and organically
grown vegetables and wanted to have the time to indulge ourselves in growing
both to the limit. The climate here in Crete is Mediterranean. We have long
hot dry summers with cool, wet and windy winters. Temperatures in summer are
usually 28-32Cmid-day and winters 15-20C. Nights are cool in the winter
often dropping to 2-6C on clear nights. Our village is 15 kms from the
coast in a plain that sits under the 2000m high White Mountains. It is the
orange growing area, very fertile and with plenty of water for irrigation in
the summer. Most semi tropical fruits do well. Figs, Pomegranates, Kiwi
fruit, Peaches, Apricots, Okra, Melons and all the usual Mediterranean
fruits are easily grown during the summer months. In winter we grow most
vegetables except those requiring frost for flavour. Potatoes, Peas Carrots
etc all provide two harvests a year.
We have a vast range of plants, many of which we brought with us from our
nursery in England, and looking good at the moment (re: late summer flowers)
are Thumbergia grandiflora, which is in flower here for 10 months of the
year. Passiflora descasneia, Amethyst, and Incense are all flowering now and
between them provide us with summer shade. Other climbers which thrive are
Bougainvillea, Solanum wendlandii, Clereodendron and Plumbago. With few
exceptions, the smaller flowered Clematis, which were a major part of our
business in England, don't perform well, but C. maximowitziana, and the
texensis hybrids, especially Duchess of Albany and Gravetye Beauty, flower
non stop all summer long. Cannas do exceptionally well. C. striatum is
majestic, C. edulis dispalys its small bright scarlet flowers 12 months of
the year and we have purchased several new forms from England, which have
not yet reached full size. We are trying a few tropical plants. Sparmania
africana is making a tree. Daturas also make large trees but are worth their
space for the evening scent they supply. Early problems are composting,
organic pest control, and finding local vegetable varieties with flavour.
Because we have a long hot dry summer bulbs do well for us. At the moment
Nerine flexulosa, Cyclamen hederifolium, Polianthes tuberosa, and Amaryllis
belladonna all look great.
We have come to love some plants here which in England we considered to be
bedding or houseplants. Fragrant trailing Petunias, make wonderful all year
round cascades in tubs on our balcony, Streptocarpus hybs fill large pots
and make a wonderful frame for the garden looking out of our windows. And,
of course, Pelargoniums too numerous to mention attain shrub status here.
There are few things we miss about our home country but we do miss our daily
dialogue with fellow plant enthusiasts (this list seems set to fill that
gap) and no one locally understands our desire to grow vegetables
organically. The Cretan way is to fill every available area with a crop,
which they then proceed to spray regularly with every known pesticide.
Flowers are relegated to tubs on the patio. Our garden provokes stares and
we are considered to be a 'bit eccentric' but are excused on account being
English.
regards Janet
Richard & Janet Blenkinship
Crete
janetble@otenet.gr
