Plants for sunny hot patio garden in Mallorca?
mandydavies99
6 years ago
We've just moved into our newly 19C renovated town house in Mallorca. The back garden is 7m x 7m with small plunge pool in corner (3mx1.75m). The walls are white and at least 3m high. We want to create layers of plants, as walls are so high. I was thinking orange, lemon and olive trees, with grasses and lavender bushes. Would these are stand the strong Mediterranean sun the garden gets all summer? There are 2 small borders each side. Photo shows half the garden.
Thank you
Thank you
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rachelmidlands
6 years ago
minnie101
6 years ago
I like your ideas and Rachel's ideas will give some shade plus a visually cool appearance which might be needed! Bougainvillea might also be a good climber if the soil is well drained.
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Comments (5)Well done on all the work done so far. It’s looking great. However, in my opinion, the bed along the left hand fence is too narrow, especially for the kind of plants you’re after which are often on the larger side. I like the triangular shape as it gives a modern feel but also think a curve in that corner point would work well, losing some of the lawn and making the bed bigger. That would give you room to plant your tree fern in the ground in the corner there rather than in the pot. Tree ferns have shallow roots that spread outwards & in time, that pot wouldn’t be big enough. We have 2 that I bought as 6 inch high ferns & now (17years later) the trunks alone would fill that pot. Other suggestions for tropical type plants are fatsia japonica & canna lilies though you’d need to check whether they would suit your north west position. Agapanthus would look good but also like the sun. Clematis to climb up your fence come in lots lots of colour options. Star jasmine which is evergreen would also be good fence cover. However both would need support - trellis or wires to climb up. Hydrangea Annabelle, although not quite the look you’re after are lovely & would suit a more shaded garden. However, most of these would need bigger beds to grow in. In smaller beds, lavender, euonymous, box & hebes would fit & suit your garden but perhaps wouldn’t create the look you’re after. However, they would look good & are easy to look after. Have fun finishing your garden & post some more photos when it’s done....See MoreLarge raised patio on sloping garden - railings?
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6 years agotemple274
6 years ago
Sara Jones
6 years agoMaybe a collection of pots would be nice, and pebbles in the beds. If you plant succulents or cacti they might withstand the heat ( thinking of lanzarote & the heat & arid conditions) canary palm might also be ok, strong shape.
Chris Goodchild
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago7m x7m precludes palms really and don't forget Date Palms and Washingtonia are both affected by the Palm weevil and will need regular treatment.
If you don't live there full time and are unable to get regular maintenance carried out, go for indigenous succulents and things like grape vine ( I have 5 huge vines at my house on the mainland, they make beautiful shade in the Summer, produce kilos of grapes and the only care they get at the moment is a trim in the winter and a thorough watering in the Spring as I am only there twice a year until I retire there next year).
I like the look of Bougainvillia but it can tend to overgrow a small space and is unpleasant to trim back with its spiteful thorns, Wisteria is a better bet for a climber but takes a while to establish and produce flowers. Lantana, Plumbago and geraniums are all indigenous and do quite well without too much care, there are also some dwarf bamboos that do well in hot dry conditions, common Ivy does well here but is invasive. I know that there are a few good garden centres around the outskirts of Palma so go and have a look around,many of the labels give you good information about habitat and growing conditions and I am sure the staff would be only too happy to give advice.
I have lived on Ibiza for the last 13 years, it is a little more humid than some parts of Mallorca but if your place is to the West of the island closer to the mountains that will also be fairly humid, there are plants there that have evolved to survive on the moisture from the nightly dew. There are also a lot of ornamental grasses that will grow with a little irrigation, some of them change to fantastic reds and browns toward the end of the Summer and produce beautiful seed heads, a range of Ryes, Timothys and fescues would give a layered effect.
A late thought, looking at your photo, if you have trickle irrigation you can install some of the pockets for a vertical garden on one or more walls of the yard to produce a lush, cosy atmosphere. The pic is a Portugese villa from Google images.
mandydavies99
6 years ago
jenniimatthews