All the Dirt on Gardening

If you love the plants that live in a Mediterranean climate (rosemary, lavendar, clematis, etc.) be sure to visit the website designed specifically for them by Sean A. O'Hara. Rosemary in bloom - Tulsa Garden Center O'Hara says on the site, "The world's mediterranean climate regions are distinctly different from other, summer rainfall regions. Because they are desirable places to live, there continues to be a migration to mediterranean climate areas. This has lead to a number of inappropriate and unsustainable horticultural practices - transplanted from elsewhere. These pages are meant to help disseminate a clear understanding of this summer-dry climate and how gardens can be both successful and sustainable."   Called Medit-Plants, the link to the informative site is http://gimcw.org/forum/  and there are many tabs with information on plants for dry shade http://gimcw.org/plants/cult_dryshade.cfm ,  links to related sites at http://gimcw.org/links/ ...

Whether or not you live in a Mediterranean gardening zone, chances are that you already grow or are interested in growing typical plants of the area. Oregon State University ( here ) "You don't need to be Spanish, Italian or Greek to enjoy the beauty of Mediterranean gardening. Other parts of the world that also have mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers can take lessons from the many lovely gardens in this Old World region and its centuries, even millennia, of experience with these conditions. These gardens use plants that are able to store the moisture they need in the winter and survive – even thrive – through the summer without irrigation." "Mediterranean gardening is different from xeriscaping, although they are both waterwise approaches. Xeriscaping is best suited for desert climates with only a few inches of total precipitation for the year. By contrast, Mediterranean gardens require wet winters when plants can store up moisture to see them through the s...