The Gardener’s Dream

All of us who love gardening and even people who have never gardened before feel at once on coming to live in Spain that it is a chance of gardening in paradise. The brilliant light, a welcoming climate, and the flowers, trees and shrubs growing everywhere, all combine to tempt us to try to grow something ourselves.

Of course there is a winter season. Rain must fall but coming from Northern Europe, it seems unbelievable that in this subtropical climate, the sun shines all the year round. Where was the snow, the ice, the freezing wind and the low, grey sky pressing down for a fortnight at a time?

In midwinter in our northern gardens the high beeches would be bare. Little voles would be running through their domed tunnels under the snow. The hedgehogs would be sleeping the winter away deep in the Irish yew. Here we had come to live in an unbelievable world of good weather, colour and sunshine. One neighbour said: “You never get bad weather all day here. If it rains in the morning, the sun comes out in the afternoon.”

Perhaps that isn’t strictly true. You may get some steady rain. We have one or two storms most winters when the rain dances in sideways from the bay in squalls, looking like a regiment of ghosts storming the sand- dunes but the rain never lasts long. The trees in the garden are green. The terrace is bright with geraniums. Outside one set of flowers hands over to another, like runners in a relay race.

White showers of December jasmine and flaming aloes cheer the garden. Fluffy yellow mimosa gives scent and colour together. The fuchsias, Christmas cacti and poinsettias of December lead straight on to the pink flowering cherry, narcissi, hazel catkins, bougainvillaea, heather and lemons of January.  In short, we have flowers in borders, on bushes, trees or on the patio every day of the year.

Naturally, gardening in Spain is different from gardening in colder climates. Look round and see what grows well in your area before you set about it, almost everyone is prepared to help you. Whether you live in a palace or an apartment, whether you plan to lay out rich acres or content yourself with bright pots on a balcony. Spain is the fullfiment of a gardener’s dream.

Climate

The climate of the Spanish kingdom varies greatly, from the high peaks of the Pyrenees in the north, to the furthest sunbaked promontories of the Canary Islands lying off the coast of Africa. 

  • Madrid, though extreme in climate on its high central plateau, is yet such a magnetic capital city that some foreigners will always live there, and wish to surround their homes with plants and flowers. For the rest, each of the Costa or Island areas of Spain has its own particular charms and devotees. This applies also to regions inland where the Arabs liked to live and where other discerning extranjeros have followed.
  • Climate varies not only with latitude but also with altitude, the height above sea-level. In Catalonia for instance, the vines are planted along the coast and at varying heights, racing up the hillsides in a few kilometres to 2,000 feet and what is known as the “potato line”, where grapes give way to vegetables. A climate to suit many tastes lies in the variations between.
  • The Costa Blanca has been described by the World Health Organization as having “almost as perfect an environment as it is possible to obtain”, with its hot summers and mild winters.
  • The Costa del Sol is the most popular region of all among Spain’s new residents, again with hot summers, mild winters and a superb climate for flowers.

Whether you live west on the Costa de la Luz, with its fertile charm and Atlantic breezes, or east in the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean, another of the many favoured regions, or choose to go south to Gran Canaria where strawberries begin at Christmas, there are many fine climates for life and leisure, and above all for gardeners.

Planning Your Garden

Only those who live in Spain realize how much time is spent out of doors.
Your garden assumes an even greater importance, because - here the subtropical climate brings colour and fragrance every month of the year. Spain is truly the country of the garden.
Every plot is different and every garden will finally be as individual as its owner. You may be faced with a completely uncultivated area, or take over an existing garden which is not quite what you want.

Make sure there is shade from the hottest suns and shelter from the coldest winds, for the extremes of temperatures are very different to the average temperatures often quoted.

Provide good sized covered and open terraces for when the family or friends visit for meals or to partake in hobby activities or games.

An interesting network of paths that do not turn boggy after monsoon like rainfalls.

Colourful perfumed and productive with minimum monthly maintenance needs especially if you plan a busy working or social life and above all is safe for both young and elderly.

You want a garden that looks great from wherever one stands or sits at all times of the year for with an outdoor lifestyle you will live within it and not just view it through rain splashed windows as so often happens in northern Europe.

In all circumstances there are certain points to bear in mind. You may decide for them or against them, but the very fact that you have considered these matters will help you to decide what you really want