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Gardening in Spain

Whether you’ve got a small terrace or acres of land you can create a beautiful garden with the abundance of plants available in Spain.

The climate means that there are plants that flower all year round and many will flower for much longer than in the UK.

Gardening in Spain can be hard work, due to the heat, so it’s advisable to plan carefully. If you live in a property that already has an established garden you’re lucky, as you’ll only have to deal with the upkeep and maintenance. But if you’re starting from scratch on a plot of land you will need to plan or you could find yourself wasting lots of money on plants that won’t survive.

Before you head off to the garden centre to buy a truck full of colourful plants take a look at your neighbours’ gardens and what grows well in your area. The type of soil will determine which plants will flourish and if there have been months with little or no rainfall then digging is virtually impossible.

The climate will also dictate what plants will grow well in your garden. Days of perfect sunshine cause plants to bloom, but they also need water, which can be a problem as water shortages are common in this area. Sometimes the water can be switched off for hours at a time, and watering the garden isn’t priority.

If your property has a well or depósito that collects rainwater it’s worth investing in an electric pump that will automatically water the garden.

Shade is also important as some plants won’t tolerate the excessive hot sun.

Plants
Plants that you’re used to growing in containers in the UK will do very well on a terrace or naya and will flower for much longer. Try geraniums, petunias, bizzy lizzies, begonias and cyclamen. You won’t be able to recreate a typical English country garden in Spain, but if you’d like something that reminds you of home these will do the trick.

Roses do really well in Spain as they’re not subject to the English downpours that destroy them. You can grow some beautiful trailing roses up a pergola or establish a rose bed in your garden. They’ll need dead-heading often to prolong the growing season which can last from April until Christmas.

No Spanish garden is complete without a bougainvillea – they are what Mediterranean gardening is all about. But if you have a swimming pool you may curse the day a bougainvillea was planted near it as the dead blooms will always end up in it.

Two other popular Spanish climbers are the highly scented jasmine and the fast growing passion flower that clings to anything in its path.

If you want to make a colourful hedge or barrier then oleander is the plant to use. They’re really cheap, hardy and easy to grow. That’s why they’re seen along the central reservations of motorways and on roundabouts throughout Spain.

Hibiscus is a stunning plant that produces enormous pink, trumpet-like flowers. Sadly the flowers will only last a day when cut and put in water, but the plant will continue to flower throughout its season.

No Spanish garden is complete without a palm tree. Several are even better and if you’re lucky enough to have a garden with large established palms they really will add dramatic effect to it. If you want to plant one of these enormous palms make sure you are clear on how to care for it as they can be very expensive.

Many of us think of orange, lemon and olive trees when dreaming of our Spanish paradise, but there are plenty of other fruits that grow here too: peaches, nectarines, apples, cherries, plums, figs and pomegranates. And if you live anywhere near the Jalón valley you can’t miss the fantastic almond blossom in February, followed by a crop of almonds later in the year.

If you prefer easy gardening then cacti are the thing to grow. They require little maintenance and can be grouped together to provide spectacular displays.

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