The
Mediterranean Garden Society

Occasional reports on the garden throughout the seasons of the garden, the plants and the work being undertaken.

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FEBRUARY 2008

After several weeks of mostly bleak winter weather, the meteorological office forecast snow for the south of Greece – snow which would settle.

Right on time the storm came and for three days the garden was covered with up to 30 cm of snow. Sally and her assistant Jane had prepared for it by covering many of the less hardy plants with fleece, and when the snow thawed it appeared that not much damage had been done. Yet as the days passed more and more parts of the affected plants turned brown and by the end of the week many were looking very burnt, though probably not dead.

The worst affected were: Duranta erecta, Homolocladium platycladum, Clerodendrum floribundum, Leonotis leonurus, Pavonia hastata, Carissa macrocarpa, Eriocephalus africanus, Tecomaria capensis, Salvia discolor, Echium candicans, Myoporum laetum, Crocosmia, Clivia and Ornithogalum nutans.

The Melianthus major which had made such a show in 2007 lost its large leaves but the flower buds were unharmed.

While the terraces were left looking generally rather sad, the wild flowers took precedence and the hillside burst into colour with anemones, Muscari commutatum, Cerinthe retorta, Silene and numerous white and yellow daisies and marigolds. Hermodactylus tuberosus (the Widow Iris) appeared in the paths where it has self-seeded profusely and a collected specimen of Fritillaria obliqua in one of the beds is now proudly in bud.

Snow on the terraces.
Jane Shaw

It took several days for the Crocosmia leaves and flowers to turn completely brown.
Jane Shaw

The Salvia discolor, in flower just before the snow, may not have survived despite being covered.
Jane Shaw

Muscari commutatum with its characteristic two-toned flowers.
Davina Michaelides

Hermodactylus tuberosus has spread from the hillside into the garden.
Davina Michaelides

Although locally abundant in the wild, Fritillaria obliqua is hard to grow as a garden plant.
Davina Michaelides

The sweet pink of this Helleborus orientalis caught the photographer’s eye.
Davina Michaelides

JANUARY 2008

A few notes on how bulbs at Sparoza have responded to the climate conditions of 2007.

Probably as a result of a period of drought in the early months of the year, none of the spring crocuses flowered in 2007, nor did Tulipa saxatilis. After an exceptionally hot, dry summer, the autumn Crocus goulimyi flowered as usual.  Sternbergia lutea and Narcissus serotinus flowered normally in the autumn. However, Amaryllis belladonna was clearly unhappy with the summer heat and drought, and produced not a single bloom in autumn 2007 – a striking difference from its usual profuse flowering in the phrygana area to the south of the main garden. Now in January it has clumps of lush foliage. In contrast, Narcissus papyraceus responded very well to its summer baking and is flowering better than ever before all over the garden and the hillside. On the hillside Arisarum vulgare and Anemone coronaria are also profuse.

We have been planting a drift of new rosemaries in the phrygana area. All the rosemaries are covered in flowers, including those planted by Jaqueline Tyrwhitt when the garden was first created in the 1960s.
Sally Razelou

Clumps of lush foliage of Amaryllis belladonna,
unfortunately surrounded by Oxalis pes-caprae
an invasive weed from South Africa.

Narcissus papyraceus – Paperwhites - flowering
better than ever before all over the garden.

Arisarum vulgare on the hillside.

An old rosemary covered in flowers.

The January morning sun.

Photographs by Davina Michaelides