What are the most popular plants in Spain?
Palms and cordylines
Tall palms and the shorter palm like cordylines are essential features of the garden landscapes inherited from the moors. However many palms are being attacked by palm weevils for which there is as yet no cure.
Seasonal flowering trees
There are dramatic flowering trees for all seasons.
The earliest being the almond and winter flowering wattle/acacia followed by the mexican flame, Judas and orange trees around Easter. Early spring is also the time of the dramatic blue flowered jacaranda, pink tamarix and large white flowered evergreen magnolia. Summer brings out the exotic flowers of the bead, bird of paradise/devil’s tongue, silk, orchid and grape myrtle trees while the most exotic of all the deep pink and white flowered varieties of the floss-silk /chorisia tree grace gardens even lining the drives of larger properties through late summer and autumn.
Spectacular climbers
Bougainvilleas are undoubtedly among the most spectacular whether trained up house or boundary walls, over gazebos or trimmed as hedges. We will never forget some of the four or five metre hedges of mixed reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and whites that we have passed by. The hardiest and most compact growing purple bracted glabra variety can be pruned as standards and into other topiary shapes.
Bignonias are another group of colourful climbers but growing more rampant than bougainvilleas and therefore not used for hedges. There are spring summer and autumn flowering varieties.
Other favourites are exotically coloured south American passion flowers, mandevillas/dipladenias, and jasmine – especially the most perfumed pink tinted variety. The latter often planted alongside entrance gates to give a special Spanish welcome to guests.
Flowering shrubs
Our favourites fall into two categories. Those that flower for most months of the year and some outstanding seasonal plants.
The long flowering bushy shrubs include hibiscus, lantanas, oleanders, angels trumpets. Each come in a range of hot colours – reds, oranges and yellows – and more subtle pinks, creams and whites. All can be planted as individual specimens or as colourful hedges. Lantanas are among the longest continuously flowering shrubs and in our view are preferable to short seasoned roses. Although very characteristic of Spain the latter are best assigned to a dedicated side garden.
Spring flowering gems include the squat and spire like blue, white and if lucky red flowered varieties of the Pride of Madiera echiums and red flowered bottle brushes.
Summer special effects include the highly perfumed frangipanis and the lady of the night, continuously flowering plumbagoes and the marmelade bush streptosolens, while the yellow spires of cassias add distinction to summer and autumn flower beds and banks.
Perennials
The most reliable and exotic include the long flowering lion’s ear/leonotis, African daisies, pineapple and candelabra sages, lavenders, cascading rosemary and of course geraniums/pelargoniums.
Succulents and cacti
Naturally many succulents, cacti and agaves thrive in the hot dry climate. Although the six metre high flowers of the agave century plant only appear after eight to ten years other varieties will flower annually. Our favourites include aeoniums whose yellow conical shaped rosettes of flowers are held high above the exotic leaves around Christmas time, the colourful flowered aloes including the medicinal aloe vera, the orange red flowered cotyledons, the red flowered cabbage like echeverias and the exotic flowered epicactus and orchid cactus/epiphyllum -even though the flowers of the last two wither in less than a day.
Ground cover
Ground cover plants are important for continuity of colour from trees, shrubs and perennials to pathways and terraces, for covering banks and underplanting trees. In each case spreading low growing plants such as purple and white flowered lantanas, messems and giant pig face help reduce the extent of capillary evaporation from the sun baked surface of otherwise exposed soils.
Colourful often perfumed hedges
Hedges are still important along the coast to give shelter from hot winds from North Africa, storm carried salt, security and privacy. Many property owners opt for something more exotic than the very serviceable cypress and good for nothing/gandula hedges by planting flowering hedges. Among the most popular are bougainvilleas, hibiscus, oleander, lantana, bitter orange and the Japanese mock orange, pittosporum – the latter three being pleasantly perfumed. Prickly pear cacti hedges will still be seen in undeveloped areas acting as a firebreak, intruder/animal deterrent and a source of fruit for jams and liquors.
Sun ripened fruits and nuts
One of the main advantages and indeed thrills of the most sheltered gardens within the subtropical coastal strip is that exotic fruits can be grown. These include avocados, bananas, dates, guavas, lychees, mangoes, nisperos, papayas, macadamia and pistachio nuts and even pineapples can be successfully grown as well as delicious figs, sweet Moscatel grapes and the full range of citrus fruits – oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, kumquats, limes, lemons.
Perpetual lemon trees that flower every six to eight weeks are very popular as they bear yellowing lemons throughout the year. Some call them the ‘gin and tonic’ trees!
Bulbs
Unfortunately many bulbs that grow in inland Spain suffer along the coast from slug and worm attacks during the drier months. However clumps of Agapanthus, Madonna and Asiatic lilies and society garlic (grown in rich, damp and semi shaded conditions) can be summer eye stoppers as are clumps of Dutch and Spanish irises and freesias in the spring.
Indoor plants become outdoor plants
One of the delights of living in Spain is that the house plants one grew in centrally heated rooms and conservatories in Ireland are grown in the garden, courtyards and patios and on apartment terraces. Albeit often in pots and in semi shade or areas shaded for a good part of the day during the summer months and with regular watering – sometimes twice a day. Popular plants include aspidistras, bromeliads, orchids, flamingo flowers, codiaeums, snake plants and stag horn ferns.
Annuals
They have not been forgotten but do not have the pride of place in Spanish coastal gardens where many are burnt up by the scorching summer suns even if watered twice a day. The most reliable in semi shaded but still hot summer positions are petunias, sun plant/portulacas, zinnias and busy lizzies. For winter months petunias, pansies and violas tend to be the favourites.
As a feature, I built a flower pot man using old plastic flower pots of varying sizes, larger for the body and head, getting smaller for arms, legs and feet. I used threaded metal bar with nuts and washers to shape the features.
A head of garlic consists of 8-12 bulbs, which are known as cloves. The first garlic was cultivated several centuries ago in central Asia. It quickly spread from there to India and the Mediterranean Sea to Greece where it was used for preventing typhus and cholera. They also gave garlic to their athletes before the Olympic Games to give them strength. However, the first examples of garlic being used for medical purposes come from Ancient Egypt.