Growing beautiful, sustainable gardens in low-
Noelle Johnson
Cool Springs Press, March 2023
Mediterranean (semi-arid) gardening is undergoing a forced transition with climate change bringing it closer to desert conditions in certain southern regions with prolonged, intense summer heat.
Noelle Johnson’s Dry Climate Gardening, born out of her experience in the southern states of the USA, points out there are hundreds of planets well-suited to extreme drought and heat conditions. It doesn’t have to mean a yard full of rocks with a few cacti scattered about.
Half the book covers hints on methods of irrigation, pruning, fertilizer and watering needs (less is more) and on choosing plants for micro-climates in the garden in shade, under trees, and winter protection, as well as selections for year-round colour.
The plant section contains lists of trees, shrubs, ground cover plants, vines, cacti and succulents, grasses and palms which are described with photographs. Many will be familiar to seasoned Mediterranean gardeners but there are also lesser-known suggestions.
Having gardened years ago in the southernmost region of Catalan France (42°N), I was able to grow a fascinating array of unfamiliar plants, succulents and hardy desert specimens from Mexico and Australia, notably suited to the harsh summers, many of them appearing in this book. Interestingly, several of the varieties did not survive when I moved to the Côte D’Azur, one degree further north, 15 years ago, to a then gentler climate. But that was then. Global heating is forcing southern gardeners to rethink their planting and Noelle Johnson has the experience to offer valuable pointers.
Review by Marjorie Orr –
Asclepias subulata, Baileya multiradiata ‘Sierra Star’, Calliandra x Sierra Star, Encelia farinosa and Muhlenbergia rigens in a gravel garden