Top Tips on Creating a Mediterranean-Style Garden

A Mediterranean look is one of the most popular themes for many gardeners – the plants tend to be highly distinctive and low-maintenance, and your garden will become a place for relaxation rather than work.  

Madingley Mulch are based on the edge of Cambridge and supply a wide range of garden essentials, including garden patio slabs, gravel and garden stones. Here we look at five key components which you should consider if you want to create your own slice of the Mediterranean in your garden.

Create a Patio for Outdoor Living

Outdoor dining is a longstanding tradition in most Mediterranean countries. The most effective way of creating such a space is to lay down some paving slabs to create the perfect patio. These stand up to a summer drought far better than grass will, and during winter they will remain clean and easy to walk on.

Go for good-quality tables and chairs which you can leave out all the year round. Metal furniture will be a better investment than plastic. If you want to be more ambitious and offer more than barbecued food, you can add an outdoor kitchen or pizza oven to your patio. And remember to factor in plenty of shade, as you won’t want to get too hot, particularly if you are cooking food on your patio.

Paving and Pathways

Paving slabs can also act as garden dividers or footpaths. They are low-maintenance and can be particularly effective in small spaces. You can choose slabs with pink and red hues, or gravel and natural stone styles, to give your garden a Mediterranean ‘feel’.

At Madingley Mulch our Premier Riven garden patio slabs are available in dark grey, natural, stone or red, and we can also supply Indian Sandstone slabs in raj, camel, mint or grey.

Add a Water Feature

These add a focal point to your garden, and smaller water features can often be effective. Digging out a large pond or pool does involve a lot of work, and you may also have to top up the water levels during dry spells. Terracotta storage jars are another option which can create similar effects on a smaller scale

Fountains which recycle the water are another option. These could be installed either on the patio or against the wall, and the bubbling sound is particularly satisfying.

Lay Down Mulch or Gravel

Before planting out your new garden, think about laying down some mulch, soil conditioner or compost. These can suppress the weeds and improves the soil’s drainage and is particularly important in East Anglia, where the heavy clay soil is not ideal for drought-tolerant plants.

At Madingley Mulch we have a range of soil improvers, including Denise’s Delight, an exclusive mixture of Fen soil, wood shavings, horse manure and other plant nutrients. This is ideal for use in raised beds, which are another key feature of a Mediterranean-style garden.  

An alternative is to use a layer of gravel or pebbles. In a hot summer, moisture condenses underneath stones, encouraging the growth of plant roots, while during a wet winter the rain will soak in far faster than on concrete areas, reducing the risk of flooding. We can supply a wide variety of decorative pebbles and stones.

Appeal to Sight and Smell

Herbs such as lavender and rosemary are staple ingredients of this type of garden, providing the right sort of fragrance. Good flowers to plant include geraniums and bougainvillea, as these will both add plenty of colour. You don’t have to plant them in the ground, either – terracotta pots and vases are a common sight in Mediterranean gardens. However, you will need to water these reasonably frequently, as potted plants have a smaller reservoir of moisture to draw on during dry spells.

If you fancy something larger, you could try growing either cypress, olive or palm trees. These may need protection from frost if the temperature is likely to dip below freezing point, and they should be planted in the sunniest part of your garden.

Garden Patio Slabs from Madingley Mulch

Madingley Mulch supply key components for a Mediterranean-style plot, including garden patio slabs and decorative pebbles, from its base on the outskirts of Cambridge.  Follow the link above to discover our range of products and prices. And if you need any advice about what to plant in your Mediterranean-style garden – and when – our staff will be happy to talk to you.

If you want to place a bulky order with us, we can deliver it to you.  We run a regular delivery service to towns and villages in the region, including St Ives, St Neots, Royston, Ely and Newmarket. Orders are delivered free to all addresses which are under 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, while a standard £20 charge applies to all deliveries within 24.5 miles. We can also deliver to addresses further afield.

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