Chris Young. Garden Design

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What is Mediterranean style?

CHOOSING A STYLE

150

The growth in popularity of the Mediterranean as a vacation

destination created a thirst for gardens that reﬂect this sunlit

region. The mild winters and warm, dry summers favor speciﬁc

groups of plants, often hardy and low-growing, with olive trees,

vines, lavender, various herbs, and many succulents combining

to produce a distinctive style. These plants are designed to

look natural, against a background of textured surfaces such

as gravel and scree. Trees provide dappled shade, and water (a

precious resource) is used sparingly, if at all. Any outdoor space

can reﬂect a Mediterranean atmosphere, from large, sheltered

plots to colorful, decorative courtyards and roof terraces.

Across the world, California, South Africa, and parts of

Australia and Chile have a similar climate to southern Europe

and make excellent locations for Mediterranean gardens.

MEDITERRANEAN STYLE IN DETAIL

In Mediterranean gravel gardens, pathways are not deﬁned by formal

paving. Instead, gravel is used across the entire space, serving as

both hard landscaping and a mulch for planted areas. This uniﬁes the

garden, allowing plants to be grouped informally and leaving smaller

areas of paving to provide more stable surfaces for seating.

Pergolas or arbors are used for shade, and when planted with

vines and other climbers enhance the Mediterranean atmosphere,

providing the perfect location for sharing al fresco meals.

Alternatively, plant trees for patterned shade, either in groves

or as individual specimens in key locations.

Water is used to create sound or as a focal point, but, as a precious

resource in these landscapes, it would not normally be seen in the

form of large pools. In courtyard gardens, decorative rills or

bubbling fountains echo the Moorish gardens of Spain and southern

Italy. Colorful tiles and mosaics provide vibrant patterns while

planted terra-cotta pots add splashes of vivid red or pink.

Patio for

dining

Water feature

produces

reflections

and sound

Cool, shady

tree

Informal

curved

wall-cum-seat

Mixed

planting

Gravel

House

CALIFORNIAN-STYLE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN

In this Californian gravel garden, designer Bernard Trainor has created a low, curved

wall—which doubles as a sinuous seat—close to the house and beneath the shade of

some trees. The wall frames the space while providing a backdrop to the water bowl.

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WHAT IS MEDITERRANEAN STYLE?

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SHADY SEATING

AREAS

In these sun-drenched

gardens, shade is key, and

can be provided by trees

planted as individuals or

in groups. Timber pergolas

and arbors with climbers

also provide a shady

setting for outdoor dining.

GRAVEL FLOOR

Limestone forms the

typical gravel of the

Mediterranean, creating

a light, textured surface

through which plants can

grow. Larger boulders can

be used as focal points.

Landscape fabric below

suppresses weeds.

RILLS AND POOLS

Water is often conﬁned

to rills in more formal

gardens, and used to

refresh the air or to mark

spatial divisions. In gravel

gardens, overﬂowing

containers or water bowls

are used for reﬂections and

gentle sound.

SUCCULENTS AND

SILVER FOLIAGE

Many species have

adapted to drought with

ﬁne, silver, or ﬂeshy foliage.

Rosemary and lavender are

typical, with Euphorbia,

Agave, Yucca, Bergenia,

and Genista providing

suitable associations.

TERRA-COTTA POTS

AND TILES

The Mediterranean is

famous for the terra-cotta

pots used in gardens, as

focal points or as planted

containers. Old olive oil

pots make sculptural

features. Aim for larger-

sized pots where possible.

MOSAIC FEATURES

Floor surfaces in

courtyards (or on roof

terraces) are created from

tiny, colored cobbles laid

out in intricate patterns.

Glazed and brightly

colored tiles are also

often used to decorate

walls and grottoes.

KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

DESIGN INFLUENCES

The dry landscapes of the Mediterranean with their soft

colors have inﬂuenced many garden-makers. Gertrude

Jekyll included Mediterranean species in her planting

designs, mixed with more familiar border plants. In the

late 20th century, Beth Chatto and Joyce Robinson

created in Britain irrigation-free dry stream and gravel

gardens inspired by maquis (Mediterranean scrubland)

landscapes. Today, French landscape designer, Michel

Semini, leads the way in Provençal garden design.

Garden by Michel Semini, southern France.

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Interpreting the style

AVENUE OF CYPRESS TREES

Tall, slim, elegant cypress trees create a formal avenue

to frame this walkway, highlighting the gazebo as a

shady focal point in this ordered garden.

PROVENCAL LANDSCAPE

The wide joints in the pale limestone paths create

patterns and allow thymes to colonize. Lavender-blues

are virtually the only ﬂower colors.

SPLASHES OF COLOR

Brilliant color dominates this sun-ﬁlled space, the

painted wall clashing with the bougainvillea overhead,

which offers some shade for outdoor dining.

DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE

The quiet simplicity of this gravel garden is emphasized

by the decorative water feature, which reﬂects

dappled light from the vast tree canopy overhead.

CHOOSING A STYLE

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This style is often typiﬁed by the materials and planting. Gravel gardens

recreate dry, sun-baked landscapes, using rustic limestone or terra-cotta

for pattern and decoration, while planting is informal and drought-tolerant.

Formal gardens are often deﬁned by cypress or palm avenues, with arbors

for shade. Courtyards are often decorated with glazed tiles, and may also

be ﬁlled with leafy plants to create an oasis with water as a focal point.

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BUBBLE FOUNTAIN

A tall terra-cotta pot is

lined and used as a bubble

fountain, perfect for a

terrace feature. Water

circulates from a reservoir

concealed below.

MOORISH LOOK

In this Moroccan courtyard,

lush planting forms a

backdrop to the elegant

tiles and raised water bowl.

“Create contrasts of sun

and shade, bold texture,

and sizzling color

”

INTERPRETING MEDITERRANEAN STYLE

153

GARDENS TO VISIT

ALHAMBRA, Granada, Spain

Islamic and Renaissance inﬂuences combine

with water, planted terraces, and courtyards.

www.alhambra.org

BARCELONA BOTANIC GARDEN, Spain

Featuring a huge collection of Mediterranean

species from Catalonia and around the world.

www.jardibotanic.bcn.es

JARDIN MAJORELLE, Marrakesh, Morocco

Famed for its planting and deep blue walls.

www.jardinmajorelle.com

STRYBING ARBORETUM, San Francisco, US

A wonderful collection of native Californian

and Mediterranean planting.

www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

COURTYARD CALM

Stone and gravel create ﬂexible and functional surfaces

in this small urban space, with large pots, architectural

foliage plants, and seat cushions providing the main drama.

FOLIAGE GARDEN

Simple color-washed rendered walls provide a

coordinating architectural backdrop to textured planting

and sculpture, reﬂected in turn in the pool alongside.

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Mediterranean garden plans

There are two Mediterranean garden types: naturalistic and wild, and formal. Each of

these designs merges elements of both. Karla Newell’s courtyard is a burst of color

set around the rectilinear lines of a Moorish pool, and Michel Semini’s relaxed garden

in southern France features formal hedging. In Acres Wild’s UK design, the garden is

laid out according to a strict grid, and its planting is aromatic and lively.

MOORISH DESIGN

Colorful tiles and walls add depth and interest to Karla Newell’s own

garden. Planting is dense and textured, using palms and large-leafed

architectural species. The pool, kept clear to reveal the lively mosaic,

provides a focal point around which pots and specimens are arranged.

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Fuchsia magellanica

2 Euonymus japonicus ‘Latifolius

Albomarginatus’

3 Acer palmatum var. dissectum

4 Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans

5 Arum italicum ‘Pictum’

6 Pelargonium ‘Vancouver Centennial’

7 Italian glass mosaic

8 Lathyrus odoratus

KARLA SAYS:

“My Brighton, UK garden was inspired by

Spanish and Moroccan courtyards—such

as the Majorelle in Marrakech, in which

intense, painted color is combined with

carefully detailed spaces. I like crafted

elements, so I laid and designed the

pattern for the mosaic tiles (based on

traditional Moroccan designs) myself.”

“The garden’s not far from the beach, and

enjoys a sheltered microclimate, enabling

me to introduce a Mediterranean range of

plants. The planting palette is varied and

relatively high maintenance, which suits

me as I have a keen interest in gardening.

The space provides an outdoor room.”

Decorative

pebble inlay

Concrete bricks

Antique terra-cotta

paving blocks

Antique Indian carved

wooden plinth, topped

with a ceramic pot

CHOOSINGASTYLE

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GOOD TASTE

RUSTIC CHARM

Debbie Roberts and Ian Smith

of Acres Wild tend to work

with the prevailing conditions

in a garden, and this section of

a steeply sloping, well-drained,

sunny UK plot with panoramic

views lent itself to Mediterranean

herbs. The paving creates an

informal terrace.

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’

2 Allium schoenoprasum

3 Santolina chamaecyparissus

4 Terra-cotta paving

5 Thymus citriodorus ‘Bertram Anderson’

DEBBIE SAYS:

“The clients wanted their garden

divided into intimate, sheltered “rooms”

and they helped to style these, although

it was important to create the right

microclimates ﬁrst. This space, close to

the kitchen and with dry soil, made

Mediterranean herb-planting appropriate.

But it was also a space that people

walked through to access the rest of

the garden, so had to look good.“

Key Mediterranean plants are

included in this area (the rear

entrance) of a large Provençal

garden by Michel Semini, with

an olive tree taking center stage

and providing essential shade.

Chalk-stone

paving slabs

Chalk-stone

edging

¼–½ in

(7–12 mm) gravel

Earthenware urn

Brick edging

Painted

wooden

bench

Terra-cotta

paving

MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN PLANS

155

KEY INGREDIENTS

1 Viburnum tinus

2 Nerium oleander

3 Olea europaea

4 Lavandula stoechas

5 Gravel

MICHEL SAYS:

“This plot in Provence was once a derelict

sheepfold. It was ﬁrst cleared and

developed as a garden in the 1990s,

but then improved and expanded in 2005.

The Alpilles mountains form its backdrop.

“I wanted a sense of mystery, and to

link the planting with the landscape using

green and silvery foliage.“

“The rustic character of the sheepfold

was a key consideration in the materials

I used. I like to mix the inﬂuences of the

site, my client’s needs and my own ideas,

and in this garden they came together well.”

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“Green” architecture in a

modern courtyard garden.

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ASYMMETRY IS KEY to Modernist designs,

which are also characterized by free-ﬂowing

space and the play of light and shadow. Views

through these gardens are complex,

as opposed to the more controlled

vistas of the classical, formal garden.

In many Modernist gardens, one

or two views may be emphasized, but

the partial enclosure of space within

walls or hedges means that they are open to

personal interpretation, as the visitor is not

forced by the design to experience them in just

one way. Sharp lines reinforce the contrast

between horizontals and verticals, and water is

used architecturally, often as a reﬂective surface.

The material palette is minimal—smooth

rendered concrete is often used for paving and

walls, and limestone or slate, with little or no

decoration, are also ideal for ﬂoors. Designers

prefer large slabs that minimize joints and

create clean, uninterrupted surfaces.

Planting is restricted too, with many

gardens featuring only trees, hedges, and lawn,

punctuated by key architectural specimens.

The geometry of Modernism is almost

exclusively rectilinear and emphasizes the

horizontal line, although there are examples of

designs based on circles or ovals in this genre.

Regular grids are often used to relate the house

to the garden, blurring the distinction between

interior and exterior space.

The Modernist Movement was

originally associated with the Bauhaus

School of the 1920s and ’30s, which

embraced new technologies and

proclaimed that form should follow

function. However, it was not until after

World War II that it found favor among a few

landscape designers, who reacted against the

old schools of garden design, and created

outdoor spaces that were functional and

adapted to human, rather than plants’, needs.

Recently, Modernist garden design has

enjoyed a revival, with great attention paid to

selective planting and high-quality ﬁnishes.

Modernist gardens

A tranquil infinity pool reflects a unified environment.

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What is Modernist style?

CHOOSING A STYLE

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The creation, deﬁnition, and celebration of space is crucial

to the success of Modernist gardens. Their primary emphasis

is leisure and the enjoyment of life outdoors, with planting

frequently used as an architectural element. Clipped hedges,

specimen trees, and large blocks of planting provide simple,

sculptural surfaces or screens, which complement the

horizontal expanses of timber, stone, concrete, or water.

From the original functional focus of Bauhaus, the Modernist

approach ﬂourished in the US, especially in California where the

climate encouraged the use of the garden as an outdoor room.

The architectural philosophy of Modernism, which views

planting as only one element of the whole composition and not

the principal reason for the garden’s creation, has led to the

development of many beautiful, elegant spaces.

MODERNIST STYLE IN DETAIL

Crisp and clean, Modernist designs suit gardens of any size, and can

provide an antidote to crowded cities and hectic lifestyles. Relying

on scale and proportion to create drama in the absence of decorative

embellishments, these gardens focus on open, uncluttered spaces

that offer the perfect setting for outdoor living.

Most Modernist gardens are based on a geometric layout, with the

horizontal lines of rectangles providing a sense of movement. These

dynamic lines contrast with the verticals of trees, hedges, or walls,

and slice through space to unite different sections of the garden.

Materials are selected for their surface qualities—decking,

polished concrete, limestone, and gravel produce expansive surfaces,

often punctuated by reﬂective water or specimen trees, and this

honest use of materials requires stunning high-quality ﬁnishes and

architectural precision. Fine lawns, clipped hedges, and simple

planting are typical of most Modernist 20th-century gardens, but

contemporary designers sometimes include a more complex palette.

Uplighters

Minimalist

tree planting

Hardwood

decking

Reflective

swimming pool,

or “lap” pool

INSIDE OUT

Here the main terrace of

Casa Mirindiba in Brazil

(right), designed by

Marcio Kogan, extends

into the garden to create

a sheltered space, part

interior and part exterior

in character. The long,

narrow swimming pool

reﬂects the stone wall, and

lighting picks out surfaces

and tree canopies to create

interest after dark.

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WHAT IS MODERNIST STYLE?

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ASYMMETRY

Although a central axis

may be used in Modernist

design it is rarely a dominant

feature. Rectangles of lawn,

water, paving, or planting

interlock more intuitively to

create sharply deﬁned but

irregular patterns.

MODERN

MATERIALS

The clean lines of steel,

concrete, glass, and timber

emphasize the precision of

the manufacturing process.

Paving joints are minimized,

and subtle lighting is used

to enhance the surfaces.

PLANTING IN

BLOCKS

The variety of species is

often limited and planted

in large blocks or masses.

Grasses and perennials,

interplanted to catch the

light and create movement,

have revitalized the style.

CONTEMPORARY

FURNITURE

Modernist garden furniture

is architectural in style.

Design classics, such as the

sculptural Barcelona chair,

set the tone for elegant

recliners, simple tables, and

matching benches (left).

REFLECTIVE WATER

Reﬂective pools create

unrufﬂed surfaces and

bring light into the garden.

Modern technology now

allows water pools to brim

or overﬂow, maximizing

the expanse and impact of

the reﬂective surface.

KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

DESIGN INFLUENCES

Celebrated as the founder of Modernist garden

design, Thomas Church thought that gardens

were primarily for people and should reﬂect their

owners’ lifestyle and needs. Many of Church’s

theories are explored in his 1955 book, Gardens

are for People, and in his iconic Modernist garden,

El Novillero in California, designed in 1948.

The garden is based on a regular grid that

relates to the adjacent poolhouse and is deﬁned

with concrete paving and decks. Into this regular

pattern Church wove sweeping curves to create

the swimming pool (left) and lawns, echoing the

winding river in the salt marshes below, while

existing oaks were retained to frame the view.

The simplicity and elegance of the materials,

and the overall geometry, result in a composition

which conﬁrmed Church as one of the greatest

landscape architects of the last century.

Thomas Church’s iconic pool.

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