Mediterranean Zone

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Just as human comfort is related to what one is accustomed to, so it is with plants. Species that have adapted over the millennia to a particular set of climatic parameters in one part of the world

adjust readily to a similar situation in another. The climatic regime along the central and south coast of California is not totally unique, but the parameter of its placement on the globe is similar to only four other spots on earth.

Found on the western side of continents in the narrow latitudinal tracts between the Trade Wind belts and the area of the Westerlies is a unique climate zone known as Mediterranean. Characterized by hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters (relatively speaking, of course) it supports floras with some of the highest diversity of species in the world. Botanically, it could also be called the dry summer sub-tropical zone; not quite tropical (which would have year-round warm temperatures) and having a well-defined wet season that occurs in the cooler months of the year. Santa Barbara, sitting squarely in one of these regions, is sister in climate to the central coast of Chile, the Cape area of South Africa, south coastal Western Australia, and those countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea itself.

Flora That thrives in S.B.’s sub-tropical climate.

The Spanish missionaries were among the first to recognize this similarity and found that their imported favorites such as olives, citrus, and grapes, thrived here. That was just the beginning, of course. It took another 100 years or so before the development of California began to support a booming agricultural enterprise. Again, some of the first successful crops were olives, citrus, and grapes. Ornamental horticulture soon followed, and the rush was on to import plants from similar climates around the world. Today, everywhere you look in Southern California you will see transplanted natives of other Mediterranean-zone countries.

It only makes sense, then, to consider choosing from the myriad of these pre-adapted plants to include in our gardens. What are the characteristics that these plants share? Mostly it is their ability to grow and thrive in a climate that has a long drought period that occurs at the same time as the highest temperatures. Many of the most successful mediterranean (most horticulturists now use this word with lowercase m in a generic way) plants have ways to conserve moisture within the plant. They may have small, hard leaves that resist desiccation or leaves that are covered in wax or hairs to protect them from drying winds and bright light. Others survive underground as bulbs that can spring from the ground after the rains have come or as colorful annuals that complete their life cycle in the short favorable seasons of spring and fall. Another feature of their habitat may be nutrient-poor, sandy, or gravelly soils that can be easily reproduced in our gardens (no need for bags and bags of fertilizers; in fact, extra phosphorous can be deadly to many Australian native plants). Ease of care is just one of the practical reasons for searching them out. That they often have exotic and unusual forms is an added plus; think protea flowers — like feathery pine cones in wild colors from South Africa, or grass trees — tough, grass-like leaves on top of a stout trunk from Australia. Some are also beloved culinary favorites, such as rosemary and thyme from the European side of the Mediterranean Sea.

One more feature that many of these plants exhibit is their ability to withstand wildfire. Occasional wildfire is as natural a part of the ecosystem of the maquis of southern France and the fynbos of South Africa, as it is of our chaparral. Many trees and shrubs in Chile and Australia recover after wildfire, too, by resprouting from underground stems, just as they do here.

Here in California, water issues are never going away, so it is high time that we evolve our gardens just as these hardy plants have evolved to this climate. Once established, most of these plants, our California natives or those from the other mediterranean zones, will need no supplemental water in normal years. Think about that; no more dragging hoses, resetting irrigation clocks, or worrying about choosing to wash the dishes or water the plants should we have to resort to water rationing. Imagine a garden that can take care of itself when we go on vacation as well as when we stay home. Imagine yourself in the Med, right here.

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