Mediterranean Garden

Mediterranean-Inspired Planting on a Sunny Slope, Bristol

In 2022, I designed new planting beds for the front garden of a private client in Bristol, who wanted a space that echoed the Mediterranean landscapes they had come to love on their travels.

The site, a sun-soaked, south-facing slope in front of a tall stone retaining wall, offered a hot and dry microclimate, making Mediterranean planting both a practical and fitting choice. With a few young olive trees and an established Cordyline already in place, I shaped the new scheme around these key elements, preserving their character while building a cohesive and vibrant planting design around them.

To capture the essence of Mediterranean gravel gardens, I created a richly layered composition with swaying grasses like Nassella and Sesleria, architectural highlights from Euphorbia, Yucca, Agave, and Libertia, and seasonal colour from Lavandula, Perovskia, Thymus, and Eryngium. Two new groupings of Cordyline frame the space, adding height and structure. The planting palette features soft grasses and silver, grey, and blue-toned foliage, offset by bold, sharp-leaved forms, creating a dynamic contrast that brings the dry garden aesthetic to life.