No appreciable rainfall, watering rationing and garden hose restrictions mean that we will have to reassess what we grow in our gardens.  This problem is not going to be resolved easily and in the long term we cannot afford to grow plants that need copious amounts of water any more. Lots of people recycle household 'grey' water to maintain their gardens and potted plants, which is good, but that will probably not be enough to keep them going through the heat of the summer.

If you look around in the countryside you will see that the only plants to endure are probably lavenders and rock roses.  Everything else comes and goes over very quickly.  The wild poppies pass in a fleeting moment and even cultivated varieties only last a day or two. The wild perennials and annuals that drop seeds everywhere are over and done with before the summer heat is upon us and the fields and verges are left bereft of any flowers during the hottest part of the year. It is a similar situation in gardens as well. We must find plants able to live without much water, survive through the very hot temperatures from June to October and also give some interest to an otherwise dry and uninteresting environment.

Wild lavender

What springs to mind immediately? Cacti and Succulents of course, but they are not liked by everyone even though they are such good value for money.  Most of them are able to stock up on water during the winter which generally sustains them through the driest part of the year, but there must be other plants as well.  Some of the bigger growers on the island like Solomou of Nisou and Sahin of Skarinou have started to import plants which fill these criteria. Gaura is one of those plants (See Plant of the Month). Once regarded as an American wild flower it has been cultivated and hybridised and is now a very popular garden plant, appearing here during the last couple of years. Once established it will endure high temperatures with little need to water.

Grouping of cacti

Euphorbias are other plants making their first time appearance this year.  I grew Euphorbia myrsinites, Euphorbia polychroma and Euphorbia characais from seed when I first came to live here knowing of their staying power in difficult conditions and they have rewarded me with good healthy plants which can take heat or cold. Their wonderful structural flowers enhance the garden during the early summer and seed heads remain on the plant for a very long time. There is a tiny native euphorbia here in springtime but it does not have the impact that these others have.

Euphorbia polychroma  

Grey foliaged plants or those with felted reverses to their leaves such as gazanias and rosemarys are also able to exist on minimum watering and in excessive heat, so are a good choice.  I am replacing plants like canna lilies, which need copious amounts of water to look anything, with more tolerant tulbaghias from South Africa and adding in amongst them kniphofias who are commonly known as 'Red Hot Pokers'.  Some varieties of canna live wholly in water, which would not do here at all. 

Gazanias

It's not all doom and gloom, just a little more thought is needed in choosing the right kind of plants and here we do need help from the growers.  We should be encouraging them to concentrate on importing and bringing on plants which can cope in these extreme conditions.

Fruit and nut trees have been putting on enormous leaf growth lately and to help them along you need to feed them again this month with 20.0.0 fertiliser - 3 mugfuls for large trees and 1 mugful for smaller and younger trees. You will probably have to use a drop of precious water to water it in around the root area.  This will encourage those lovely bronze-coloured new citrus leaves to unfurl.  Some trees like almonds, olives and pomegranates can manage with the absolute minimum of water.  The others do need some regular watering every couple of days even if it is only for a few minutes or so to ensure good fruits. So set up your irrigation system to do just that.

 Pomegranates

Any little drop of moisture will bring out snails from their hiding places and you may even find the odd slug or two.  Now that the weather has warmed up, ants can become a real nuisance and need to be dealt with before they nest in the ground or the soil of your pot plants.  You can always tell where they are hiding as they leave tell-tale signs of piles of earth around.  If you prefer non-chemical treatments you can pour boiling water down the hole otherwise spray with Divipan, available from your garden chemical shop, which you mix with water and pour down the hole or sprinkle ΛΙΤΟΚΤΟΝ – Υ around the hole if they are nesting near the bases of trees.    

The wonderful displays you see in garden centres are difficult to resist and if you are tempted to buy new plants then get them home as quickly as possible and into a half filled bucket of water to give them a really good soak. It goes without saying that planting should be done in the cool of the evening.   Dig a hole where you really want the plant to grow to maturity as some don't like to be moved at all and pour some of the water from the bucket into the hole.  Put in the new plant, fill around with the excavated soil and pour the remaining water around the root area and stand back and enjoy.

Trailing verbena