YardSmart

Mediterranean Grandeur for those with Small Lawns

Perfectly potted Thumbelina Leigh English
lavender.

The south of France, Italy's rugged coast, Morocco, Greece and southern Spain each contribute plants and art to the design style of the Mediterranean garden. The plants are rooted in ancient civilizations, empires and cultures, each lending strong character to the style we recognize today.

But what actually defines this landscape is the climate around the Mediterranean Sea, which features hot dry summers and cool rainy winters. Plants from this region tend to be rugged and heat loving. To cope with the long dry season they evolved to be rich in aromatic oils that substitute for moisture when water is scarce. It's these fragrant oils that give many plants their timeless appeal.

For anyone living in a not so large home, however, it can be a challenge to get this look because the Mediterranean plants are often too large. They do not fit well in a townhouse, urban or suburban cottage yard. Pine away no more! Dwarf forms have entered the market to downsize a Mediterranean villa garden into a tiny city plot.

Dwarf Thumbelina Leigh English lavender for
small gardens.

Cigar-shaped Italian cypress trees are the signature plants of the Italian countryside. They are the living columns that provide powerful tools for defining spaces and achieving semiformal symmetry. But cypress trees are too big for most yards and too frost tender for others. The solution? Tiny Tower Italian cypress. This itty-bitty version of its full sized cousin grows to just eight feet in 10 years, and then stays that size forever!

It's small enough to grow in a pot to take under cover on those too-frosty nights. Be careful when you buy, though, because dwarf and standard are identical when young. Only labeled plants ensure you get the pint-sized version.

Groves of olive trees stretch from Greece to Spain and present the most beautiful large silvery foliage plant for these gardens. They also are incredibly drought resistant trees but also too are large at maturity. Even more problematic is the messy fruit, unless you are a culinary olive preserver. How to solve the size and the fruit dilemma? Small fruitless Little Ollie Dwarf Olive matures at just four to six feet in height and carry foliage identical to its fruiting parent. You can prune the shrubs any way you wish _ from formal hedges to irregular multiple trunk shapes just like the traditional groves. Little Ollies are also sold as patio trees with a single stem and foliage head on top. It's ideal for porches and patios in gorgeous Italian terra cotta pots.

Tiny Tower is a true dwarf Italian cypress.

Use the Plant Finder to explore these dwarf forms of aromatic Mediterraneans at Mornrovia.com. You'll find photos and extensive plant data on other diminutive forms such as Huntington Carpet Rosemary, Brilliancy Rock Rose, Santolina, Wooly Yarrow and Tricolor Sage.

Little Ollie is a dwarf fruitless olive tree.

Using dwarf forms allows you to create a microcosm of southern Europe for a permanent garden, a party or even a backyard wedding. Whether you're in love with the look of the Mediterranean region or just love the casual lifestyle there, you can capture have it all on a tiny patch of earth.

back to top