Using Xerophytic plants in your garden is the ideal way to ensure an attractive, low-maintenance and drought-resistant garden that looks great and cheerful even at the height of summer!

It may sound a somewhat exotic name, and indeed, the term comes from classical Greek, but Xerophytes are in essence a family of plants that have evolved to live in environments with little water. They are most typically associated with dry areas such as deserts, but can also occur at high altitudes in mountain ranges. In essence, xerophytes are succulent plants, and the most commonly known type is the family of cacti, whose thick, rubbery exterior protects the water stored within and shelters it from the searing heat.

The needles of cacti serve to protect the water from predators, but not all xerophytes have this feature, as the main common characteristic is the ability to store liquid over long periods of time and the low metabolic rate of water usage common to these plants. This means that unlike many other types of plants, trees and flowers, they require very little water/rain to flourish and flower, and this in turn makes them not only drought-resistant in arid climates and during long dry seasons, but also ensures that xerophytes require very little maintenance.

 

 

Convenient and eco-friendly

A garden planted with xerophytes will therefore be uniformly green throughout the year, easy to maintain – i.e. requiring very little actual gardening work – and also use up small amounts of water. In other words, such a garden is not only convenient and cheap to maintain, but also environmentally friendly and eco-responsible, particularly in a reasonably dry climate such as that of the Costa del Sol, where the summer months are long and warm.

Now rockeries, cacti and succulent plants are very pretty and contain beautiful flowering species, however, a xerophytic garden is not limited to this and can also include Gymnosperms, which include conifers such as pine trees and cypresses, palm-like cycads and aloe-type agave plants. They exist in an abundant variety of shapes, sizes and forms, and can come with brightly coloured flowers that add vibrancy to your garden not just for a short period of time, but generally for much longer than other types of flowering plants.

Maquis heather, lavender and lots of herbs blend in beautifully with such garden designs, helping to create a very authentically Mediterranean feel that is in sync with the natural surroundings and resources. Add tall, green pines and bushy, brightly floral trees such as the Nerium oleander, and your garden will abound with delightful colours, scents and movement throughout the year, without ever having that wilted look.

 

 

Let us know if you have any questions or would like to know more about which plant species are best suited to conditions on the Costa del Sol.