take a vacation in your garden: mediterranean climate plant migration to the pacific northwest

We all are intimately aware of how hot and dry are summers in the Portland are becoming. With the length of dry periods and the sheer intensity of the heat spells, we have to take proactive measures to adapt our landscapes to these new realities. While what we consider native/locally adapted plants will be shifting, the change will present an opportunity to incorporate more hardy Mediterranean climate plants into the mix. This aesthetic will bring a fresh energy to our gardens and may just trick our mind into believing we’ve been transported to an Italian courtyard or backyard patio in Melbourne. Check out what’s available at Xera Plants Inc. & Cistus Nursery to get a sense and inspiration for what’s possible in our Pacific Northwest palette.

There are many opportunities to incorporate these Mediterranean climate plants into our gardens (i.e. rock gardens, slopes with existing rock outcroppings, patio containers) and one of our beloved ecologically savvy ways is by removing traditional lawns and creating a transformed drought tolerant, low maintenance landscape. We’ve been busy the past few years transitioning front lawns into dynamic, forward looking landscapes for homes throughout Portland, and the results have been incredible. The photos speak for themselves and radiate that sun kissed garden of our daydreams drifting us off to locales south of the Pacific Northwest.

We love using Arctostaphylos (manzanitas) in tree, shrub and groundcover varieties to create evergreen structure within the garden, then use unique foliage (sampling of our favs: Grevillea spp., Azara microphylla, Cistus spp., Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’, Phlomis fruticosa, Hesperaloe parvifolia), and accent with the ethereal feel of ornamental grasses (more of our favs: Stipa gigantea, Bouteloua gracilis, Pennisetum spathiolatum, Molinia caerulea ‘variegata’, Deschampsia cespitosa).