The 10 Best Mediterranean Flowers to Put In Your Garden

Herbs and flowers for subtropical, dry climates

By
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh has written about gardening and special occasion flowers for the Spruce since 2011. She has more than 20 years of experience caring for flowers and plants. She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing.
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Updated on 06/28/22
Lavender bushes with bright purple flowers for Mediterranean garden

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Visitors to Mediterranean climates may wonder what it’s like to grow a garden there, under skies that always seem sunny and in temperatures that never require more than a light jacket. The Mediterranean region is unique since it's marked by high altitudes, large bodies of water, and rocky landscapes. But its climate is further defined by:

  • Mild winters, punctuated by an occasional frost
  • Hot, dry summers with low humidity
  • Irregular rainfall, usually from autumn to spring

Gardeners who live in coastal California, central Chile, southern Australia, parts of North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), and Southwest Europe (Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain) may have unique, breathtaking landscaping and gardens, but they are faced with the challenge of growing flowers in regions that are beautiful yet harsh. Rocky soil, windswept cliffs, and drought are a few of the conditions these 10 rugged Mediterranean flowers will shrug off in your garden.

Tip

One characteristic of a Mediterranean garden is its soil. You can prepare the soil for most Mediterranean plants by ensuring that it's well-draining and rich in peat moss. Many Mediterranean plants can also tolerate poor types of rocky or sandy soil, but never soggy soil.

  • 01 of 10

    Agapanthus

    Blooming Agapanthu

    bravobravo / Getty Images

    Hardy to zone 7, the Lily of the Nile adds height and strong textural interest to the landscape in shades of blue and white. The plants adapt well to container culture and multiply freely, so you can take divisions for friends or other parts of the garden.

  • 02 of 10

    California Poppy

    California golden poppy
    joel-t / Getty Images

    How can a bloom with such ethereal beauty as the California poppy be so tough? This welcome harbinger of spring grows well in a Mediterranean garden and adds its vivid orange hue to any landscape that has ample sunshine and light soil. Although the plant is an annual, it will self-seed every year, and the bluish-green foliage makes newly emerging seedlings easy to recognize. This plant thrives in poor sandy and rocky soil, as well as peat-rich soil.

  • 03 of 10

    Ceanothus

    Ceanothus, or Califonian lilac, in flower
    P A Thompson / Getty Images

    Also known as the California lilac, the ceanothus is the xeriscape’s answer to the hydrangea. This member of the buckthorn family ranges in height from 5 to 20 feet as a shrub or small tree and is smothered in blue blossom clusters in early spring. This plant tolerates different soils, as long as it's not sitting in soggy soil.

  • 04 of 10

    Daphne

    Daphne
    igaguri_1 / Getty Images

    If your Mediterranean garden receives shade from olive or Mediterranean cypress trees, consider planting a Daphne shrub as a flowering companion. The highly fragrant shrubs demand perfect drainage, but like a bit of protection from the all-day glare of the sun. Choose a variety with variegated leaves, like ‘Maejima,’ and you’ll have a beautiful specimen plant in or out of bloom.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Euphorbia

    pink Euphorbia milii flower
    mansum008 / Getty Images

    Is it odd for a flower lover to be so partial to green blooms? Not when it’s an electric shade of green that provides an excellent foil to every other blossom color. Commonly known as spurge, the many varieties of euphorbia feature colorful bracts rather than true flower petals. Try ‘Blackbird,’ which features yellowish-green bracts and burgundy foliage or crowns of thorns a type of euphorbia with red or peach bracts.

  • 06 of 10

    Grevillea

    Blooming Grevillea Superb
    violettenlandungoy / Getty Images

    As a plant that's a native of Australia, it makes sense that drought-tolerant grevillea plants can thrive in hot, dry conditions. These members of the protea family have showy, spidery blooms that attract nectar-eating birds.

  • 07 of 10

    Lavender

    Close-up View Of Lavender Blooming In Pot Against White Wall
    Yin Jiang / Getty Images

    Few people dislike the scent of lavender. It's a glorious garden plant that offers crushed leaves that smell just as wonderful as the blossoms. If your garden is overwhelmed with blue and purple shades, try one of the alternative hued lavenders, like the white ‘Edelweiss,’ or the yellow ‘Chiffon.’

    Tip

    Italian-style gardens do not rely on flowers, with the exception of lavender, which offers subtle color in this type of Mediterranean landscape.

  • 08 of 10

    Ranunculus

    Red ranunculus flowers growing in a flowerbed.
    Mint Images / Getty Images

    From the strange, claw-like tubers of the ranunculus emerge some of the most thickly ruffled blooms you will ever see in a Mediterranean garden (besides the dense bougainvillea vines you see growing up the walls of Mediterranean villas). Buy tubers that are at least several centimeters in circumference for a spectacular March flower show.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Sea Lavender

    Limonium latifolium - Breitblaettriger Steppenschleier
    fotolinchen / Getty Images

    As the name implies, sea lavender, or beach heliotrope, grows just fine in a coastal garden badgered by the burn of salt spray. The evergreen plants (which are not related to the lavender herb) provide excellent erosion control, bearing tiny bright purple flowers all summer and are often cut for fresh and dried bouquets.

  • 10 of 10

    Wax Flower

    White Wax flower in natural background
    Alexander_Tarassov / Getty Images

    The wax flower (chamelaucium) is popular for its long-lasting blooms, and the flowers will bloom for several weeks in a Mediterranean-style spring garden. Cut a few for the vase (or as a popular filler in a wedding bouquet), and you’ll notice the pleasing scent of the foliage common to members of the myrtle family. Not much bothers this evergreen shrub, but heavy soils and over-irrigation will kill it.