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The Mediterranean Garden Society (MGS), a non-profit making association founded in Greece in 1994, acts as a forum for everyone who has a special interest in the plants and gardens of mediterranean climate regions. The society publishes a quarterly journal The Mediterranean Garden and maintains a garden just outside Athens. The aims of the MGS as set out in the Charter were deliberately drafted broadly to cover all possible directions that the society might wish to go in its life. As an international society, the MGS has members in countries throughout the world and in many of them members have formed branches so that they can meet for various activities. (The word "Mediterranean" with a capital M is used to denote the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Basin, while the uncapitalized word "mediterranean" is used to describe the type of climate shared by these countries and other regions of the world.)
Why a 'mediterranean' garden society?
For many years gardening literature has been dominated by descriptions and illustrations of plants and garden designs suited to the climate of northern Europe and other temperate zones where so far there is no lack of water. Seduced by these images, mediterranean gardeners have struggled to produce approximations to 'English gardens' which are quite unsuited to the conditions of the mediterranean climate areas.
It is the goal of the Mediterranean Garden Society to develop alternatives, no less attractive or alluring, which are truly based on a mediterranean way of gardening. The plants to be used, as natives to the mediterranean climate areas of the world, will of necessity be more or less drought resistant. Waterwise gardening has to be one of the basic tenets in countries where summer drought can last for four months and more -- areas where the cost of water can only increase and availability decrease.
A further principle is the protection and nurturing of the existing flora. A mediterranean plot where trees and shrubs grow slowly and tortuously is no place for fashionable 'make-overs'. Mature, existing trees offer immediate shade to both people and new plantings, and wildflowers lighten up the spring garden without any effort on the part of the owner. With a little flexibility existing plants can be worked into the design of the new garden.
A new garden in an almond grove using stones from the plot for edging and mediterranean plants.
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A mature garden in an olive grove using the same materials.
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In fact the design of the garden is where the principles of mediterranean gardening are rooted. Instead of rolling lawns and beds of plants all bursting into flower at once in the summer, a mediterranean garden is a more complex collection of hard surfaces of local natural and man-made materials, shaded areas, water features and plants flowering in turn for all twelve months of the year. In some parts of the garden scent will be more important than flowers for the number of mediterranean plants with scented leaves is amazing: not only herbs but geraniums, salvias, helichrysums, tanacetums and many more. Again, plant shape can be an important design feature, for instance many native mediterranean plants have a naturally cushion-like shape while the small leaves of plants like box, Pistachio and Teucrium fruticans make them ideal subjects for clipping.
Finally, the special needs of garden maintenance have to be faced. These centre on the subject of soil improvement, much more through mulching and composting than through digging.
The Mediterranean Garden
All these topics and many more feature in articles in The Mediterranean Garden, the journal which members receive four times a year and which is the major advantage of membership. The Editor, Caroline Harbouri, depends very largely on contributions from members who write from personal experience both of their own gardens and of the gardens and the countryside that they have visited. The articles are illustrated by drawings and the journal also includes book reviews, letters and news.
The MGS Garden at Sparoza
More than thirty-five years ago an Englishwoman started to create a garden on a dry, stony hillside in Attica, Greece. It was here in 1994 that a group of gardeners conceived the idea of a mediterranean garden society. Thus the legal headquarters of the society are at Sparoza and the garden has become the embodiment of the MGS principles. The planting is a mixture of mediterranean plants that are indigenous to Greece and other mediterranean countries. Plants are propagated in the nursery and are available to members. There is also a growing library of journals and books on gardens, plants and horticulture. Sally Razelou, founding member and first MGS President, is the custodian of the garden and has improved and extended it tremendously over the twelve years of her residence at Sparoza. For several years now she has welcomed students who are anxious to increase their knowledge of mediterranean plants and gardening to be resident at Sparoza and work under her supervision. Members of the society are invited to visit (by appointment) to talk to the custodian and to get ideas and encouragement.
Views of the garden and hillside at Sparoza.
They can also join the group of volunteers who work one day a week on the maintenance of the garden. (e-mail Davina Michaelides for information about volunteering)
Members
From the beginning the founders invited gardeners from all the mediterranean-climate regions of the world to participate: from all the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and from California, Australia and South Africa which, with humid winters and long hot and dry summers, have climates similar to the Mediterranean. Members living in more northern climes join the MGS because of a general interest in mediterranean plants or because they have a second home and garden in a mediterranean area. Once a year a large number of members gather together for the Annual General meeting which is accompanied by a few days of excursions. Old friends meet up and new friendships are made.
Branches
The Society has a number of active regional branches that independently plan their own activities ranging from lectures and demonstrations to garden visits and expeditions to areas of floral interest. Members visiting a different area are welcome to join in local events if places are available. The Branch Heads work both to provide an interesting programme of events for the members in their area and to encourage new members to join the MGS.
Officers
The Mediterranean Garden Society is administered entirely by volunteers, both at the central and at the branch levels. There is no paid staff; fees paid are for technical help in publishing the journal and managing the website.
Membership
Membership to the MGS is open to all. Annual subscriptions are payable on 1st January and new members joining throughout the course of the year will receive all four issues published in that year.
If you have any questions about the MGS please get in touch with the Secretary.
A garden on an olive tree.
Photographs by Fleur Pavlidis, Terry Moyemont and Davina Michaelides.
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