The Hottest Garden Trend: Give Your Outdoor Space A Mediterranean Makeover

If you’re wanting to refresh your garden in time for summer this year and are looking for inspiration, taking inspiration from the Mediterranean is the perfect way to go. Inviting, warm and vibrant, Mediterranean gardens just want to be sat in and enjoyed, so if you’re wanting an excuse to spend more time in the garden, focusing your garden makeover on Mediterranean elements will help to bring it to life! From the plants you should choose to the hard landscaping, we’ve got it all covered.

Plant Lavender

First up, you should plant lavender around your garden. Lavender is a renowned Mediterranean plant, known to bring calmness, grace and serenity to your garden. The scent is just beautiful and renowned for its relaxing energy, making it the perfect setting to enjoy alfresco dining with friends and family. Lavender can be quite hardy in different weather conditions, although it thrives in the summer months in warmer weather with plenty of drainage. It looks beautiful, smells amazing, is affordable and can really bring your flower beds to life with minimal effort, not to mention it’s a classic bee plant that helps to look after the bees and butterflies in your garden

Have A Gravel Section

Another thing you can do, which also helps to reduce your garden maintenance, is to have a gravel section. You could cover your entire garden if you wanted to (this may involve getting plant hire to dig up your lawn), or just have sections if you like the greenery in your garden space. Often people think gravel has to be boring and grey, but there are so many stunning options like Italian rose shades, golden colours or darker slate greys, so find the right fit for your garden.

Lay Mediterranean Tiles

For more hard landscaping inspiration, you should lay mediterranean tiles. Whether you go for porcelain or terracotta, identify a space where you can lay some tiles and it creates a nice even place for you to sit and enjoy. There are so many options here, whether you go for quite a large area or it’s a small section. We love colourful tiles, particularly blue shades or burnt orange colours.

This is particularly good for creating an alfresco dining space, which is huge in Mediterranean culture. Eating with friends and family outside and enjoying the space is a lovely thing to do in the summer months, and this colourful space will provide a stunning place to do it.

Grow Your Own Herbs

Mediterranean cooking is all about eating fresh and with plenty of herbs, so having a herb garden that is easily accessible can add a stunning touch to your space, just make sure you learn how to grow herbs! You could build a raised bed in light wood, then plant all different types of herbs that you cook with often. If you decide to plant mint, make sure that you keep this in a pot, as it spreads so quickly and will take over! Things like dill, mint, parsley, oregano and sage are very much Mediterranean herbs if you also want to bring your Mediterranean garden into the kitchen!

Incorporate Fruit Trees

Whilst we’re on the topic of what to grow in your garden, you should plant some fruit trees! Things like fig trees, apple trees, plum trees, peach trees, pear trees and cherry trees are all easy to grow and maintain and after a few years, produce wonderful fruit. Olive trees are also very mediterranean, however they can take up to 15 years to fully mature and are expensive to buy when they’re larger, so as long as you’re happy to wait for the tree to grow if you don’t want to pay for a fully grown one, this will be a great addition to your garden.

Include A Water Feature

Something else to add to your garden is a water feature! It brings such a sense of calm and in terms of the design, there are so many stunning rustic options including ones with lovely tiles, so if you’re not wanting to lay tiles necessarily, choosing a fountain garden is a great option to bring this into your outdoor space!

Create A Sense Of Privacy

In terms of the structure of your garden, creating a sense of privacy is important in creating a mediterranean garden. It doesn’t need to all be enclosed, but just creating a sense of it with perhaps a pergola, a trellis or tall hedges can make your garden feel cosy and intimate, as well as providing a bit of protection against harsher weather, for example if it’s very windy. This is a super simple but very effective component to bring your garden to life and give you privacy for you and your family to enjoy.

Focus on Your Outdoor Seating

Another big thing that comes with a Mediterranean garden is focusing on your outdoor seating! A huge part of food culture in the Mediterranean is eating outdoors with friends and family, so having a good dining space is key when it comes to both creating your garden and living the lifestyle. You can choose whatever suits your garden space, however a good tip is to create different zones in your garden with a focus on your dining space, maybe creating some separation with a pergola or a large garden umbrella. Choose earthy textiles with plenty of texture for the space with a few green hints to fit the mediterranean theme.

Final Thoughts

No matter how big or small your budget is, you can transform your space with a few changes that make a big difference! From hard landscaping to adding some space and those important finishing touches, incorporating elements from a mediterranean garden can help you fully relax and unwind in your outdoor space. Even if you take one of our ideas as inspiration, it will help add that special touch to your outdoor space that we know you’ll really love.