Garden Story – ‘Mediterranean’ Lower Mainland

Garden Story – ‘Mediterranean’ Lower Mainland

One of the ironies of living in a temperate rainforest is that we have Mediterranean-type summers with little rain in July and August. There are two types of Mediterranean climates: hot-summer and warm-summer. The Pacific Northwest has the warm-summer type of Mediterranean Climate, while California has a mix of the hot and warm-summer types. Other Mediterranean-type ecosystems in the world are the Cape Region of South Africa, central Chile, southern and southwestern Australia, and the Mediterranean Basin). Due to the similar climates, we are able to grow many plants from these other regions here in Vancouver. In general, Mediterranean-type ecosystems are mostly on the west coasts of the continents and about 30-40 degrees of latitude from the equator. During summer, these regions are strongly influenced by the subtropical ridge, a belt of high pressure found at 30 degrees of latitude, which keeps atmospheric conditions very dry with minimal cloud coverage.

One of the many Mediterranean plants at VanDusen is lavender (Lavandula), which is native to the Mediterranean Basin. There are lots of species of Lavandula, but the two most important ones for producing the prized, strong-scented oil are English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and the more compact L. x intermedia (a hybrid of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia).

Presented by: VBGA Volunteer Garden Guides