Tricks to turn your back garden into a Mediterranean oasis

Adrienne Wild 20/06/2008

Your Mediterranean holiday doesn't have to end when you get on the plane to come home. Pinch their ideas and recreate those long, lazy lunches in your own back yard. pave the way.

Typical Mediterranean gardens don't have lawns. They need lots of water in summer, which is the driest time of year in most south European climates.

Instead, yards are covered with gravel and durable, earthy materials like stone, concrete and ceramics.

CREATE THE LOOK: Plants tend to be secondary to the hard landscaping - choose shrubs with silver-grey foliage and spiky leaves or beautiful succulent agaves.

HOW MUCH? See B&Q's Outstanding Plants range, from £9.99 www.diy.com, 0845 850 0175.

The Mediterranean lifestyle is very laid-back, which is an antidote to the hectic pace of modern life, so outdoor furniture is essential for relaxing and entertaining.

For a rustic look, use long timber tables and benches. In more formal settings, opt for mosaic or wirework furniture.

CREATE THE LOOK

A Mediterranean garden would not be complete without citrus scents, so plant tubs with lemons and oranges alongside aromatic herbs like lavender.

HOW MUCH? Chairs from £190, chaise longue for £988 www.raymentwire.co.uk, 01843 821628.

Tin planters adorn walls with recycled aluminium cans planted with summer favourites. Scour continental delicatessens for decorative tins... and enjoy some culinary treats at the same time!

CREATE THE LOOK: While walls create sheltered and intimate spaces for relaxing and entertaining, they are real hotspots for greenery, so choose drought-busting plants like scented geraniums.

HOW MUCH? Free Mediterranean restaurants will often give away empty tins.

The predominant colours to use are earthy hues like terracotta and sandstone, which should be given a sun-bleached look. Contrast with splashes of blue Ð reminiscent of bright skies and sparkling seas. Fill terracotta pots with colourful geraniums, oleander and bougainvilleas.

CREATE THE LOOK: Use unglazed terracotta pots and olive jars and plant with lavender, pink and purple planting schemes or leave empty for effect.

HOW MUCH? Frost-resistant Cretan pots from £19 www.potsandpithoi.com, 01342 714793.

If your home's architectural style doesn't quite fit in with a Mediterranean garden, build garden walls and paint them a soft pink or terracotta and make a statement by adding some wall art - a traditional trompe l'oeil or mural painted with a typical Med scene like fields of lavender.

CREATE THE LOOK Add a small table and a couple of chairs to create your own sanctuary.

HOW MUCH? DIY trompe l'oeil courses from £600 (www.trompeloeil.co.uk, 01208 831926).

Mosaic tiles mosaics grace walls, tables and pots in the Med. Use broken dishes or stained glass, which are pressed into tile fix and finished with grout.

CREATE THE LOOK: Architectural planting such as potted palms, topiary bay, tree ferns and bamboo make excellent additions.

HOW MUCH? Make your own mosaic kits £18 www.traceycartledge.co.uk, 0161 860 0387.