The southern area of the Costa Blanca has a sub-desert Mediterranean climate characterized by dry and hot summers, short and mild winters and irregular rains in the spring and autumn months. Any plant is not compatible for our gardens! Next we will try to identify those that are best adapted to this climate.
One of the star options in the area is the palm tree, this species arrived with the Arabs at the time of the conquest and it is difficult to find a corner where a specimen does not appear. We can find a great variety of trees that adapt to the climate such as olive, mulberry, lemon or mimosa; fruit trees such as fig, almond or pomegranate are also resistant.
Aromatic plants such as thyme, lavender, rosemary, mint, chamomile, santolina, sage, lemon verbena, oregano or basil are essential for their aroma, beauty and culinary utility. If you have a place with a lot of sun, do not hesitate to plant your own garden!
Succulent plants (dragon agave, aloe, sedum, aptenia, crassula…), cacti and thorny bushes are perfectly adapted to the dry Mediterranean climate. If what you are looking for is to give a touch of color to the garden, ornamental flowering plants will be your allies (daisies, carnations, roses, carnations, bougainvillea, camellia, begonia, agapanthus, luryops, lantana montevidensis, tulbaghia, centrum, gaura, hibiscus Syriac, sea fennel, gazania, geraniums and gypsies, osteoespermum, verbena, vinca, etc.).
If you are looking for an alternative to natural grass, you can use plants to cover the ground (thyme or yarrow, lamprantus, sedum …). The gravel is not as pleasant as the green blanket but it prevents the evaporation of water and the growth of weeds, something highly recommended in dry areas.
When it comes to creating shade, trees are our favorite resource, but you can also harmonize the garden with pergolas covered with climbing plants such as jasmine, bougainvillea, honeysuckle, passionflower, plumbago, wisteria, duranta …
The hedge is another of the main protagonists of the area, being the cypress hedge the most common; thanks to its evergreen and fast growth we can benefit from privacy and a nice green background throughout the year.
Who doesn’t like to discover an exotic plant in their garden? We recommend strelitzia, red tajinaste, piscualis, plumeria, the orchid tree, datura, tube cleaners …
If you live in an area with a lot of wind and / or close to the sea, you have to bear in mind that dehydration is rapid and the soil also dries out. You can help your plants by distributing stakes so that they can support themselves especially while they are young, plant othermore wind resistant specimens that act as a shield against the wind or install artificial screens such as panels or lattices.
Palm heart, rosemary, common linden, washingtonia palm, hibiscus, lantana, bouganvilla, geraniums, plumbago, gallant at night, jasmine, agapanthus, sedum, verbena are particularly wind resistant , lavenders or carpet plants.
To optimize the maintenance of the garden areas, it is highly recommended to install an irrigation system suitable for the needs of our specimens that runs through the entire plantation and is in charge of providing the water that our plants need.
At Atlantir we have a specialist garden team that will be happy to help you create and design your garden, take care of it and maintain it.
We add below the classification given by Pere Fraga i Arguimbao (Jardinería Mediterránea sin especies invasoras, 2009) according to the Drought Tolerance Index in which DTI 1 is poorly tolerant to drought an DTI 6 is very tolerant to drought. We have selected DTI 6, DTI 5 and DTI 4 considering that they are the plants that best adapt to our area:
DTI 6
Albizia julibrissin ‘Ombrella’
Alcea rosea
Aloe maculata
Aloe marlothii
Aloe mitriformis
Aloe variegata
Aloe x spinosissima
Anthyllis cytisoides
Arbutus unedo
Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’
Argyranthemum Híbridos
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
Asparagus densiflorus
Asteriscus maritimus
Atriplex halimus
Caesalpinia gilliesii
Callistemon ‘Little John’
Capparis spinosa
Carex divulsa
Carissa macrocarpa
Chamaerops humilis
Cistus albidus
Cistus salviifolius
Cistus x purpureus
Cistus x skanbergii
Cneorum tricoccon
Coronilla glauca
Cotyledon orbiculata var. oblonga
Crassula multicava
Crassula portulacea
Crithmum maritimum
Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta Aurea’
Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’
Cupressus sempervirens ‘Totem’
Cynodon dactylon
Dasylirion serratifolium
Dianthus plumarius
Dorycnium hirsutum
Dorycnium pentaphyllum
Echeveria sp. pl.
Echium candicans
Erica multiflora
Ferocactus herrerae
Gasteria sp. pl.
Helichrysum italicum
Helichrysum stoechas
Hyparrhenia hirta
Juniperus phoenicea
Lavandula ‘Devantville Cuché’
Lavandula dentata
Lavandula dentata var. candicans
Limonium sp. pl.
Lotus cytisoides
Medicago arborea
Medicago citrina
Olea europaea var. sylvestris
Ononis natrix
Origanum majorana
Othonna cheirifolia
Phillyrea media
Pinus pinea
Pistacia lentiscus
Portulacaria afra
Retama monosperma
Rhamnus lycioides
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Sedum sediforme
Sempervivum tectorum
Stipa tenacissima
Tetraclinis articulata
Teucrium capitatum
Thymus vulgaris
Thymus vulgaris ‘Compacta’
Yucca rostrata
DTI 5
Arctotis Híbridos
Achillea ‘Coronation Gold’
Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis
Aloysia triphylla
Araucaria heterophylla
Billbergia nutans
Bougainvillea glabra
Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’
Celtis australis
Centaurea ragusina
Centranthus ruber
Cercis siliquastrum
Clivia miniata
Convolvulus cneorum
Cordyline australis
Crataegus monogyna
Euphorbia characias
Euryops pectinatus
Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’
Frankenia laevis
Lonicera implexa
Limonium sp. pl.
Myrtus communis
Myrtus communis ‘Tarentina’
Pelargonium ‘Graveolens’
Pelargonium crispum
Pelargonium x fragrans
Pelargonium x hortorum
Híbridos Phlomis fruticosa
Phlomis purpurea
Phylica ericoides
Prunus dulcis
Punica granatum
Quercus coccifera
Rhamnus alaternus
Ruscus aculeatus
Salvia fruticosa
Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’
Stenotaphrum secundatum
Thuja orientalis ‘Aurea Nana’
Thuja orientalis ‘Pyramidalis Aurea’
Viburnum tinus
Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’
Washingtonia robusta
Zoysia japonica
DTI 4
Acanthus mollis
Bougainvillea ‘Crimson Lake’
Bougainvillea ‘Mini Tai’
Callistemon viminalis
Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Mme Gallen’
Catharanthus roseus
Cedrus atlantica
Cerastium tomentosum
Convolvulus valentinus
Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’
Cycas revoluta
Dicliptera suberecta
Euonymus japonicus ‘Aureovariegatus’
Euonymus japonicus ‘Medio-picta’
Euryops chrysanthemoides
Felicia amelloides
Festuca arundinacea
Festuca glauca
Fraxinus angustifolia
Hedera helix ‘Goldenheart’
Hedera helix ‘Très Coupé’
Iris foetidissima
Jasminum fruticans
Juncus acutus
Juniperus x media ‘Mint Julep’
Juniperus x media ‘Old Gold’
Juniperus x media ‘P tzeriana Glauca’
Juniperus x media Híbridos
Justicia adhatoda
Kochia scoparia
Lantana montevidensis
Lavandula latifolia
Leonotis leonurus
Ligustrum japonicum ‘Silver Star’
Ligustrum japonicum ‘Rotundifolium’
Limonium sp. pl.
Linum narbonense
Melianthus major
Morus alba ‘Pendula’
Nerium oleander
Nerium oleander ‘Petite Red’
Nerium oleander ‘Petite Salmon’
Nicotiana sylvestris
Pelargonium ‘Lady Plymouth’
Pelargonium peltatum
Híbridos Perovskia atriplicifolia
Phlomis herba-venti
Plumbago auriculata
Portulaca grandiflora
Portulaca umbraticola
Híbridos Prunus cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’
Prunus mahaleb
Quercus faginea
Rhaphiolepis ovata
Rhaphiolepis x delacourii ‘Springtime’ Rosa ‘Baby Baccara’
Rosa ‘Cumbaya’
Rosa ‘Douceur Normande’
Rosa ‘La Sevillana’
Rosa ‘Rosella’
Rosa chinensis ‘Mutabilis’
Ruscus hypophyllum
Salvia lavandulifolia
Salvia leucantha
Salvia microphylla
Salvia microphylla ‘Pink Blush’
Stachys byzantina
Tamarix africana
Tanacetum vulgare
Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’
Teucrium fruticans
Teucrium x lucydris
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Trachycarpus fortunei
Viburnum suspensum
Vitex agnus-castus