Mediterranean Garden In Albuquerque Part 5: Substitutions

In this fifth part on plants for a Mediterranean style garden in Albuquerque, I'll discuss plants that can't reliably be grown in Albuquerque. These plants are so well associated with the Mediterranean that they can’t be ignored, so it is particularly unfortunate that they can not be grown here. Some suggestions are made for plants that could replace them.
Substitutions are a tricky thing however, since the use of them could actually emphasize the fact that the garden is a fake (or so it would appear). Perhaps to the uneducated eye, or in a quick glance, the garden would look authentic, but to the more knowing eye, or on closer inspection, the garden could look more like a theme park facade rather than a true escape.

Another option is using plants that could have been used: It just accidentally happens to be that in this garden, the plants used are those that can grow in another climate. Of course, this concept is quickly transparent to inspection, and the further one is from the climate that one is trying to imitate, the less convincing it is. Fortunately, Albuquerque’s climate is not so far a reach from the Mediterranean as, say the tropics.

A more convincing option may be to find examples of gardens in the Mediterranean whose climate is closest to that of Albuquerque’s. The down side to this is that then one is getting further from the style one is trying to imitate. But in this case, the gardens of Provence may be easier to imitate, than the gardens of Tuscany. Northern Italy would be a consideration as well. Perhaps the best option would be a combination of the techniques.

In this post, I'm looking at plants that could substitute for the plant that would really be grown in the Mediterannean. Sometimes it is a plant that is commonly grown in that climate.

Olive
Olea europaea (seen here as an 1100 year old tree at Pont du Gard in France) is so ubiquitous to the Mediterranean landscape that it is considered essential. The olive is unfortunately not hardy here, though there is rumor that there are wild olive trees with small or inedible fruit in the colder portions of the Mediterranean which should be hardy here. There is apparently one place in Albuquerque where an olive tree grows. It is in a sheltered church interior courtyard. Although Eleagnus angustifolia (Russian olive) has been used as a substitute, is is now unacceptable due to its invasive nature (and frankly, not as attractive as a real olive). Shepherdia argentea (Buffaloberry) is native, has silvery leaf color and small stature, though it has red fruit. It can be considered as a substitution. (Eleagnaceae). Forestiera neomexicana (Desert olive) is a native tree related to the olive, and although it has similar size, it only vaguely resembles an olive tree. (Oleaceae). Instead of an olive tree, an apple tree could be considered, which is a characteristic tree of Provence.

Citrus
Citrus was so well loved by the Italians that where they weren’t hardy, they were grown in pots and overwintered in special buildings called orangeries (and if the Italians grew them in pots and brought them in for the winter, there's no reason we can't). Attempts are underway to cross edible citrus with the inedible citrus relative Poncirus trifoliata which tolerates winters to zone 5. Success is very limited, the results have been hardier plants but usually inedible or nearly inedible fruit (do a google search, or check out McKenzie Farms website or Woodlander's). Still, they may be worth trying for ornamental purposes, and newer crosses may get better. Ptelea trifoliata is a deciduous citrus relative native to New Mexico, with citrus scented leaves when crushed. Unfortunately its appearance is not much like that of citrus, nor does it have pleasantly fragrant flowers.
(Rutaceae)

Acacia
The Acacias grown in Mediterranean regions are typically from Australia, and include A. baileyana (Image from ubcbotanicalgarden.org), A. dealbata and A. farnesiana, with fragrant late winter puffs of yellow flowers. None of these survive winter in Albuquerque although shrubby Acacia constricta and Acacia greggii, native to the southwest U.S., do. Although they also have sweetly fragrant puffs, their appearance suggests the desert rather than the Mediterranean.
(Fabaceae)

Succulents
Succulent plants are common in Mediterranean gardens, notably Aeonium (native to the Canary Islands) and Echeverria (from Mexico) species and hybrids, but are not even close to being hardy in Albuquerque. Consider Sempervivum hybrids as discussed above. The group of plants commonly called “Ice plants” are a variety of South African succulents most of which are not hardy in Albuquerque. The exception is the genus Delosperma (seen here, photographed at the University of New Mexico) which does have species and hybrids which are hardy here. Ruschia pulvinaris has been reliable as well. Other South African succulents from areas with cold winters such as Aloinopsis, Stomatium, Titanopsis and Rabia have been tried but in my garden they are sensitive to summer heat and collapsed. High Country Gardens is fond of trying these, and they probably do better in Santa Fe. Cotyledon orbiculata has been grown for a number of years by Agua Fria nursery in Santa Fe with winter protection.
(Delosperma - Aizoaceae)
(Cotyledon - Crassulaceae)
(Ruschia - Mesembryanthemaceae)

Aloe
Albuquerque seems to be just beyond the hardiness tolerance of the Aloes. Aloe striatula is considered the hardiest aloe, able to grow back from the roots after a hard freeze, but is certainly not happy about it and will die out after a year or two. I have heard of no trials of the deciduous “grass” aloes such as Aloe cooperi but these do not have the appearance of the aloes grown in Mediterranean climates. They appear similar to Kniphofia, which may be substituted. Aloe aristata is said to be hardy to 15°F so may tolerate winter in protected pockets in warmer areas of town. Aloe polyphylla or spiral aloe, may survive the warmer pockets of town with winter protection (a friend in the North Valley has grown one for several years) but winter damage would be unsightly and slow to outgrow (if ever). Image from ubcbotanicalgarden.org
(Liliaceae)

Bougainvillea
The bougainvillea from South America are vines well loved in Mediterranean regions for their immense umbels of colorful bracts. This photo shows a sizable plant across from the Pantheon. Here in Albuquerque, they may only be grown as annuals or in pots and brought in for the winter. There is no acceptable substitute in my mind, although some have suggested climbing roses.
(Nyctaginaceae)

Germander
Teucrium species are Mediterranean natives with aromatic foliage and attractive flowers. The bush germander (Teucrium fruticans) with silvery leaves and pale to mid blue flowers is best known in California gardens, but suffers severe winter damage here, coming back from the roots unreliably. Other Teucrium species such as T. aroanium and T. chamaedrys can handle the winters here, but are decidedly different, being smaller, more herbaceous, with green leaves and red-purple flowers.
(Lamiaceae)

Artichoke
Cynara cardunculus comes in two forms, the artichoke and the cardoon. Plants are similar, though the artichoke is grown for the edible involucral bracts and receptacle, and cardoon is grown like celery for the edible petioles. Whereas artichoke prefers a mild frostless climate, cardoon may be tougher.
(Asteraceae)

Pittosporum
The mock orange (Pittosporum tobira) is a staple in California gardens, and common in Italy as well, and loved for its durable nature, glossy evergreen leaves and strongly scented flowers (Image: jabalamelnursery.com). It comes from China and Japan, and even the hardiest forms are only hardy to zone 8, whereas Albuquerque lies in zone 7. There may be other species that will survive the winter here. Cistus Nursery lists P. daphniphylloides, P. heterophyllum, and P. parvilimbum as being hardy to zone 7, though this is the border of their tolerance. An alternative to Pittosporum tobira could be from the genus Osmanthus. Although the favorite of warm climates for its apricot jam scent, O. fragrans is not reliably hardy in Albuquerque although the orange flowered version O. f. auranticus is said to be hardy to zone 7. Osmanthus heterophyllus, the holly-leafed osmanthus is hardy here, as 5 years in my garden can attest to, and though the flowers are not scented the same as O. fragrans, they have a wonderful fragrance of their own. Its cross to O. fragrans is O. x fortunei and may be hardy in zone 7. Other osmanthus to consider are O. x burkwoodii and O. armatus.
(Pittosporum - Pittosporaceae)
(Osmanthus - Oleaceae)

Ceanothus
One of the most dramatic shrubs known to Mediterranean gardens is the California native Ceanothus (seen above in a garden in Davis, California, but for better photos, do a google image search). So loved is it, that some species are grown in England, coddled against a warm dry wall. There are hundreds of cultivars, ranging from low growing ground covers to trees. Those most commonly seen have glossy rich green evergreen leaves and some shade of blue to white puffs of flowers. Some cultivars such as ‘Julia Phelps’ cover themselves in intense glowing cobalt blue in the spring, so densely that the leaves can not be seen. Some cultivars are said to be hardy to zone 7, though when I tried ‘Victoria’ which is supposedly one of the most common for the Pacific northwest, it failed to survive winter. A hardier hybrid ‘Gloire de Versailles’ derives blue color from the subtropical Mexican species C. caeruleus, and its hardiness from the deciduous eastern U.S. species C. americana (white flowers), and is popular in France and England. The flowers, however, are a disappointment in my Albuquerque garden, with greyish faded blue flowers, a color that doesn’t hold up to the New Mexico sun. I’ve tried a hardier collected form of C. caeruleus from Cistus nursery for the past 4 years, and though it looks dead in the spring, it has come back for more than three years and is now 6 feet tall and blooms in the late summer, for an extended period, early August until frost.. There is still some hope. Until then, here’s a reliable alternative for Albuquerque: Caryopteris.
(Rhamnaceae)

New Zealand Flax
Phormium species, hybrids, and cultivars are ubiquitous to California gardens (seen above in San Francisco with the tree-like Cordyline) and for good reason. They are dramatic, attractive, and tough, tolerating drought, salt, traffic, pollution. However, they do not tolerate freezing temperatures. I have seen one plant survive the winter in a large pot under the overhang next to the front door of a popular restaurant in the Northeast Heights. Large hardy grasses may be used for size and grassy texture, but they are not truly adequate for creating a Mediterranean garden, evoking a midwestern feel instead. Like Bougainvillea, they are better grown in pots and placed in a protected indoor spot for the winter.
(Agavaceae)

Cordyline
Although Cordyline australis (from New Zealand) is said by some to be hardy here, I have never seen a planting survive the winter in Albuquerque. Large plants are common in California gardens, particularly red leafed forms. This plant is easily grown in containers however.
(Agavaceae)

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