Photoshop Paint of Bute County Olive Orchard, California • image by Rigphoto on Flickr

California Ceanothus growing in a garden in the South of France • image by Hansjoerg Klein of Flickr

Montes vineyards, Valparaiso Region, Chile • image by pbaragiola (Pablo) of Flickr

Why mediterranean in lower case?

The namesake of the mediterranean climate is, obviously, the Mediterranean region — the largest of the five regions earning this climate designation.  So why not use a capital M to honor this namesake?  No disrespect is intended in the lower case version of mediterranean.  We use it here in the same way it has been adopted elsewhere — to differentiate between the true Mediterranean and the climate which is named for the Mediterranean.  In other words, as adjective rather than noun.

The South Australia Water mediterranean garden, in Adelaide • image by J Brew on Flickr

Mediterranean style?   The term under discussion also evokes to make a stylistic response, including the entire design vernacular generally associated with Mediterranean environs and architecture.  While these are important to consider — they represent adaptation to the climate specifics as well as mere aesthetics &mdash: these pages are not about trying to create that Mediterranean 'look' but rather a space appropriate to the local climate.

Mediterranean culture?   Certainly there are many common cultural traits among those peoples who have lived in the Mediterranean region for centuries.  Learning to live with their local climate has taught them many sustainable and harmonious techniques that can inform those in other mediterranean climates.  The inverse is also true, that Mediterranean cultures can learn from those less hampered with historic precedence but sharing a similar set of climate constraints.

The beloved "Mimosa" of France is actually Acacia dealbata from Eastern Australia • image by Letincelle on Flickr

Mediterranean plants?   The flora of the Mediterranean region is but one example of adaptation to a summer-dry, winter wet and mild climate.  Many of the plants considered quintessentially Mediterranean are in fact from other regions — they have just become so familiar in this setting their expat status is no longer considered.  Consideration is given to plants from the other mediterranean climate regions as well as adaptable species from elsewhere, as long as they do not pose an invasive threat to local ecosystems.  These pages promote the right plant for the right place, whether they are local endemics or well-behaved exotics.