POSTED 13 NOVEMBER 2024
THIS BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IS A LESSON FOR FUTURE GARDEN PLANNING FOR MANY. A DIFFERENT TYPE OF GARDEN BUT STILL VERY PLEASING.
THE PROPERTY IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AIR B&B AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR. FULL DETAILS AND A LINK TO PROPERTY DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE.
AO

DRY LAND GARDEN
KYTHIRA GREECE

John and I purchased the house and land on Kythira in 2006. One acre completely wild with about thirty ancient olive trees, everything overgrown, choked with weeds and a very basic one-room dwelling with a toilet and a cold shower outside. We had been searching for a property in Greece for many years, and John knew immediately, even before going inside, that this was the one. The view, the privacy and the potential. The front porch looks over an uninhabited valley of olive trees towards the sea and on a clear day we can see the mountains of Crete.

The house is in a valley with many tall cypress trees, that protect it from the winds. The first year was spent focusing on the land, restoring the olive trees through judicious pruning and removing masses of thorny weeds. Some of the olive trees were only discovered when we started clearing the weeds; they were hidden by pines and self-seeded junipers.

We added a guest room, bathroom and an artist’s studio, with paving and a back courtyard, though most of the time is spent outside on the patio, which is shaded by two enormous old pines. Our aim was for the house to sit naturally in the environment.

DAY ONE, WE KNEW OUR SEARCH WAS OVER
DRINKS ON THE TERRACE AT SUNSET ARE HARD TO RESIST THE VIEW IS JUST SO STUNNING

EIGHTEEN YEARS
IN THE MAKING

Once the land was cleaned up, we started to plan the garden, a classic dry land garden tiered with beautiful local stone walls and steps that hug the contours of the landscape. We made new plantings around the house but left a lot of the land to the wild thyme bushes that have beautiful blue flowers in July and the wild pistachio bushes that remain vivid green throughout the year.

Through a lot of trial and error, we established a true dry Mediterranean garden, learning what thrives from observing other local gardens. We cultivated bushes of oregano, sage and rosemary. Lavender does very well, and, of course, we planted grape vines and wisteria to cover the pergolas. Bougainvillaea and oleander add wonderful colour, and the lemons, though thirsty, are beautiful and bountiful.

Kythira usually has no rain to speak of for the entire summer and is too hot for physical gardening. Planting is most successful when done in autumn, giving the roots time to establish for the following summer. Fortunately, we have been able to divert the rain run-off from the road to the house to large tanks that provide water all summer.

SPLASHES OF COLOUR WITH THE BOUGAINVILLEA IN THE COURTYARD

A DRY LAND GARDEN

The rainy season is generally November until March and until the last three years, with the exception of July and August, with some rain in the other months. In the last three years, there has been no rain in July and August. This year, I installed some irrigation around the house and, even in the driest months, was able to keep watering every two to three days. The problem is when the tourist season picks up, the mains water is often turned off without notice. Luckily, the tanks supply the household needs and if needs be some garden watering around the house. To see the changing weather over the years, click here and scroll down to the “Average Monthly Rainfall at Kythira Airport” graph.

LOCAL STONE WAS USED THROUGHOUT AND LOCAL STONEMASONS WERE EMPLOYED TO BUILD THESE BEAUTIFUL WALLS AND STAIRS DEFINING AREAS OF THE GARDEN AND COURTYARDS

As a result of its many islands and the rugged dry conditions Greece is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. There are a lot of very hardy plants to choose from which are well-suited to island weather and don’t require a lot of water. The Kythirians are very conscious of organic produce and we adopted their practice, rarely using anything that wasnt a natural pesticide and citrus oil on the lemons.

THE INSTALLATION OF MASSIVE RAINWATER TANKS THAT COLLECT THE RUNOFF FROM OUR ENTRANCE ROAD PROTECT US FROM MAINS WATER RESTRICTIONS

our favourite place

ALMOST OUR PRIVATE BEACH, OUR FAVOURITE SWIMMING SPOT…ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER AND A SHORT WALK FROM THE HOUSE
THERE ARE CAREFULLY CHOSEN SPLASHES OF COLOUR THROUGHOUT THE COURTYARDS

YEARS IN THE
MAKING perfectly
set into the
environment

To see the layout and the interior of the house and discover more about Kythira click here…we were determined to have a beautiful home and although we eat outside, most of the time a good kitchen was important to us. Our house on Kythira is available in July and August to like-minded guests who come with good references….David

THE TEMPTATION TO SHAPE A BUSH IS SOMETIMES IRRESISTIBLE, AND OF COURSE, IT WOULD NOT BE A GREEK GARDEN WITHOUT SOME TERRACOTTA POTS 
THE SHADE FROM THE MASSIVE ANCIENT LOCAL PINES NOT ONLY KEEP THE HOUSE COOL BUT MEANS THAT EVEN ON THE HOTTEST DAY, IT IS PLEASANT TO SIT ON THE TERRACE

 

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PLENTY OF WISDOM

the Mediterranean Garden Society

The Mediterranean Garden Society is a non-profit-making association founded in Greece in 1994 which acts as a focus for everyone who has a special interest in the plants and gardens of mediterranean-climate regions.
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY

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