BigD

We have a 25 s.m first floor terrace, the trouble is we know absolutley nothing about plants and shrubs.
It is so big just to buy any plants is throwing away good money.
We need some help as we would also want some kind of trailing or climbing plants.
Can anyone give some advice or better still would want to take this project on.(we live in Javea)
We can afford to pay something but not an arm & a leg.
Desperate can you help!

silverchick

RugbyMatt is the God of all things garden related, he'll no doubt be able to steer you in the right direction!

Ka Ora!

yeh and he can send you a sheep to keep the grass down

rugbymatt

Hi there, what kind of thing do you want to grow, as the options are very varied.
Most of what we would call exotics here are ideal for the climate in Spain, are you exposed? That will make a massive difference, especially if that exposure is salt air.
The usuals are things like Lavenders, rosemary's, Artemisias, and in fact any other kind of silver foliaged woody stemmed plant, the silver foliage is designed to reflect the intensity of the sun, so they are perfectly adapted for it. But you could also be a little brave, why not try growing a couple of Wisterias as standards, there is no need to grow it up a wall, you just need to keep it well clipped, and since you will be buying a smaller plant then money wont come in to it as much.
Try some figs, in pots they will produce lots of fruits, they love having to struggle, and the sweetest fruits are said to come from the ones that have to work more, and if you want some fruits, all of the citrus can be grown in pots with a little care, and you could under plant your pots with iris, sages, or poppies to create lush areas, and micro climates.
Once you have a bit of a top layer you can play around with the shade, and plant some Boston ferns, or my fave, some agapanthus.

For climbers you could go for delicate jasmines, the ubiquitous Bougainvillea or Lantana montevidensis or a rose, a banksiaewould cope well.

Pots pose a bit of a problem anywhere you are as they have no way of finding their own water, so you will have to think of some way to provide them with what they need. A slow release fertilisers will provide food, without you needing to remember every week or month, and as a general rule, if a pot plant is a hardy tree type, allow the compost medium to dry out between waterings, with more tender plants, make sure the compost doesnt dry out.