you could try these guys, they have quite a reputation.

http://www.gardeninginspain.com/


There is an amazing book called Hidden Gardens of Spain by Eduardo Mencos, who is a film maker, and friend of thingy Stewart.

Thingy Stewart??
I am really looking forward to getting my hands on the garden where we'll be moving to, i'll try and put some pics on here.There are a lot of mature trees, pine in particular, olive, cherry , and some nut the owner couldn't remember the name of! There a huge 'trough' at the front of the house that needs filling, I have got pictures in my head of geraniums and gerberas, also I plan to put a bougenvillia(spelling!) to grow up the house, unfontunately it'll have to be the orangy coloured variety as the pink would clash horribly!

Also, is it possible to run a composter? My other half seems to think there would be more chance of attracting vermin in a hotter climate than here, Any views?

a composter shouldn't be a problem, and vermin are a problem everywhere.
Put the composter on a bit of hard standing and ensure it is vermin "proof".

Raised beds are ideal, you could then line them with perforated plastic or Terram, or landscaping fibre, to slow down the water loss through evaporation.

Watch out with geraniums here. We have an annoying pest called the geranium moth, that just LOOOOOOVES geraniums, and the caterpillars eat holes in the leaves and also eat buds, be prepared to spray once a week. It's not found in the UK YET, but with global warming.. who knows... Composters should be OK, the Spanish compost sold in the shops is made from the green waste left by bins etc, not totally sterile, but still good, and doesn't, at least round here, contain peat.

What is Terram? I think I'll do a lovely allotment type area at the back of the house, will def do raised beds if I can get the old boy to construct them(or maybe the poolboy???)
What sort of spray do you recommend for the geranium moth, would there be something that is fairly 'kind' to use? (not kind to the moths though!) as I would like to keep chemicals out as much as poss. The area we are going to is up a mountain, and a few degrees cooler than the town, would this have a huge effect on the types of crop I can grow? for instance, I dearly want to grow some citrus trees. Is it possible to grow limes in Spain?

Questions questions!!!

If limes can grow in London they will grow in Spain, and are grown as a comercial crop.

The mountain location may help with the division of bulbs, which will help with propagation.

You could try and put out some pheramone traps out around the place for the moths.
This attracts the males, but tend to deter the females, so they dont mate they end up sticking to the papers and dying, and you end up without moth larvae.

Terram is a geotextile breathable membrane, it allows moisture in and out but at a very reduced rate, meaning that the water isn't collected like in a plastic put but it takes a lot longer to drain.

So many answers.

You really are the font of all knowledge!!
Thats good about the bulbs, as I would love to plant some, but would the lack of rainfall effect them in the dormant period, as it did this year in the u.k when many bulbs were blind because there was so little rainfall last year?
What are the garden centres like in Spain? I was banned from going in them on our visit at easter!!

I hope you get plenty of karma for it Matt ;-)

the trick is working with what you have, that goes for the UK as well.

Mulch well around them, and plant them in a bit of mid day shade.

Not too sure about the garden centers, I do know that many of the big plant growers are based in Spain, some of the big ones around Murcia.

I am taking my Hort masters, I would love to pretend I'm really clever but its just what I am forced to learn.

Yeah so doing a masters means you're thick!!!!!!
I don't think so.
Graham

You'll wish you hadn't told me that!
I have done quite a lot of gardening here, in fact got through to the final of a gardening programme (turf wars) over here a couple of years ago, but I tend to stick to what I know and like, not very adventurous! I plan to use quite a lot of drought tolerant grasses as I think they can look lovely if planted well, and am really looking forward to being able to grow more exotic plants! I notice there are lots of pots on sale in the area where we're growing but I would have thought it was a bit of a pain to keep them all watered, esp as terracotta dries out so quickly !
As I'm not going to be working I'll have much more time to garden, which is what drew me to the house as its got a nice bit of land, which has been fairly well maintained, although the olives need sorting!

Get the olives done professionally, it will be a hassle and probably cost a bit, but if they are done properly they will not only last for a life time but will also produce an amazing crop.

they give them to anyone now days.....


I'm also doing a diploma with it.

Now you're showing off!! lolol