Selfsufficientish.com

We have been here 18 months now, gradually improving the various areas around the house, until now the back garden (well I wouldn't even call it a garden) has been left to its own devices.
The area in the past has been used as a turning circle (useful when dropping off wood to the wood pile with the trailer on). The garages to the right are not currently used as garages (nor do I think they ever have been) and the plan is to convert it to a small cottage, so no necessary to have vehicle access to them any more.
The photo is taken from the back door (well front door also), you walk round from the left from the car/other garages.
The area faces south (think north in the UK) , but not really that shady. As you can see there are some ornamental trees that have been planted, but it is rather scruffy looking and where all the rubbish if it blows around all seems to end up. And there is this pile of gravel in the middle.. The plants are far enough spaced to need mowing between them, but with the irrigation pipes and the gravel, it just makes it plain impossible.
We need to keep access to the gate to the right so still have to have access acrross in front of the tall pines.
On the plus side there is a tap in the far left corner, and I think that is about it.
The climate is hot and dry (even lavender struggles without water). I would like some colour here, my only idea so far is geraniums, though ideally would like dual purpose ornamentals/food plants, but they have to be low maintenance (and drought tollerant)

Do you know the beth chatto gardens, colchester, essex UK? Her Gravel garden was created early 1990's on the site of their former car park and apart from watering in new plantings it receives no water even though rainfall is less than 20" per year. http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/ her ideas might give you some inspiration.

Do you want it to have a certain look? Can you include water and a seating area? Dry gardens often feature silver plants such as the lavender you've already chosen

btw, Do you mean geraniums or pelargoniums? Looks like pelargoniums by the back door wrongly called geraniums, where as geraniums are the hardy cranesbill plants. Do you get frost in winter?

I grew potatoes in tyres in my north facing back yard. Got a fairly good crop, more than off one plant on the allotment anyway.

I was thinking grapes too perhaps? I think you can grow some varieties without a huge amount of sun. I could be totally wrong though.

marshlander, the geraniums are definitely geraniums. We get very few frosts here, according to locals, usually none as we are so close to the sea.
I was going to say that Water features are probably not an option here as we would have to run out electric, but then with solar pumps, possibly it would be an option.
I will check out the link, the front garden border, I have already started planting with agaves, prickly pears and other succullents, no reason why I can't continue the patterm

Andy, there are grapes that grow in colder, shaded areas, but we have plenty of those areas that are north facing in full sun, so will concentrate the grapes there. Potatoes we have in the veggie patch. I guess what I am looking for is ornamental and rought tollerant and if also edible that would be a bonus.

What about medicinal herbs? Useful to yourself, useful to the livestock, and you really couldn't kill them if you tried. They come in shades from darkest green to palest grey, and look really pretty in a wild swath. They would take some maintenane every couple of years in the form of dividing and removing, or you can just remove and feed to stock. I have wormwood, southernwood, mugwort, tansy, various mints, feverfew, horseradish, confrey, and various others in my front garden, as I eventually hope to make it as maintenance free as possible (which will mean the death of the lawn soon, I hope!). The wormwood, tansy, southernwood, and mints did amazingly well in the drought, the comfrey looked a bit wilty for a couple of weeks and then charged back after that big rain we got a couple of weeks ago. Everything else has held its own for the last 4 years, and except for watering in, they haven't got any more than what the heavens have provided.

Andrea
NZ

Forgot to mention that of all the medicinals I planted 4 years ago, the only ones who've died are all the yarrows (weird, eh, as they are flourishing wild all over the place, but I had coloured cultivars which died 2 years ago. I know they are a biennial, but I thought they would have come back) and the goat's rue of all things, which is listed as a noxious weed in some places in NZ, and I wasn't even able to keep it going for a year!

Andrea
NZ

well artemesia (wormwood is one of them) survives here without water, but mint, nope, too dry even for it, too dry for lavender without water as well. I don't know goats rue, though back in the UK I did have rue, is that the same thing? If so I liked the plant and would love some here.
Have you any other ideas for medicinal plants that love exceptionally dry conditions (and summer temperatures always above 30C heading towards 40C)

Nah, Goats rue is a legume 3 - 4 ft tall flower look a bit like a lilac or lupin.

just looked it up, and sorry no way, it is classed as a weed here, and can't be grown.

I did mention that goat's rue was classed as a noxious weed, and that I was surprised it was because it died so easily.

I think any artemesia would survive, as I had the wormwood, the southernwood, mugwort (mentioned above) survive well in this past summer's drought. I also have a very old santolina (cotton lavender, but not true lavender) here which has obviously survived for many years. They are all shades of grey green (and the mugwort is a pretty forest/grey green). I think planted en masse all of the above would be beautiful.

Andrea
NZ

sorry, yes you did say it was a weed. I have some seeds for cotton lavender, that I meant to sow this year, I guess I should try soon, i love the plant and its smell.
Coming round to the idea of medicinal herb garden (have an edible herb garden already). Any other thoughts of what to put in it? The tree to the right is a suffering elderberry, (aka poor mans medecine chest) so it is off to a good start.

Tansy should be fine once established, and comfrey as well. Comfrey may wilt or die back a bit in severe drought, but will always come back. Horseradish (both medicinal and culinary) did fine in the drought, didn't even show any signs of wilting, but the roots are quite small this year.

I'm just really surprised your mints didn't make it. Mine wilted very badly, but the first hint of precip and they came right back. The thing is, if everything is planted close and you have good mulch, what little moisture there is in an area like yours will be held to some extent, and they can survive off that.

Try looking for the herbs for sale on trade me (NZ), sold by a woman in Otago by the handle of Cosmic Thyme. Her stuff is brilliant, well-priced and always lovely, healthy plants. She has a really wide variety.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

thanks for that
will check out trademe.
Mints, no, even with mulch, it is too dry here. the herb garden is on irrigaition, but mint will wilt after a couple of days without water in summer. I have ordinary and pineapple mint plated.
I know you are not far away, but we have our own micro climate here, extremely free draining soil, full sun and temperatures in the high 30s for a couple of months of the year. On average we are 5C warmer than Christchurch, both summer and winter.

Artichokes planted in amongst ornamentals are great. Definitely try the Santolina (but hopefully not too shady, you'll have tocut it back pretty often.

For shrubby stuff try Correas (Correa alba in a swathe would look fantastic).

Number one consideration though is going to be soil preparation. Plenty of organic matter left the longer the better because you are fighting drought, competition AND probably severe compaction.

Good luck, keep us posted