For many years, the spring offerings of garden centers have increasingly tended towards Mediterranean plants. The relative mildness of today's winters encourages us to indulge, but is it really reasonable? Patrick Mioulane and Roland Motte, the naturalist journalists and expert gardeners of NewsJardinTV, take stock species by species... The plants that can be described as "Mediterranean" are species that are commonly found in gardens bordering the Mediterranean and more broadly in coastal regions. Most come from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, countries where there are regions with a Mediterranean climate. The most common "Mediterranean" ones are: olive trees, citrus trees, palm trees, oleander, bougainvillea, tree datura (Brugmansia), hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), pittosporums, mimosa, arbutus, Callistemon (brush plant), cistus, Cestrum, Cordyline, Euryops, Grevillea, Strelitzia, Phormium (flax). New Zealand), jasmine, passionflower, Plumbago (Cape fern), Polygala, Dicksonia (tree fern), Alyogyne, Anisodontea, Caesalpinia, Mauritania bindweed, erythrina, Hedychium, myrtle, Olearia, Rhaphiolepis, Schinus (false pepper), Solanum, Teucrium (germandera), Westringia, Cape beetroot (Tecomaria capensis), Iochroma, Cycas… Yes If we consider the Île-de-France and the Pays-de-la-Loire as representatives of an "average" climate for France, a large majority of the plants mentioned above are threatened each winter. These are therefore plants described as "non-hardy". The most resistant "Mediterranean" plants are: strawberry tree, cork oak, holm oak, cistus, Provence cypress, Fatsia, fig tree, pomegranate tree, Hebe (shrubby speedwell), lavender, Loropetalum, Japanese medlar, olive tree, small-leaved pittosporum, rosemary, thyme, monkey's despair (Araucaria araucana), yucca (Yucca filamentosa, Y. gloriosa, Y. rostrata) which do not fear the cold down to -10 °C, but the conditions must be dry. However, in the majority of cases we have wet cold spells. If you absolutely want to treat yourself to a little exotic pleasure, the ideal would be to have a veranda because it is of course the wintering that poses a problem. The glass roof shelters from the cold and humidity. It is usually enough to keep it just frost-free. In the house, they will be too hot, will lack light and will suffer from air that is too dry. One of the most effective solutions to enjoy "Mediterranean" plants is to grow them as annuals, that is to say for a single season. Installed in the garden at the beginning of May, they remain there until they are destroyed by the first frosts. And so much the better if the winter is mild, they may reappear next year! This "seasonal" category includes: Abutilon, Agathea (Cape blue aster), Alyogyne (blue hibiscus), Anisodontea, Argyranthemum (anthemis), Convolvulus karvinskianus (Mauritian bindweed), Cuphea, Euryops (African daisy), Fuchsia magellanica, Gazania, Lantana, Leonotis (lion's tail), Osteospermum (dimorphoteca), Plumbago (Cape lacewort), Russelia (coral plant), Solanum rantonettii, Streptosolen, etc. With this video, you have the full section "What to do in the Garden?" taken from issue 48 of the great weekly podcast show (audio and video) "Bienvenue au Jardin!" offered by NewsJardinTV. This very varied program offers you an hour of plants, nature, gardens, botany and gardening. It is posted online every Saturday morning at 8 a.m. Filmed live by our operator Miguel, and generously illustrated with photos and videos, our show is a unique and exclusive format for NewsJardinTV. It allows you to better enjoy the information and advice of Patrick and Roland. Don't forget that "Bienvenue au Jardin!" is a podcast (an Internet radio show) whose audio version you can listen to at any time on the main specialized platforms: Apple I Tunes, Google podcast, Deezer, Spotify, Podcast Addict as well as on Soundcloud and the site newsjardintv.com on which you will find all our videos as well as many articles and photos. If you enjoy NewsJardinTV programs, we would be happy if you became ambassadors for our channel by recommending it to your friends who love plants, botany, gardening and gardens. We hope you have a good time with this video. Thank you all for your loyalty to our channel and for your kind comments. These are great encouragements! See you soon for new gardening adventures, on NewsJardinTV of course, and join us every next Saturday for a new issue of “Bienvenue au Jardin!”