Why understand your Mediterranean climate…

There are five climate zones in the world that have the characteristics of a Mediterranean climate – all of these regions are on the western or southwestern coasts of their respective continents and share our wet, mild winters and dry summers.  10% of California shares this pleasant environment and the horticultural needs of many California native plants are similar to plants in these other areas of the world. The other climate zones are 60% of the true Mediterranean Basin, 5% of Chile, 22% of Australia, and 3% of the Western Cape of South Africa.  The total land mass that shares this idyllic climate is only 2%. 

All five of the world's Mediterranean climate zones are within the latitudes of 30 ad 45 degrees, just about halfway from the equator to the poles. 

Plants from other Mediterranean regions can be used in local landscapes and successfully combined with native plants that need these same conditions in which to grow and thrive.

Look at the map below.  It shows clearly why the five climate regions have such similar conditions.