A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Plants for the Middle East Climate

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gents,

I am a new gardener. I have never even grown herbs in a pot. I want to start my garden from scratch and I am not sure of the types of plants to use. I am in the Middle East so water is very precious to us and we use sweet sand instead of soil for planting. I know I can use cacti and succulents, but I would love to see some colour. Can anyone give me any tips on which plants will survive the extreme heat with little water?

Thanks,

Charlie

Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
Melampodium paludosum/Melampodium
Verbenas or (There's a weed that's a Vervain that's in the same family like)
Galardia's like it hot and dry..
*not 100% sure about the sandy part though*

Gazania's...*like a light sandy soil and a bit of late afternoon shade*

Do you compost or have access to any??

(And P/S Welcome Aboard The Garden Helper's Forum, we're very glad you found us)

welcome!!

it would be helpful in making suggestions if we knew what 'zone' you are in...

could you take a look at the usda zone chart and make a comparision with your weather conditions?

Thanks so much to weezie 13 for your suggestions. I'll see what I can get my hands on over here. I'll be trying to make my own compost from kithen scraps but I have seen some potting soil in the Ace Hardware store so I can use that in combination with the sweet sand if needed.

joclyn, I guess I'd be nearest to the climate in zone 11. Hope this helps!!

Thanks so much for your help, both of you.