OFFERING privacy, shade in the summer heat, greenery and colour, and of course, oxygen – whilst drinking up carbon dioxide – trees are a must in any garden or ground-floor terrace that has the space, especially if you live near an area of heavy traffic. There's something indescribably serene, uplifting and relaxing about being around trees, hearing the wind rustle through them, or sitting under them on a bench with a good book, and they're great news for the health of the planet, too.
Oranges, a classical Mediterranean fruit - this picture shows a commercial grove in Pego, northern Alicante province
Which ones to plant in your Spanish garden, though? Naturally, if you live on the Mediterranean, the south coast or in the Canary Islands, palm trees spring to mind, but plenty of others will flourish given the right conditions.
And these depend upon where you live. A home near the coast at ground level is very different to one inland, in a mountainous area, or at an altitude; also, Spain has so many microclimates that trees, plants and bushes that do well in its warmer provinces and those which thrive in more northerly parts will differ widely.
Northern and north-central Spain tend to have much colder winters, meaning trees that stay healthy in climates such as those of the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and other countries on a similar latitude will also do well here, but others are more suited to year-round sunshine and very infrequent rainfall, albeit standing up well to the rare but very dramatic downpours seen in the Mediterranean basin.
Magnolia
Ideal in a warm climate and with a good, deep subsoil, stunning pinky-white floral displays are practically guaranteed in springtime if you tend to them carefully and manage to get them growing strong and healthy. But you'll need plenty of space – they can reach up to 30 metres in height.
You'll also need patience, since the magnolia tree is slow-growing and can take many years before your efforts are rewarded.
Apple
Coming with fruit as a bonus, apple trees need plenty of sun for several hours a day, but if you live a long way inland or towards the north of Spain, you'll find they thrive better than in the warmth and humidity of the south and east coasts.
Apple trees, being a hardy species, cope very well with frost and below-freezing temperatures, so they're ideal if you live in a part of the country with very cold winters. In fact, they prefer climates with cold winters, chilly autumns and fairly cool springs, as long as they're planted somewhere they get lots of natural light.
Olive
Farmers grow their olive groves up in the mountains – you may have seen the giant steps, which look a bit like the exotic rice platforms of south-east Asia without the water – and typically inland, although even just a few kilometres from the coast you'll find them in abundance...
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com