A new series of training courses for making beautiful and sustainable gardens was launched in early 2025.
The Mediterranean Gardening Association for Portugal (MGAP) has many members based in the Algarve and, since it was formally created in 2014, it has continued an education programme with informal themed workshops on propagation, getting rid of your lawn and working with nature.
There have been many workshops on different aspects of mediterranean gardening. In this new sequence, and to meet the various requests we have received, we launched the first formal training modules in 2025.
These were all held in the eastern Algarve, led by a qualified landscape architect and professional accredited trainer, including specialist topic information, links and recommendations for further research. Lunch and refreshments were included, so each day was a very social occasion with time for good gardening chatter.
Content was structured under three main categories and a full day on each topic included an illustrated presentation, practical activities and plenty of opportunities for questions and discussion.
The first module was held in March and covered a beginner level introduction to dry gardens in mediterranean climates. Basic principles and benefits of a mediterranean garden; understanding soils; relationship between plants and water availability; vegetation list according to soil type.
The chosen day in early March turned out to be cool and rainy, so some undercover activities were included – identifying common native plants and their value in the garden was a popular choice.
Our second module took place in early May and looked at Sustainable Garden Design and Planning. The aim being to deepen knowledge in sustainable design, advanced cultivation and maintenance techniques and an introduction to biodiversity. This module was aimed at an intermediate level audience who already have some knowledge and/or experience in mediterranean gardening.
This time we had a lovely sunny day and could spend time outside observing the benefits of including drought-tolerant plants, trees and shrubs in a garden setting. Learning how to ‘read’ the landscape is essential before planning any major changes.
The final session for this first course took place early in June and covered Basic Maintenance and Care of Mediterranean Gardens. This included pruning with care and maintenance of garden tools. Native plants and introduced plants, a calendar of interventions (seasonality) and ecological approaches (biodiversity and ecosystem).
We are very grateful to all who took part in these first sessions. They brought their joint experiences and shared very generously both the triumphs and the challenges of this special way of making gardens. We had beginners new to the Algarve and those who have made gardens over the years – a great way to learn from each other. We are also keen to share our experience by helping those professionals looking to expand their experience of making dry gardens, to improve their offering to the increasing number of people requesting this approach.
It was difficult to predict the reaction, but we were guided by the feedback from previous workshops. Fortunately, there was a wonderful response, and we will be repeating these topics, and adding new modules for the coming autumn programme to take us into Spring 2026.
Do you have any suggestions for topics we should try to cover? We hope to include a special day looking at use of succulents, sensible management for fire prevention, practical preparation for planting and after care.
Send your ideas, and requests for info on the next courses to mgapsec@gmail.com
We are looking forward to hearing from you and expanding the general pool of information available to gardeners, professionals and amateurs, here in Portugal.
