When to plant what in a Mallorca garden

On Mallorca the main planting season is autumn, roughly October to December. Plants put in then root through the mild, wet months and face their first summer with an established system. Spring planting works for some things. Summer planting mostly creates work, cost and disappointment.

Why is autumn the main season?

Because the ground is still warm and the rain is returning. Roots grow through a Mallorcan winter, which is mild by northern standards, so a shrub planted in November has three or four months of quiet root growth before it has to cope with heat. The same shrub planted in April has a few weeks.

It is also the cheapest way to plant. Less irrigation in the first year, fewer losses and fewer replacements.

The year, month by month

What can be planted in spring?

Things that want warmth to get going: basil and other soft herbs, summer perennials, and citrus in a sheltered position once the risk of a cold snap has passed. Anything planted in spring needs a committed watering plan through its first summer, because there is no time for roots to reach down before the heat arrives.

What about summer?

Keep what you have alive and leave the ground alone. Planting in July on this island means daily watering, high losses and plants that never establish properly even if they survive. The exception is a pot, which can be planted any time because the whole root zone is under your control.

Summer is also when irrigation faults show up fastest. A blocked dripper in January is invisible. The same fault in August kills the plant in a fortnight.

When to prune what

• Olives: late winter, once the worst cold has passed and before growth starts.
• Deciduous fruit trees: winter, while dormant.
• Mediterranean shrubs such as rosemary and lavender: after flowering, lightly, never into old wood.
• Oleander: after the main flush, and remember the sap is toxic.
• Palms: outside peak red palm weevil activity, treating the cuts.

Does the calendar change with altitude?

Enough to matter. A garden in the Tramuntana at 400 metres runs a few weeks behind the coast and gets frost that Palma does not see. If your plot is high or in a valley that collects cold air, treat the calendar above as the coastal version and shift it accordingly.

How the matching works

We do not plant gardens. We keep a list of vetted planting companies on Mallorca and pass your job to those covering your area. Ask now for autumn work and you will be in the queue for the season that actually suits the plants.

Order in September, plant in November

The autumn window fills up, and good stock is easier to get before everyone wants it. Send the job through now and vetted Mallorca companies will quote for planting in season. This calendar covers when to plant; the garden maintenance calendar covers what an established garden needs month by month.