The Guadalhorce Garden Group: a Mediterranean gardener's delight

Many foreigners who want to maintain a garden on the Costa del Sol soon discover that the region's unique climate demands a different approach to the gardening methods they were accustomed to in their home countries.

Selecting plants that are naturally adapted to the hot, dry Mediterranean conditions is essential for creating a garden that remains healthy, attractive and low-maintenance all year round.

One person who understands this well is Keith Train, an 80-year-old gardener originally from the Pennines, who has been living in Alhaurín el Grande for the past 24 years.

Train is the president of the Guadalhorce Garden Group (GGG), formerly known as the Coín Garden Club, a group of experienced and amateur garden enthusiasts who share their gardens and expertise with other members.

Although his father was a keen gardener and a member of the British Geranium and Pelargonium Association, Train did not inherit his passion for gardening from him.

“My father was a very keen gardener and as a child he gave me all the hard work to do, like carrying heavy buckets of water for his bedding plants. I hated gardening at that time. This changed when I got married and bought a house. I got really interested then and vowed I'd retire to Spain and buy a house with a garden that I could transform,” he told SUR in English.

Train took over as president of the GGG from Sheila Nie in January, although he has been with the group for seven years: prior to that, he was a member of The Andalusian Garden Group (TAGG).

The group is fortunate to have a handful of experts qualified in different areas in gardening matters, one of whom is Bill Besslar, who qualified in horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew before spending his working life designing and constructing a number of gardens, mainly in the Middle East. Train describes Besslar as a “very intelligent person” whose garden contains an “enormous” wisteria tree which dwarfs his house.

“Some of our original members are people who have lived in different countries, like India, South America and the Far East, and they are all specialists in their own fields. Richard, who I call the soil whisperer, can just pick up a lump of soil and tell you a story about it,” he said, laughing.

The group, predominantly British and Dutch, meets monthly, rotating among the gardens of different members. Each host gives a tour of their garden and explains how it has been developed over time.

The meetings finish with a social afternoon tea, “where we discover the baking prowess of our members”.

The members also come together for a summer garden party and a Christmas event in December.

“We get together to discuss problems and share successes. Members always bring seeds, cuttings, plants and other gardening items to support newer members and assist them to better establish their own gardening plans. As an example, I bought a house on a barren hillside plot in Alhaurín El Grande in 2007, which is now a delight to behold. I have more than 40 different fruits in the garden,” he proudly explains.

One of the president's main tasks has been to increase the profile of the group and invite keen gardeners to join to boost the membership, especially younger members.

“We do not want to be a group who grow old together and disband never having developed a constant influx of younger new members. We are managing to recruit interested new gardeners and now have a balanced blend, but our aim is to increase member numbers to 45,” he concluded.

Those interested in joining can contact the group on Facebook at Guadalhorce Garden Group.

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