Landscaping, understood as the ability to shape the setting around a home, is a core part of what defines Blues Simon Group, whose building philosophy integrates every home with its natural surroundings. The Mediterranean climate of the Costa Blanca offers a wide range of possibilities for doing this well, even through winter.

Colour as the rule, not the exception

Colour is a constant in Mediterranean landscaping, which combines hibiscus with jasmine, lilies with bougainvillea, four o’clocks with brooms, honeysuckle or lantana with real success. Even wild carnations sit comfortably alongside flowering white sandwort walls, plants that, without being native to the area, have adapted well to the local climate.

This colour can be paired with harder looking species for contrast: cacti, echeverias and other succulents, with houseleeks and aloe vera, both common throughout the region, as regular features.

Natural shade for enjoying the outdoors

Creating natural shade matters just as much as colour. The Mediterranean coast offers species like fig, Aleppo and stone pine, cork oak, laurel or holm oak, all capable of providing wonderful shaded afternoons for an outdoor lunch that runs long. Those after a more tropical feel often choose a palm variety well suited to the region.

For warm colour even through autumn and winter, fruit trees such as orange, lemon, mandarin, strawberry tree, olive or pomegranate are a particularly rewarding choice.

Privacy, scent and a touch of kitchen garden

Around the edge of the plot, cypress remains one of the standout choices in Mediterranean landscaping: a dense, evergreen conifer that provides the privacy expected in a luxury home garden. Lower down, to define flower beds, aromatic plants like thyme, lavender, rosemary or rockrose sit well alongside shrubs and add freshness and scent that blends naturally with jasmine and orange blossom.

For those who also want to grow a hobby alongside their garden, part of the plot can be set aside for a small kitchen garden. Winter, for example, is a good time for broad beans, oriental varieties like pak choi, red cabbage for a Christmas dinner, carrots or Brussels sprouts.

The garden as part of the architecture, not an afterthought

A garden and its landscaping aren’t a decorative extra to a home, they’re part of it. A well-planned approach to landscaping doesn’t just improve the setting, it enhances the architecture itself, adding to everyday enjoyment of the home without disturbing the character of the place it’s built in.

If you’re planning the outdoor design of your home in Altea or elsewhere on the Costa Blanca, our interior design page explains how we bring landscaping into the overall project for each home.