The first one is a Mediterranean garden in the fortress (Chateau) of Nice, south of France. I often think that having a sunny climate in Britain would be great. Well, maybe for the vitamin D and less SAD, but gardens would become much less interesting, visually. Or the water bills would go through the roof! In Nice, unless it's the Promenade where flower beds and palm trees are irrigated twice daily, the greenery is pretty greyish and uniform. There are a lot of plants with narrow, thick leaves which help reduce water evaporating under the relentless hot rays. Many of those, however, release scents that are much more pungent when warmed up: rosemary, sage, pine trees, cypresses...
There are also some flowering shrubs that do well under the Mediterranean sun. Oleanders in all colours (well, white, pink and red) are very popular in private gardens too. Here is a white one in the Chateau garden:
Many prickly succulents are also grown or naturalised in the area. In fact, there are a few public gardens fully dedicated to them. Here's a prickly pear and a Joshua tree:
And here's proof that shady area plants like ferns can also grow in the Med. Just find a waterfall grotto!
It's more than plants that maketh a garden, or some such olde wisdom. Well, here is a stunning mosaic depicting one of the oldest stories in the world, the Oddysey:
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