The Gaia Foundation is once again opening up its Elysium Visitor Centre and Nursery to the public this weekend as part of its campaign to bring awareness of endemic and indigenous plants and their importance in the local landscape.

Plants are generally divided into a number of categories, like the endemic, which are specific to the Maltese Islands, indigenous, which are specific to a region, like the Central Mediterranean, archaeophitic, which have been introduced to the islands and have become established and naturalised, and alien, which are not considered as naturally forming part of our landscape. Some of the latter may actually be invasive, and can cause some serious damage to local habitats because they compete strongly with native plants.

Plants are also divided into trees, shrubs, grasses and creepers, amongst others, and may each form part of different habitats, which can range from wooded areas to maquis, garrigue, water courses, saline marshes, rocky shorelines and clay slopes. It is therefore not only important to encourage local plants, but to have the right ones in their own habitats. Our islands’ coastal landscapes feature a large part of our natural heritage and consequently form the bulk of our protected Natura 2000 sites, which in turn form part of Europe’s collective heritage, and which by European and Local Laws must be both protected and effectively managed. Such proper management would not be possible without a supply of indigenous and endemic plants, many of which are hard to propagate and therefore difficult to find. The Mediterranean Buckthorn for example, has been propagated after many years of attempts. It is at the top of Mepa’s list of recommended trees, and can form part of woodland or maquis. The same goes for the Lentisk. The wild thyme and the caper bush are familiar parts of our landscape, but are extremely difficult to propagate.

One of the great advantages of local plants is that they have adapted so well to the local landscape and climate, and are therefore relatively low maintenance, hardy and often require far less water than many alien plants. This makes them ideal even for public and private gardens, which should be based upon the “Mediterranean Garden” type. Their low maintenance means that after a couple of years they need relatively little care. Their water needs that are also low make them an essential element in a sustainable water management policy, whether it be a national one or one for a private household.

Throughout the open weekend talks will be given on the cultivation of olive trees, how to plan an olive grove for best cross pollination and production, how to prune the trees, how and when to pick the olives, how to filter the oil, which varieties of olive trees to use, and how to deal with pests like the olive fly. Olive oil tasting will be available throughout, using Gaia’s very own prize winning organic olive oil.

Special discounts of up to 20% are being made available on native plants, olives and olive oil just for this open weekend. Gaia’s Elysium Centre is situated at Ghajn Tuffieha, just above Golden Sands. It will be open On Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 am until 4.30 pm. More information can be obtained on tel 21584474, admin@projectgaia.org and www.projectgaia.org

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