Try the Meditt. Garden Society for their list of Mediterranean Books and archived written information as well as Nancy Goslee Powers book : The Gardens of California.
She covers the history of Mission style gardens and there are several examples pictured and written about in the book.

I'm also trying to add the Mission/Craftsman/Arts & Crafts feel to our exterior plants & landscaping as well. I've done some very light research, only over the past month, so I'm really new at this, and not sure if I'm "correct", but I've gotta start somewhere. Haven't found much on specific plants yet but here are some ideas I've come up with for myself:

1. The Arts & Crafts decor includes the use of copper & brass in their metal work. I'm gonna remove some of my lawn ornamentation (the cutsey bright-colored resin stuff, etc.) and replace with items using these metals. Going for a more simple, streamlined, and reserved look than bright & whimsical.

2. Textiles in the home were decorated with earth tones and patterns of leaves, fruits, animals...subtle outdoorsey. When the time comes to change pads on the patio furniture, I'll stick to that general idea.

3. I know that Frank Lloyd Wright used mostly native plants. Now, I live in the Midwest, and know that his styles out west are different, but there are different native plants out there to work with.

4. I've seen pictures of only limited use of containers. Now that won't stop me from my deck containers, but I'm going to re-think the placement of my containers to create a better sense of space...to keep the eye moving in the spaces, as opposed clusters of containers creating unorganized & bright focal points that really don't go with the rest of the easy and relaxed look I've going for. (Hope that makes sense.)

That's what I've got so far. I know it's not much, but it's something. I read your post from the other thread, and look forward to what others have to say on this as well.
Gayle

I typed this response below before I realized that you don't live in California, but Oregon! You can still have a mediterranean inspired garden further north, but will have to adjust your planting choices to reflect that you are still mediterranean influenced in climate, but too cold and often too wet to slavishly emulate a California mediterranean style. It can certainly be done, even so, as there are classic mediterranean style gardens even in Vancouver, BC, or along the East Coast, where maintaining drought tolerant mediterranean plants in east coast summer heat, humidity and rainfall takes extra work. Adapting a plant palette that emphasizes gray foliage, and avoids the lush and green will go a long ways towards establishing the look. If you are set within tall conifer woods or surrounded by lots of big deciduous shade trees, it may be a stretch to pull this off visually. Most classic mediterranean gardens are washed in bright sun, and would typically rely on overhead screens or everegreen trees to create some relief in summer. If you have a situation where you can create a walled courtyard, it might be far easier to create a landscape within to suit your theme, and relate the outside to the surrounding neighborhood if the mediterranean theme/illusion can't be sustained. If you ahve your heart set on a palm as part of the theme, a Mediterranean Fan Palm/Chamaerops humilis or Windmill Palm/Trachycarpus fortunei are two that would take your climate.

The following is what I had started to reply before I realized you are so much further north...

The remnant gardens of all of the California missions are but fantasy recreations, with little basis in fact. You probably wouldn't want to emulate the real thing, it would be too sparse, utilitarian and devoid of plants. Mission gardens were for work and agriculture, not aesthetics.

Michelle has pointed you in a good direction as to books and info. You will probably find that it makes much more sense to design a mediterranean inspired garden full of plantings that reflect your climate. If you stay true to this, you won't include a lawn, or insist on the garden being at its peak in mid summer, when a mediterranean garden would be resting for lack of water, and waiting to revive with the fall rains. (This is probably true even for your location in Oregon, where most gardens still need some supplemental irrigation in summer and early fall, even with your reputation for so much more rain that here in California). Winter and spring growth and bloom, lots of plants that are naturally designed to conserve water in summer and survive would be the majority of the garden. I personally would not recommend a Mexican Fan Palm for the entry; too large and messy, there are many other more suitable palms. I'd consider using rosemary, lavenders, santolinas, phlomis, as backbone perennials in the garden. If you want to take a cue from moorish/spanish themed gardens in particular, then inlucing a few classic courtyard more water loving plants to be used as accents might include an orange or lemon tree and a small fountain within a walled courtyard. Using tile, saltillo pavers or decomposed granite fines as paving/non planted surfaces would also give a classic mediterranean feel.

For me, there are several public gardens that exude this feeling. Visit the buildings and surrounding gardens of San Diego's Balboa Park, or State Street in Santa Barbara and especially the County Court House Complex. If you wanted to design a mediterranean inspired garden using California natives, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden above the mission further up the canyon is another great place to visit and get ideas. Also in nearby Montecito, the Casa del Herrero Garden is open to the public by appointment, and has great spanish detailing to the house and gardens.

I would recommend seeing as much as you can, and formulating your own style based on what you like, rather than trying to emulate a formula for your new gardenI'm willing to bet there are plenty of good examples of "mediterranean style" gardens in your own community, especially if you live somewhere like Pasadena or San Diego.

Well, as you can see, alot of the references will not apply as you don't live anywhere near Southern California, but taking in the sights and paying a visit might still be good for generating ideas to recreate the "sense" of a classic mediterranean garden. Planting things that can survive and still look good on your seasonal rainfall also makes good sense even if the style isn't medit in feeling. You won't have to work as hard to keep it alive in the next drought, nor spend as much time pruning things back that are encouraged to overgrow by too much regular watering out of the natural rainfall season.

Hi - San Antonio has five 18th-century Spanish colonial-era missions (remember the Alamo, eh?) within its city limits ... but I'm afraid the flora native to the area - and of that period - would probably not suit the climate of the Pacific Northwest. Typical flora include Texas live oak, cedar elm, buffalo grass, hackberry, indigenous junipers and mesquite, palm, agave, numerous species of cacti, especially prickly pear, wildflowers and, (dare I say???) yucca.

But, I'm no expert on Seattle climatology so try googling "San Antonio Mission Trail" or "San Antonio Missions National Historic Park." You'll find photos that, hopefully, will provide some inspiration beyond fan palms. Also, one museum here is housed in a beautifully maintained mission-sytle home - google "McNay Art Institute." I'm sure there are pictures of the grounds on their site. With your skill, I'm sure you can recreate the "look" with plant selections more readily adaptable for your neck of the woods.

Lastly, I think you might seriously consider a rock garden as one aspect of your overall plan. It would suit a mission-style design very well.

Good luck!

Check out the link below for a brief description of garden style. Some of the early gardens show you how Mediterranean (Roman/Moorish/Spanish) gardens were designed or maybe the Arts and Crafts style would work for your garden as long as you used plants to emphasize the Mediterranean aspects as bahia suggested.

Here in Oregon a well-draining soil with a gravel mulch (small stuff - not lava rock.lol) will allow you to have even prickly pear cactus along with many other desert/Medit. plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden styles through the ages

Very interesting link, thank you, JeanneK.

Look at the "CALIFORNIA GARDEN HISTORY" thread on this forum and read my post with the names of several books with lots of info and photos on your style. You can get these books thru Interlibrary Loan at your local public library.