Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2013

It's lovely to welcome you back again to my Algarve garden. 

I know it's almost the end of the month but I was too busy and sad to take photos on the 15th. I finally took these shots on the 20th. The nights and mornings are cooler and it has rained quite a lot. You can see the earth is a darker brown where I have been removing grass to make my beds wider. 

In the photo above the iceberg roses are thriving next to the yellow hibiscus. We put Mimosa's grave in front of the hibiscus. That dog loved this garden!

Moving along the same wall, here we have the red oleander (the only one with blooms at the moment) and the red hibiscus.

Here is another shot that shows how much grass is coming out for wider beds, by the front gate. It's still very much a work in progress. I try to work on this project after rainy days because digging dry Algarve soil is a very unsuitable job for a woman. In this area I have been trying the smothering method but it is taking sooo long! I might have to move that lavender...

The rain has done wonders for the roses. This one bloomed again after a few months' pause.

There are some red blooms near the gate.

Here is a bloom from my other white rose and you can see the orange tree in the background, heavy with fruit.

These roses are from cuttings a neighbour gave me a couple of years ago. The wetter weather brought some undesirable pests to the roses, unfortunately. Ecological solutions didn't get rid of them. In the end I had to resort to chemicals.

Finally, this shrub, called "Dama da Noite" in Portuguese, bloomed again, releasing it's sweet scent into the cooler nights. Does anyone know its English or Latin name?

Looking back over my blog I've just realized that I joined Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day in September last year. How time flies!

I'm off now to link to Carol's May Dreams Gardens. Do visit my garden again soon!