Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I apologize for the terrible photo but I wanted something original and you have no idea how hard I worked to get this onto my computer. I took it on my smartphone this morning because I finally realized I must have left my camera at the north house. Then I discovered that my smartphone isn't talking to my laptop (via bluetooth or wi-fi). This is the best I can do without expert help. 

Anyways, 

May the spirit of Christmas be with all of you!

 

 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2016

It's October and there is chaos in my garden.
The builder has been in for 9 days.
My front windows and door have been boarded up for 2 days.
The roof tiles went in a few hours before we had the first rains of autumn.
There is sand, dust and bits of rubble everywhere, outside.
It's going to get worse before it gets better!

Now I know you didn't come over to look at a building site, so let me show you a few shots of the garden.

This is definitely the only bit that looks reasonable. The oleander is still blooming and the red hibiscus is outdoing the yellow one that is getting too much shadow from the orange tree.

By the side wall, there are four-o-clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) and lavender.

And that's about it. They say it's going to be a cold winter.
See you soon. I'm off to explore the gardens linking to May Dreams Gardens.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2016

Welcome again to my Algarve garden!

Summer has been hot and dry. Forest fires have raged for the past week, causing havoc and sadly taking lives, too. Moaning about brown patches in my lawn seems rather inappropriate, considering what some districts of Portugal have been going through.

This is the view as you enter the front gate. You can see a lavender that was half hidden behind another one last year. The oleander is flowering well. It is actually much prettier than it looks in my photo. There are large brown patches in the grass, but I'm not too bothered about that.

This is the only bed looking quite lush. However, blooms are not very forthcoming.

Here's a little bit of colour around the roses, but it's too hot for rose blooms - maybe next month.

And finally, some flowers by the carport and side door.

While here we are looking forward to cooler weather, I'm sure you'll find many longing for Spring on the other side of the world. 

Thank you to May Dreams Gardens for hosting Bloom Day.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2016

Hello and welcome back to my Algarve garden.

Summer flew in for a short visit at the end of April. Then the rain returned and last Tuesday it seemed we were back to wet, cool, windy weather. Whatever happened to Spring? Well, I'd said it finally put in an appearance the day before yesterday. That's when I did the first bout of gardening this year! I was so out of practice that now my whole body is sore.

The recent heavy rain has ruined some of my rose blooms but there are still enough to brighten up the garden.

Aren't these tiny, fragrant, pink roses perfect?



The last of the white lilies.

I love the way the flowers open this colour and then fade to white.

After years of never seeing the Clivia flower, I have this explosion of colour in a shady area. I am so pleased.



Don't forget to visit May Dreams Gardens. See you soon.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2016

I wish you could smell the tangerine blossom near my kitchen window. It is divine!

Oops, I forgot to take a photo before it got dark. It was a grey, showery morning but I was hoping the sun would come out, so I postponed the photography until the afternoon. Then I went out to ease the stress of waiting for a reply to my offer on a holiday home and when I got back it was too late.

The lobster plant is adding some colour near the front gate and complementing the lemon tree on the back patio (forgot to take a photo of that one, too).

The ground cover near the lobster plant is very happy. I need to plant more of this in other areas of the garden.

By my front door the Cymbidium orchids reign supreme. This is one of the repotted ones. I'm so glad they didn't stop blooming.

And here is the other repotted Cymbidium.

Isn't it beautiful? 

Well, that's it from my Algarve garden. As usual I am linking to May Dreams Gardens, where Bloom Day is hosted. 

See you soon.

 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2016

Hello,

What can I say about February? 

There were a lot of grey, wet and windy days and on the days it was sunny I was either too busy or unwell.

The garden looked terribly neglected. 

I couldn't bring myself to write a post.

The only blooms then were these hibiscus and that shrub whose name I can't remember.

March has been very windy so far but spring is definitely in the air. Today I finally ventured into the garden for a little clean-up. There are a few bald spots where the lavender and rosemary were cut back or died but come April they will be all patched up.

 

This grows wild in the countryside and is also now blooming in one of my containers while I decide the best place for it in the garden.

A little blue from my lobster plant in an otherwise patchy bed.

Last year I had to divide and repot my cymbidium orchids. I was worried that some might die or at least not flower for ages and although I did lose some I still have enough blooms to satisfy me. I even managed to get some baby plants from the back bulbs. One thing I learned from that is that it takes a whole lot of patience - it has taken almost a year for some to sprout!

Hopefully next month I will have the garden in better shape. In the meantime I'll be looking for inspiration at May Dreams Gardens where Bloom Day posts take us all over the world.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - January 2016

In November and December it rained on and off, sometimes very hard, though never as much as on the first of November, when we had flash floods in the Algarve. As a result, my back patio is covered in green, slippery moss and the front garden is very green. There are lots of weeds but very few blooms. 

If I let it, this lobster plant will take over the space left by the lavender that was removed last month.

This lavender needs cutting back or I might lose it completely, too.

This lavender is growing through the fence. It is the longest surviving lavender in my garden.

The rosemary is also brightening up the area by the gate.

And here is that plant that keeps giving (Christina asked, but I can't remember its name, sorry).

There are still some roses.

The twigs may give you an idea of the amount of work to be done asap.

Actually, as I end this post, I realise that my photos contradict my initial statement about there not being many blooms this month.

I am joining May Dreams Gardens late as has become my habit lately. If you haven't been there, have a look now.

See you next month!

 

Wishing...

... I could sit here more often.

Can you guess where "here" is?

Is it too late to wish everyone a Happy 2016? Make the best of what comes your way.