Merry Christmas!

May you be blessed with peace, health and joy.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - Dec. 2014

Here are some of the photos I took on the 15th. This is how my garden is looking in December. After a very wet November, the grass looked straggly. Sometimes you just have to let the professionals take over. I saw the gardener working across the road and invited him to come over and do his stuff. 

He cut back the creeping rosemary quite drastically and some lavenders too but I asked him not to touch this one.

If I'd had time, I'd have deadheaded all the roses and maybe I would have more looking like this...

... or like this....

The aloe arborescens has flowered!

My enormous orange tree has lots of sweet, juicy oranges.

My first orchids of the season.

My other orchids were under the orange tree, which isn't the best place to be when oranges start falling to the ground. Well, trying to move them to the verandah, I managed to break two of their fragile stems - the oranges didn't get them but I unfortunately did. Clumsy!

And that's all from my Algarve garden. Merry Christmas!

My gingerbread man

Yesterday I went to a Christmas fair in Lagoa. 

It was supposed to be a quick, low-budget visit. Then I saw the writer of this Gardening magazine and had to buy a copy, Then I saw the Christmas crackers and decided to buy some to take into my English classes and then I fell in love with the gingerbread man! He came from a Canadian lady's stall, where everything smelled scrumptious! I had forgotten to take my camera so gingerbread man survived until after the photo was taken...

The fair was held at the former Lagoa Winery, now turned into an Art Gallery. About that all I can say is "Wow!"

If you are in the Algarve, go and see for yourself.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2014

On the 15th of every month garden bloggers from all over the world show off their blooms in a post and link up with May Dreams Gardens. 

So welcome to my garden in the central Algarve region of Portugal! It's in hardiness zone10a.

I've been having trouble keeping on top of everything.

In the rose bed, the last of the blooms, some ground covers and weeds.

Other activities and lack of "gardening weather" explain why I've posted a day late a few times. 

There is another reason this month, though. It rained off and on for a few weeks and the grass kept growing until I figured I should call in the professionals, i.e. the gardener. I thought  my little old lawnmower and I weren't up to the job. As it turned out I was wrong. 

Yesterday the gardener didn't show, I became really upset thinking how the photos would look, decided to try doing the job myself (had a difficult night as a result of my allergic rhinitis), the lawnmower cooperated and the grass got cut! However, by the time I finished it was too late to take photos.

There isn't much blooming at the moment.

Along the side wall there are some red and yellow hibiscus blooms.

One lavender is in serious need of being cut back but this one is still going strong.

And some foliage is as good as having blooms, don't you think?.

Looking forward to seeing you again next month.

Mediterranean Garden Fair 2014

Like I told you here, last year I discovered the Mediterranean Garden Society had an active branch in Portugal and I loved their Garden Fair. I was determined not to miss this year's event but on Saturday I had a dog training session booked before lunch and I didn't want to miss that either. As a result, my day turned out a bit too crammed with activity and I eventually arrived at the fair just an hour before it was supposed to wind down!

 I missed the workshops, which was very disappointing. And the plant sellers had sold much of their stock - good for them!

I'm still glad I went as I had the opportunity to chat to some sellers and even buy some Myrtle (Myrtus communis) seeds "harvested in the Mediterranean woods of central Portugal" from Sementes de Portugal.

I also had a wonderful time wandering around the Estói Palace grounds, where the fair took place.

Hopefully, next time I'll be able to attend the workshops and perhaps even meet some local bloggers.