Six things that are happening in my garden this week. Hence Six on Saturday hosted by Jim.
Where has this week gone? It seems like only yesterday I was preparing last week’s Six on Saturday gardening post.
1. Drought in the Algarve
The heavens finally opened and we have been blessed with heavy rain for the last two days. And if my Ventusky weather app is accurate, the rain should continue through until Monday. Thanks to the continued drought our water bills will be hiked up from March 1st to encourage us to conserve water. So the rich won’t care, and they’ll continue to water their high-maintenance twee lawns with gallons of water while the rest of us are penalized for their extravagance. Great! I read somewhere some Camaras (local councils) are also going to impose water restrictions by 15%. I need to dig deeper and get accurate information straight from the horses mouth (so to speak).
2. Garden Lighting
We added some solar lights to add interest to different areas of the garden. More to follow as it was peeing with rain last night.
I use these solar spotlights to help give my garden a magical effect once darkness falls. Each solar panel services two spotlights.
I also have a spotlight on Buddha which looks really effective. I’ll add this later.
3. Table Display of Pansies (or are they violas?)
I’d like to find a terracotta or ceramic bowl I can decorate. The plastic looks a bit … bleh.
4. Freesias Growing in Pots
I grow all my Freesias in pots which I move onto the terrace once the buds appear. Once the flowers fade and the leaves start to die, I move them out of sight until next year.
I love their heady fragrance and always keep a pot by the front door and undercover. Unfortunately, we are experiencing strong Southerly winds at the moment, which are driving the rain under a normally sheltered location. This morning I managed to dodge the showers and pick some before they were ruined by the strong winds and rain.
5. My Dracaena is Dying, and I Don’t Know Why
For some reason, several leaves on my huge Dracaena plant are turning yellow, while others have brown tips. Too much water or not enough. I can’t decide. My water meter is not much help as it only monitors the first six inches of soil, but the roots could be waterlogged. Writing this I think my only option is to dig out some of the soil so I can prod deeper.
6. Growing Cucumbers From Seed
I planted my first batch of Marketmore cucumber seeds in my mini propagator tray this week.
That’s it for this week, my fellow gardeners. Thanks to our host, Jim, for hosting Six on Saturday.
Piglet in Portugal 
Using spot solar lights is a good idea, very effective! I am addicted to the tiny, twinkly strings and spikes which I use round the patio. How long do you find they last with your strong sunlight recharging them each day? Sniff those freezias for me 😍 !!
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It varies. Full charge lasts all night. But as we’ve had lots of rain recently, not so much. But let’s just say, even then I can still see them glowing when I go to bed.
Yes, I will sniff the freesias for you, which reminds me I need to pick some more. I love the scent. Do you grow them in the UK?
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Could the Dracaena be suffering from humidity issues if you say that you have been lacking rain and with winter maybe the heating has been on? Not sure.
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Hi Rosie, we don’t have heating in that room but after digging out the earth I discovered it was bone dry. 😦
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*smile* Some Buddhist prayers may just have softly reached the Powers that are up in the heavens . . . . am so glad for the wet stuff which has landed on your beloved greenery . . .have been there more than once saying very rude things to the Meteorology folks here . . . hope the rain has not been accompanied by gales . . . best . . .
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When I was back in the UK, I’d never thought I’d be praying for rain and then be so happy when the heavens opened. Let’s hope it continues for a few more days. My French family always brings rain with them… it’s uncanny.
As for the Meteorology folks, living on a headland, we have our own microclimate and they rarely get it right. Yesterday it gave rain and we had a window of blue sky right above us for several hours. How did that happen LoL
The rain did come with Southerly gales 😦
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I’ve been adding solar lighting too. I like the Buddha light. I would look deeper in the dracena pot, they don’t like soggy roots.
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Yes, I was pleased with the effect of the Buddha light. The solar panel is placed the other side of the olive bush so it’s in full sun, whereas the statue is in the shade. Looks quite spooky as you enter the front gate.
The dracena, that’s today’s project. fingers crossed it’s not the roots.
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Solar panels are today’s thing. 👍 Love the freesias ( mine are showing the first flower stems. )
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WE’ve had a lot of hot weather recently so they more advanced. 🙂
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The solar lighting looks good. I’ve not had much look with my solar lights lately. They seem to break really quickly these days, whereas I had some old solar fairy lights that got swallowed up by a tree yet still worked fine right up until we had to chop the tree down. Freesias are one of my favourites – lovely.
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We bought several solar light laterns before we hit on these. The
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