Apparently, it rained one night this week. If it did, it must have been a brief shower—or a pigeon with a dodgy bladder—because, apart from a few wet smudges on the patio the following morning, there was no real evidence of rain. The plant trays and dishes were bone dry. Nada.
And that, apparently, passes for rainfall around here these days. I can’t remember the last time we had proper rain. You know, the kind that soaks into the ground.
While temperatures now dip to around 13C during the night, they quickly soar to the low to mid twenties during the day. Time to throw an extra blanket on the bed!
Yucca
I do love these plants when they are in flower.
Dipladenia
These are my favourite plants because they seem to flower continually and require very little attention once you have established the right location. I have read they don’t like temperatures below 15C but I disagree. Mine have survived with temperatures well below that for years.
Hibiscus Flowers
Of all the flowers in our garden, the hibiscus flowers are my favourite. These shrubs grow as happily in pots as they do in the ground and bring year-round colour to the garden.
Camellia
When I spotted this camellia for sale in Lidl earlier this year, I couldn’t resist temptation. I also bought a bag of special compost—which cost as much as the plant– repotted it, then placed it on the north-east-facing back patio close to the Oleander. Result! After months of watching the buds develop, it finally flowered. Stupidly, I pruned back the Oleander, then realised the branches I removed protected it from the scorching midday sun. Mr Piglet to the rescue, moved it onto the south-east-facing wall on our front patio. I am hoping it continues to thrive.
Purple Bush (I now know it’s Duranta erecta)
I can’t recall the name of this bush because I grew it from a cutting. Whatever the name, it’s sandwiched between a palm and the melaleuca hedge. I don’t know how it survives because it only watered when we remember!
Oleander
I have decided to delay setting Mr Piglet the task of pruning the oleander right back for another month.
That’s my Six for this Saturday, folk. My thanks to our garden host Jim for hosting Six on Saturday.
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a beautiful walk through
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All lovely photos, Carole. I especially love the yucca. I have a few yucca photos that I’ve taken in Texas and New Mexico. I’m trying to decide which one to print and frame. Yours is definitely frame-worthy.
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What beautiful flowers. Of course, they look so exotic to me. My grandmother successfully grew a large red flowering hibiscus indoors for years in a north window and decorated it at Christmas with ornaments instead of getting a tree. When it also flowered at Christmas, it was an especially delightful sight.
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Gorgeous!
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A beautiful garden in October is a treat! Thank you so much for sharing.
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Thank you, Maria. I do enjoy all the flowers. I will miss drooling over all your wonderful vegetables in your allotment
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Thank you. I hope to share other inspiring nature photos with you.
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Oh, now that is a beautiful Camellia! My climate is too cold for them, but I might try a potted variety again. Stunning! All your potted plants and other garden views are lovely.
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Thanks Beth. Growing one in a pot might be an idea; then you can move it to a sheltered position in winter.
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I love seeing what’s in bloom at your home. Your passion for gardening is inspiring. Thanks for sharing a bit of your paradise with me!
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Thanks,for stopping by, AW. Gardening is my passion :)
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Beautiful. In the garden, we always have challenges, but you and your husband manage them beautifully. And … sorry, I think all of your rain landed here all summer and early fall!
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Hi Dawn, I knew someone had all the rain all summer maybe you will be lucky and have a dryer winter.
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Those Yucca flowers are a show. I hope you get some proper rain soon.
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thanks, Trowel. They sure are. AS for rain it is forecast for when we go away LoL
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The flowering yucca is pure white, and apparently you aren’t the only one to have shown flowering hibiscus !! since N20 went to Seville, and she also features it in her Six this week. The unidentified shrub is a Duranta; I grow it here too, though in a pot in the greenhouse.
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Hi Fred we used to have another type of yucca which was white and pink. While the flowers were stunning the points on the spikey leaves were deadly. If you happen to walk into one it would draw blood. Needless to say we employed a professional gardener to chop down and remove them all. We called those yuccas the evil ones!
the Duranta is a surprising shrub and seems as tough as old boots. I can’t believe it has survived in such challenging conditions.
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When I was a kid, there were a lot of hibiscus in the neighborhood that were trees. I was surprised when I moved to the midwest of the US that people grew them as annual potted plants or indoors. It had never occurred to me that they would be anything but a tree. Oleander was also prominent during my childhood. It was planted in the freeway medians and must be resilient to survive so well in those conditions!
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When we first came to Portugal, the only hibiscus I had seen in the UK were deciduous with purple or blue flowers. I was in awe when I saw so many colours and that they were evergreen. And, yes, many in the towns are grown as trees!
Oleander, I’d never seen before so they were another wonderful surprise. :)
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Beautiful blooms, how lovely to have a climate to be able to grow all these lovelies outside. The purple and white flowers look like Duranta erecta, a plant I have been considering for my conservatory. The trouble is, it is getting a bit overcrowded in there.
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Yes, we are lucky but the micro climate we have also presents challenges like salty sea air and strong winds
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I like the shape of that plant at the bottom of the photo with the palm and melaleuca hedge. The yucca is great in flower. It is all looking great even after a tough summer.
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Hi Nco, I think that one is part of the Agave family and they grow like weeds in my garden. The yucca (I think) loves the heat and I never water it. I really don’t know how they survive.
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