A Creative Spirit
There is never a dull moment on Piglet's Plot. Despite temperatures still in the 20C, a stroll around the garden signals summer is over, and I really do need to get my butt into gear. Birds and the Bees This morning I was surprised by the number of bees on the nespera tree. It seemed... Continue Reading →
Any veg experts out there? I planted six Zucchini plants in large pots with quality soil, so it is not unreasonable to expect a bumper harvest. I had grand plans to make Zucchini and Tomato chutney, pickled Zucchini, etc. I rubbed my hands together in glee as every plant produced flowers and baby zucchini. I... Continue Reading →
Last week, I shared an overview of the South garden and pool area in my post April Garden Diary – A Tour of My Garden (part 1). This week, I focus on the east, west and north gardens, which include a small terrace and vegetable area. We try to keep it tidy, but it is always... Continue Reading →
As we move into April, the unseasonal weather continues with heavy rain, squalls, high winds, showers, and periods of sunshine. Even when we wake up to sunshine and blue skies, there is no guarantee it won't be raining by lunchtime. Apart from a few days, it's been like this since the 2nd of January. Last... Continue Reading →
Looking back, this is the wettest January, February, and March I can remember, so we are way behind with our gardening endeavours. This week, we had a break in the weather. The rain stopped, and the sun shone. On Sunday, impatient because many of the seeds I'd planted at the beginning of March were slow... Continue Reading →
My six for this Saturday includes a random selection as I dodge the showers and mosquitoes. Rain, glorious rain. I never thought as a Brit I'd be praying and then celebrating the heavy downpours we've experienced recently. Designed to retain moisture with slow drainage, my raised vegetable beds are flooded, but that's okay. First Seed... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I focused on my orchids and palms. Weather: We've not had any rain again this week, but the humidity is high, and areas of the back terrace that do not enjoy the sun remain wet all day. The nighttime temperatures have dipped to around 3C, and even in the... Continue Reading →
At times, I want to throw up my hands in despair. Gardening is a constant challenge. If it's not munchers eating my succulents, Kale or cannas, it's sickly plants demanding my attention, roots breaking through a wall to access the raised vegetable area, and then there's lichen. Poorly Orchid - I ignored this outdoor orchid... Continue Reading →
My six gardening pictures for this Saturday feature some of the plants flowering in my garden at the end of October, taken while dodging the showers. YaY! Rain, glorious rain. It seems one or more of my hibiscus plants are always in flower, and today was no exception. Flowering Hibiscus in October Flowering Hibiscus in... Continue Reading →
Another week has flown by, and thankfully, our garden job list is shrinking. With so many visitors and travels this summer we had neglected our garden. Bad move because the jobs just piled up. For Six on Saurday last week I created a Job List and set to work (Poor Mr. P. The first he... Continue Reading →
Thanks to the weather, I lost my momentum in the garden this week. I now understand how the UK gardeners struggle when they experience weeks of rain. The drought here continues, and I have just been alerted that we are in an area of maximum fire risk. In fact, there was a fire very close... Continue Reading →
We returned home from France to damp and humid weather. When I woke up the following day, this is the view I was greeted with. I initially cheered because I thought it was raining. Nope, we were enveloped in a cloud! Sea mist. We often experience this in July and August as we live so... Continue Reading →
Another week and another Six on Saturday, although by the time I finish resizing and preparing all the photographs, it could well be Six on Sunday. The weather this week has been more mizzle and overcast than sunny. We've enjoyed the occasional shower of rain, but not enough to make a difference. 1. Bromelias Mr.... Continue Reading →
For this week's Gardening Six on Saturday (SoS), I have chosen the fruits of my labour. A shout out to Mr. Piglet, who is now the main grafter while I supervise. A nod to our gardening host, Jim, over at Garden Ruminations. 1. Red Onions - June Harvest Finally, the red onions I planted in... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday (SoS) I've chosen six flowering shrubs. 1. Dodonaea Viscosa - Hop Bush I planted this Dodonaea hedge about twelve years ago to screen the pool area from the driveway. By last summer, it had only reached the heady heights of around 2-3 ft, and with the threat of eviction... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I decided to focus on some of my motley selection of vegetables. Once again I have the same problem with yellowing leaves. Too much or not enough water or is it nutrients? 1. Tomatoes The Black Tula (beefsteak) tomatoes have finally started to grow. A fellow gardener in France... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I was going to write about vegetables, but when I strolled out into the garden to photograph my motley selection, I was struck by the array of flowers in bloom, basking in the May sunshine. Coleus Neochilus I love this plant! Apparently, it repels mosquitoes Coleus neochilus Coleus neochilus,... Continue Reading →
I am addicted to succulents and committed to creating a drought-tolerant garden, which is just as well because we will have a hosepipe ban this summer. The drought situation is critical, and restrictions are already in place in the Eastern Algarve. Let's just hope all the tourists who arrive in their hoards this summer refrain... Continue Reading →
This week has proved to be one of the busiest in the garden so far this year. I had (and still have) so much to do that I don't know where to start. I feel like I'm spinning on the spot. Everything needs my attention, and it needs it now, which often sees me start... Continue Reading →
It's not been gardening weather this week. High winds, heavy rain, and squalls are not exactly conducive to going outside to the garden beyond making sure everything undercover is watered; the snails and caterpillars aren't harvesting my kale, spinach, and lettuce, and nothing has blown away. I am a fair-weather gardener. I am not moaning--we... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 