A Creative Spirit
Another week and we continue to plod along, crossing jobs off our never-ending gardening To Do list. Early last week, the hedgeman finally arrived to cut our monster maleuca boundary hedge. Phew! It is a mammoth task, and one Mr P, after years of self-maintenance, was relieved to outsource. We enjoyed a brief spot of... Continue Reading →
The temperatures over the last week have soared above 30 °C. We don't have air conditioning, so not only were some of our plants suffering, but we were as well. I barely had enough energy to refill the bird baths I had scattered around the garden yet alone hump extra water for the plants. The... Continue Reading →
Yep, it's time to take stock of what's growing, or not. Water is scarce, and this week I've had to make some tough decisions. The water butts are empty and mains water is expensive. If you are on a water meter, you will understand. Last year, I saved every drop of grey water from the... Continue Reading →
The weather continued much the same as the week before and the months before that. Cold, rain and windy interspersed with sunny intervals. The geraniums and pelargoniums continue to thrive although the pink and purple one above has now got a virus attacking the leaves. I´ve treated it. Fingers crossed it survives. The crown of... 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 →
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 gardening endeavours to share for this week's Six on Saturday are courtesy of windows we had in the weather. One moment blue skies and sun the next a squall rolled in from the sea and we had torrential rain. Pruning Washingtonia ~Only a couple of weeks ago I was moaning to Mr. Piglet, and... Continue Reading →
For my Six on Saturday gardening update this week, I've put the job list on hold for a week to give poor Mr. Piglet time to recover. Today, I focus on Piglet's Plot and what's happening (or not) in the vegetable area. I am pleased to report we've had a lot of heavy showers this... Continue Reading →
It's October, and with summer socialising, holidays, and houseguests behind us, it's time to knuckle down and undertake some serious work in the garden. Armed with a pen, clipboard, and critical eye, I made an extensive 'To Do' list. However, my enthusiasm soon ran out of steam. I'm sure you know the feeling when I... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I focus on container gardening. Plants still flowering in late September in my urban plot in the Western Algarve, Portugal. I aim to nurture plants and shrubs that offer interest or year-round colour and do not require huge amounts of water. Friday afternoon, I thought we would enjoy rain... Continue Reading →
I love Hibiscuses. Here in our corner of the Western Algarve in Portugal, most of my Hibiscus Plants, which grow in pots, flower all year. Apparently, you can buy varieties specifically for pots. Who knew? I've only ever seen the plant labelled as 'Hibiscus' at the garden centres and not had the luxury of choosing... 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 →
I am curious. While removing and disposing of some tomato plants that had contracted the dreaded blight I wondered if I should dispose of the remaining soil in the pots or would the UV rays from the sun kill any blight bacteria? Apparently, high UV kills COVID-19 virus on surfaces so why not blight, especially... Continue Reading →
Good news! After months of drought, we finally have rain. Yep, Friday and Saturday ... and maybe more to come. I had to nip out between showers to take these photographs and as I write this it is still raining! The smell of rain is wonderful and you can almost hear the plants singing as... Continue Reading →
My six for this Saturday focuses on unusual garden ideas such as alternative planters, pebble art I discovered in local gardens. I feel inspired to try some of these ideas! 1. Pebble Art Ladybirds 2. Pebble Art Animals 3. Rock Village ** 4. Boots Upcycled to Plant Containers What a great idea! Rummages through cupboards... Continue Reading →
My garden is plagued by pests and diseases. The latest victim is my beautiful Agave which is over twelve years old so I am hopping from foot-to-foot wondering what to do. When we are sick we go to the doctor, when animals are sick we take them to the vet... but where to go for... Continue Reading →
There's a lot happening in the garden at the moment so it is demanding a lot of care and attention. This week I did not know where to start for the Six on Saturday garden update, so I decided to show how some areas of the garden are evolving as we head from spring towards... Continue Reading →
I know the OH will run and hide when he reads this but a gal has to have a plan, and my restricted mobility has meant I have had plenty of thinking scheming time to formulate ideas into a concrete gardening 'plan of action' for 2019. So my #SixOnSaturday for this week are six gardening projects... Continue Reading →
Gardening is one of my passions so I am delighted to discover #sixonsaturday as a way to link up with fellow gardeners across the world. When I think of the various areas of our garden I try to plan them as different rooms or a transition from one room to the next. Each room has a... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 