An Algarve Garden 2013

As we are well into January I thought I would start this year's thread.

I had hoped to get the Almond tree in full bloom over the weekend but we had storms and gusting winds of 67kph and the tree shed most of its petals and almonds ... it looks like a big cloud flanked by the Jacarandas with the Iochroma in the foreground ...



The Poinsettia only lost one stem in the storms but it still looks good backed by one of the Jacarandas ...



The Viburnum seems to have suddenly come into bloom with the miniature Birds of Paradise in front with three blooms developing ...

 

Looks like your plants are a month or so ahead of ours over here Victoria.

 

A lot more colour than here.

 

Very nice Victoria!! Making me wish for warmer weather!!

 

Thanks catz ... to be honest, it's not terribly warm here!

Yes, John, we have seasons 'as such'. Currently it is winter with night temps dipping to single figures and day temps low teens. At the moment, sunny/windy/ light shower and 10.4c and we will probably only go up a couple more degrees. We tend to be quite colourful this time of year due to the cooler weather .... the Osteopermums are blooming as is the Rosemary and the hillsides are covered in Oxalis pes-caprae, the Bermuda Buttercup so quite pretty, just a horror as it takes over the gardens as well. We don't have four 'distinct' seasons ... we seem to just blur from cold to mild to hot to mild to cold!

 

The Viburnum is like that here! It's a miracle! But then Viburnum tinus is always a prolific winter flowerer, you can't go past 3 garden without seeing Viburnum tinus!

Lovely photos Victoria, I'm jealous, no such colour here really (apart from Viburnum tinus)

 

Hi Stephen. The Viburnum grows wild here so between it and the wild almond trees in bloom with the Oxalis pes-caprae underneath, it does look nice. The wild white Iris are also blooming and we have seen a few Poppies too!

Temps have been 15-17c this past week and it's lovely and sunny, going up to 19c for this weekend with no rain forecast for February at all! We have two separate visitors coming from the UK this weekend, one just staying for four days, the other for a month perhaps so they will certainly enjoy the weather.

 

I would say more than 12 months ahead.

 

As we are fairly green at the moment due to our very wet weather, I thought I would put up a few pics of my 'other garden' at the river ... it is still a work in progress with nothing on the trellises yet and the arch still to go up to the back garden.

 

Have been too busy at the river lately and not paying attention at home but took a couple of photos recently but have lots more to take ...

The Drosanthemum (Dew Flower) ...



Euphorbia millii (giant Crown of Thorns, in it's third year now and blooms most of the year) ...



Allamanda blanchetii (purple Allamanda, such a beauty, have the yellow one at the river) ...



One of my giant Geraniums, like rosebud flowers with the flowerheads about 15cm across (the plants get to almost 2 meters tall but this one is new to me last Autumn) ...



And my lovely Pandorea Jaminoides, both common and variegated are in bloom ...

 

I've never seen a purple Allamanda, is it as vigorous as the yellow one?

Is the Jac in flower ?

 

Hiya Clive

I believe the Allamandas are similar in growth. Although the purple one has been around for years, it is not that common here.

The Jacs are both covered in buds so we'll be on target for June/July blooming. They look a bit strange as they lost all their leaves this past winter.

 

They were in bud in Morocco too (early April) and were also leafless.
Is that later than usual? I (wrongly) assumed May was the flowering time.