Winter Ramblings from Central Portugal

 November 2013 

Bright Blue Sky and Brilliant Sunshine, Freezing Cold Clear Nights. Winter approaches in the “Beiras” and Christmas is nearly here.  Suddenly all the glories of warm weather gardening are looking very sad - about time the geraniums are put to bed, together with their new cuttings. Keep them in the light and a few degrees above freezing and they will love you enough to be magnificent by next May. Most Fuchsias will over winter if kept in the light and away from chilling winds.

  It’s the wind that does most of the damage to both the soft and hardy plants in the garden during the winter; remember 5 degrees becomes minus 5 degrees in a 10 KPH wind from the North East. Roses love the winter.  Keep them damp, not wet.  Remember when it last rained - it could be dry until January.

Last chance to - plant Broad Beans if you want an early crop in March, -prune fruit trees. Cut out the middle and trim top for height, and perimeter for shape.   Olive trees - just “murder” them as the locals do - plant cabbages if you must!!! but why would you really?  Hang chilli peppers up to ripen and dry in a sunny window.

Plant pretty violas for winter colour - and perfume - near a window from where you can enjoy them on cold days. 

Now settle down with a big fire and view next year’s seed catalogues. What’s it going to be then? Just the usual, or are you going to plant to impress next year. Maybe some strange South American highly scented flowering vines or strange shaped but taste free vegetable from deep within the Amazonian Jungle - or is it just the usual “tried and tested” again? Remember one of the benefits of living in Portugal is that most things will grow here with just a little effort.   Go on - experiment next year and enjoy the” Gardening glory” next summer from an early December “choice” adventure.

Enjoy the festive season with those new potatoes and parsnips you planted in September or a glorious bowl of Daffodils or Amarilis from that moment of late summer madness at the market! Oh! You forgot to get them “ in”. Never mind there’s always next year!!!!!!

Must dash or might miss Christmas and New Year “worrying” over those seed catalogues.

See you soon,

Stuart

AUTUMN TASKS IN THE PORTUGUESE GARDEN

 Autumn Tasks in the Portuguese Garden

After first eight days of the Portuguese Monsoon Season, 380mm of rain so far, and gentle wind from the south west at a constant 22degrees C., the weeds and grass in the orchard are beating all previous growing records, “Strimmer” time looms again if it’s not to be waist deep by Christmas. The wells got water again just when it has little use, yet another burden for the weary gardener’s shoulders, but very wet ground rules out ‘digging’ so some relief.

The Peppers and  Chillis are still enjoying a strong spell of  production -  seems the ’HOT’ chillis got mixed up during planting earlier in the year so careful ‘nibbling’ required to ascertain their position on the ‘Scoville’ chilli heat scale.  Currently three varieties in the pleasant to moderate category with two in the ‘AARGH’ level, but the colours are spectacular. Still awaiting the tasting of the purple ’Cardinals Hat’ variety, grown from Portuguese produced seed by a ‘Mrs.Bartlett’, which is claimed to have a ‘Scoville’ rating of 650,000.  Piri Piri is 150,000  so she has a remarkable sense of humour or must come from Gois

Basket full of a variety of peppers

 The early cuttings of geraniums, fuchsias, hydrangeas and roses all seem to have taken.  The recent rain has made further ‘Snipping and Sticking in’ even more viable.  Remember this is the time of year when you visit your friends’ gardens equipped with’ Secateurs and a Plastic bag’ to gather ‘plunder’ cuttings, much cheaper than the garden centre.

Fuschsia full of prospective cuttings

Daffodils need planting in tubs now if you want an early show, tubs are better than direct into the ground as this avoids feeding the mice throughout the winter months on expensive ‘Dutch’ treats. Make sure your compost has lots of sand and ‘Vermiculite’ for drainage as the bulbs will drown in the heavy rain.

Pinch out the middle of the Coleus you planted in late August for a good Christmas show. Bring in the ‘Over-summered in the garden’ Cymbidium Orchid plants. To encourage the flower spikes place plants in good light and keep moist but not damp. If you have a ‘Begonia Rex’ - that’s the Begonia with

dark red, pink and grey leaves and’ awful’ flowers -  cut a good leaf and ‘pin out’ on good compost in a tray or plant pot, cut the leaf veins,water and  you will have a pot full of new plants by next January.

Remember everything needs feeding NOW

Latest on the Angels' Trumpets - just look at it now!

Even more flowers out since this was taken last week

The sun's come out and the sky is suddenly blue, Ah! The pleasure of being a gardener in Portugal.

Must dash, bet there’s lot to do after the rain,

See you soon.

                       Stuart

Autumn Begins in Portugal

2^nd October 2013 

Traditionally the first rains of autumn arrive in the Iberian Peninsula during the last week in September and this year has been no exception -  150 mm. in the first three days. The relief of the vegetation could be heard in the “wee small hours  of  dawns early light”. 

So what’s left to benefit from a drink after the long very hot and dry summer?  After a poor start the Peppers and Chillis are having a great time.   Bartlett Bonnets, very hot, born and bred in Portugal by an English Lady called ”Mrs.Bartlett”, are over 2 meters high and are covered in small green “frilly bell like” peppers,  readying themselves to turn purple,   and masses of white flowers to continue the crop well into late November. 

 

Bartlett Bonnet just forming!

Another new variety grown this year is “Pavlec”, medium hot, comes from Hungary and is excellent in “Goulash”.  It has been producing bright vermillion thin pointy chillis, about 150 mm. long, for the last month and should continue so until December. 

 

Lipstick

The benefit of hot sunny days in September has got the “Sweet Peppers” turning from green to red very early this year. Start freezing the surplus chillis and peppers early as they will stay much firmer when “thawed out” if taken from the early crop.

Pavlec

 Good time to plant winter radish seeds, potatoes in a tub and lots of lettuce for Christmas.

What an amazing year for Green Figs.  We have not seen many Black Figs yet. The trees are groaning with fruit which, due to the rain, must be picked daily before early wet rot sets in. Fig Chutney with ginger and Michelle Roux “Fig Tarte Tatin” use up the surplus very quickly. Apples have been and still are doing very well this year - need a search party to find any Olives so expect the trees will need a “good talking to”.  Threat of removal seems to have an effect on next year’s crop - or is this just another “rustic” myth.

Good time for cuttings from Fuchsias,  Geraniums, Hydrangeias,  Lavender and Roses.  The ground is wet and still warm so they all root before winter, giving an early start next year. Top dress fruit and flowering trees- feed and top dress everything in a tub and strim all new weeds and brambles, as they start to grow, after that long hot summer.

Must dash, forgot to get fuel for the strimmer-

                                         

 See you soon

                                                                 

 Stuart.

Early September 2013

 EARLY SEPTEMBER 2013


Well 'Tomatoes 'R'us' just now! After the intense heat of August, the tomato plants in general have decided to grow and flower again with a vengeance - just shows, never cut anything off until you have given it another two weeks.The yellow 'Cherry Bell' (yellow and bell shaped believe it or not), Principe Borghese (Italian,small but  perfectly formed and Ferrari RED) and Cuor di Bue (French heart shaped and a bit ugly) have all gone into overdrive and are producing fruit as if there was no tomorrow(do they know something perhaps. 'Brandy Wine', very large, a bit wrinkled and pink ( possibly like an 'Old fashioned' English man should look) has decided to produce half kilo fruit two metres above ground. Daily picking,dicing, slicing, bagging and freezing should satisfy the 'Pasta and Sauce' urge through the winter months.

Various varieties of tomato growing to a great height!

Yellow Cherry Bell tomatoes, with Principe  Borghese and several other varieties, together with aubergines, green peppers and a couple of  red chilli peppers

Chillii's, after a feeble start this year, now seem to understand their 'Raison d'etre' for being included in the garden. Masses of flowers have suddenly appeared and timid chillii's are peeping out from a canopy of profuse leaves. Understand they perform much better in their second year if you can get them through the winter (minimum winter temperature 7 degrees C.). Seems a good year for sweet peppers, copious green peppers now starting to turn red, forget about the other fancy colours, mostly a waste of space with very little flavour.

SO MANY COURGETTES

SO MANY COURGETTES 

What to do with them all - now all the different types are fruiting at once, all with their own particular appearance.

  Here such a diverse collection, all with their own particularities.  Don't they all look pretty?

So, what to do.  The white pattipans are delicious brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with oregano and roasted in the oven along with pointed sweet red peppers.  Serve them along with your spag. bol. or with chicken in a tomato and pesto sauce and new potatoes.

In our house, soups have been made and stored in the freezer for later.  Among them are spiced tomato and courgette, Thai style courgette with ginger and lime, and courgette and potato with bacon and herbs.  Also planned is courgette and apple chutney, with maybe a little fresh chilli thrown in for a surprise!

Others with which there was no time to deal, are chopped and frozen to add to casseroles and sauces during the winter months.  Hope that one season courgettes, tomatoes and aubergines will all be ripe at once for ratatouille and even moussaka!

Dashing to inspect lily beetle damage, of which more later.

Stuart

WILDLIFE IN MY GARDEN THIS WEEK - JULY 2013

It's been very hot this month but cooling down a little now.  Still some of the flowers seem to have made it through the worst and are attracting insects.

The bees love the sunflowers, then the birds will follow to grab the seeds.

Thrilled to find a few humming bird hawk moths among the buddleias - you may have to look carefully for him.  Quite a number of them this year.  

I don't know the proper name of this swallow tail type butterfly but there are lots about.  Must plant more buddleias!

And the crickets are chirruping and the birds are singing and summer is a wonderful time to relax and enjoy everything around us.

Must dash out to catch the view!

Our lovely Angels' Trumpets - July 2013

Just love these beautiful elegant flowers of the Datura - aka Angels' Trumpets

 No words needed - they speak for themselves

Flowers in the Hot Sunshine of July

Hot sunshine of July arrives

 There was little doubt the sun would eventually arrive, must have been saving up as it burst on the stage in the high ‘Thirties’ centigrade. The heat saw the roses off in a couple of days after four weeks of perfection and wonderful aromas. Have cheated a little by keeping half a dozen roses growing in pots, which with feed, water and shade should pay their way for the rest of the summer.

 

Red rose in pot behind cascades of fuchsias, geraniums, Busy Lizzies,and a Hydrangea

all in shade

With the high temperature and humidity up in the 90 per cents, now is the time the  numerous Brazilian plants common in Portugal really get going, from ultra vivid coloured forest floor Impatiens, Cockspur Devil Dart bushes(Erythrina) in crimson, to twenty feet high flame orange trumpet vines (campsis). These S.American imports just thrive on heat, humidity, feed and water.

Coral vine (erythrina)  in flower

Campsis (this one is yellow) scrambling through a rambling rose

The flowers on the Indian Bean trees (Catalpa) have been quite amazing this year. We planted  five trees for summer shade on the ‘Veg’ terrace five years ago, the leaves are very large and parasol’ish, they're now twenty feet high and were  full of white and mauve sweet smelling flowers. The Catalpa is also very easy to weave into shady pergolas and does not object to being ‘flat top’ pollarded. This always astonishes your non gardening friends as it would seem you have an army of eighteenth century gardeners in your back pocket.

Lovely flowers of the Catalpa (Indian Bean tree)

The plants on the patio look a bit droopy - drinkies would seem appropriate.

Must dash, see you soon.

Stuart.