ROSES ALL THE WAY

10th MAY CENTRAL PORTGUAL

Summer really does seem to be here - sunshine from early morning until dusk for the last week, and forecast to continue until end of July. Noon temperatures rising well above 30 degrees so having to water everything planted in tubs as well as directly into ground. Have mixed the ‘estrume de cavalho’ (upmarket horse manure, comes in 100kg plastic sacks, has little smell, so does not attract the flies - possibly the product of pure bred ‘Arab’ stallions at 4€ per sack) with the very depleted earth (cannot be called soil) from the ‘veg’ terrace. The ratio is 1:5 manure:earth and so far the results are very promising. My Portuguese neighbour assures me that the ‘enzymes’ in the earth react with the manure to create a very potent growing mix. Only time will tell? However my Multi-Talented next door neighbour has kindly supplied 2kg. of ‘Miracle Grow’ which will possibly be far more beneficial in the growing stakes.

Had an excellent ‘Beiras Grass Roots’(see their blog site) Summer Flower Show last weekend. Most encouraging number of exhibits from the small group of garden enthusiasts, including the traditional Flower, Vegetable, Baking and Pictures ( both ‘painted and photographic’) exhibition classes.  It was followed by a very good and informative ‘Lecture’ by an awfully nice Lady from the Algarve branch of the Mediterranean Garden Society, on ‘Dry Gardening’. Managed a ‘First’ for a single rose bloom and a ‘Second’ for a flower arrangement of Large Pink roses and White Lilies - much to my surprise and ‘delight’.

My little red prize winner

 

and the bush from which it came

 Hope the show becomes a ‘Feature’ of the calendar and lots more decide to participate next year.  Congratulations to the very capable ‘Organiser’ and committee.

 

Been ‘Strimming’ again in the orchard, trust the hot dry days expected will make this the last major ‘Cut’ until the rains of Autumn encourage the over-active weeds to stir again. The ‘Head Gardener’ enjoys the free show of yellows, blues and pinks which blanket the ground; best to get in quick before they ‘Seed’. As a ‘weed’ is simply a plant growing in the wrong place, maybe the colourful show should be left and encouraged though I would imagine, with ‘Gardener’s Luck’, that they would require cultivation, feed and watering within three years to get ‘decent’ show!

Roses, roses and more roses

 Roses are better than ever this year, even the newly planted have made a serious effort to perform. Planted ‘Super-Market’ purchase (Lidl  1.89€) in January. (If you catch the new supply of plants on the day they arrive there is some hope of success - after a week on the self they have little chance), now 1.5 metres high and full of small red flowers (think it maybe ‘American Pillar’).The name tag suggested it would be a yellow bush rose (the surprise makes it all worth- while sometimes!!!)

 

We think this one, from Lidl, is very like American Pillar

. Would love to try ‘David Austin’ Roses in Portugal but they don’t seem to be available and the ‘Austin’s’ don’t seem to want to send them abroad ‘bare rooted’.  Many of the UK based ‘Nurseries’ seem loath to extend their market into Europe, unlike the Dutch, French and German growers who supply ‘Worldwide’.

‘VEG’ all growing well.

 

Purple climbing and runner beans

quite a few different varieties of tomato-first flower appearing

 Had a ‘hiccup’ with the Aubergines having over watered them before the summer sun appeared and they started to go yellow. It was not a good start when the ‘fruit’ is expected, in most cases, to be ‘Lustrous Purple’( Watched a programme  called ‘Allotment Challenge’ where they were claiming to have grown award winning aubergines in sixteen weeks, from seed. Am not sure I believe that as, even in the perfect growing conditions of Portugal, it takes me twenty weeks minimum).

 

There goes the Head Gardeners bell - ‘time flies when you are enjoying yourself’, 

must dash, 

see you soon.

Stuart.