COLD, FROSTY AND SUNNY START TO THE NEW YEAR

7TH JANUARY 2017 - CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Happy new Gardening Year to all those worldwide followers of ‘Stuart’s Garden’. Last year just over 25,000 of you lusted after the Head gardener's Coffee; your interest has been overwhelming. The thought that a small plot of slightly infertile ground in the ‘Beiras’ of  Portugal could be of interest to those as far away as North America, China, Australia, Argentina South Africa and many in between, has been both encouraging and shocking to the system.

The first week of 2017 has been very cold for here. 0 degrees most nights and heavy frost every morning has seen off most of the tender foliage plants.

Ice on the path

Frost in the valley

 Nasturtiums, impatiens, dahlias, some geraniums, all the chillies and sweet peppers, brugmansia, tamarillos and the frost intolerant fuchsia are all drooping soggy masses. Roses are looking interested in a little action and most of the solanums, with the warmth of their support walls, are still flowering happily. Primulas and Winter Pansies  are giving colour after Christmas and the first tulips are peeping through on the Belvedere. Cacti, under the protection of Garden Floss, are in jovial spirits, or should it be prickly, and still seem to be growing taller.

One hardy fuchsia tolerating the cold weather

Winter pansies enjoying the sunshine

Primulas giving a hint of Springtime

Citrus fruit are all coming into their own (hope the frost does not get below 0 degrees for much longer as the fruit can freeze on the tree). Tangerines were perfect for Christmas Stocking Fillers, as predicted. The early Oranges are being picked for eating. New Year Gin & Tonics enjoyed freshly picked Lemons and Limes. Breakfast is being embellished with new season Grapefruit and the Mandarins should be ready in the next fortnight. The enthusiasm for all things Citrus does tend to fade a little by the end of March, by which time every possible recipe involving Oranges and Lemons Etc. has been exhausted and the trees can be pruned before their glorious perfumed blossoms appear.

Oranges and Tangerines at full ripeness

The clear blue sky and wall to wall sunshine during the day (when the temperature can get to 20 degrees) is encouraging the bud formation of all of the fruit trees in the orchard. Let’s hope these early January days of frost will purge the meteorological world's need for frost before the first blossoms appear (usually on the Damascus Apricot, hence the usual lack of any fruit –flower buds die in the cold and if they make it to flowering there are no insects about to pollinate), so maybe a mild damp February will create a bumper crop this year.

An unusual cross?

Apart from daily inspections, and bit of ‘tutting’ there is not much to do just now. This then is a splendid time to collect all the plant pots and tubs for an in-depth wash and sterilisation ( best results for clean sterile pots are achieved by using ‘Babies Bottle’ sterilisation tablets – very cheap and very effective). Most garden tools could also do with cleaning and oiling before the new season kicks off, and it’s a good time to get Strimmers serviced (before the rush in March when all your neighbours realise its Spring). Sitting by the Potting Shed fire on cold winter days is also the perfect time to sharpen all the garden cutting aids, secateurs, hedge shears, loppers and pruning saws all appreciate a little attention prior to another season of mistreatment.

The sun is streaming through the shed window, so it must be very close to coffee time. Have get the HG back to priorities after the Festive break. Is that the tintinnabulation of ‘Angel Chimes’ or is it the ‘Bell’. Yes it was the ‘Bell’. Enjoying fresh coffee and a warm log fire while bathing in the sunshine – so gardening does have many good points even on winter’s day.  

The dawn of another  sunny winter's day in Central Portugal

Must dash,

see you soon,

Stuart.