Stuart's Garden: May 2017

9^TH MAY 2017 CENTRAL PORTUGAL

When roses have a good year they are truly spectacular and this is a good year for roses. The first blooms appeared during the first week of April and it has just got better ever since. To keep the show on the road for the next months (Yes-Months) now is a good time to feed weekly and water every couple of days. Removing the dead heads, and trimming back the stems of the spent flowers to the second bud, will encourage even more floral display.

JUST A LOT OF ROSES!

The colour in the garden is not solely from the ‘Queen of the Garden’(no not the HG – the ROSE). Currently geraniums, fuchsias, clematis, solanum, petunias (both F1 Hybrids and Surfinias) are all adding to the glorious rainbow of colours and perfumes. The various lavenders have suddenly started to flower and the large and small varieties of marigolds, mainly planted to keep the ‘bugs’ at bay such as greenfly, blackfly and whitefly all seem allergic to the aroma of the French and African ‘Sports’- perfect for all you non chemical Gardeners.

French Marigolds keeping the pests at bay

Scarlet, our preferred colour of Geranium

A single Bishop's Child! Seed to flower, 12 weeks!

A new colour of surfinia petunia - will it catch on?

More surfinia petunias

Clematis Hagley Hybrid - always reliable

Think these two are holding each other up! Such a lovely combination

Just one of the beautiful fuchsias

As the Head Gardener and her Labourer are proposing to move this summer, there is a limited amount of edible crops being persued, and this Garden will need a new HG. The Belvedere terrace is the main source for consumption; tomatoes (four varieties), aubergines, sweet Peppers (California Wonder again – tried, tested and found bountiful previously), lots of various coloured lettuce, courgettes (mistake, thought they were Cucumbers, but growing well and full of flowers), Piri Piri in pots (still have the ‘Chilli Bed’ on the ‘veg’ terrace – now the plants are in their fourth year and still bountiful). Leeks and onions ground planted last winter are still growing – the first leeks were delicious, and the Genoese and Lemon Basil just keep getting bigger.

Tomatoes are now well in flower

As the weather has suited the flower garden, so has it worked its magic on the orchard. After nine years, the Damascus Apricot is finally covered in near ripe fruit. The White and Red Peaches are already having growing fruit removed as the quantity, if left to mature, will snap the branches ( better 75% of perfection than lots of poor quality fruit). The plum trees have ripening fruit but not as heavy as last year. The Olive trees are covered in flower which, if translated into mature olives, will give an exceptional result – but it looked good for the last three years and then has not delivered in November. Cherries are a bit strange; one tree was covered in blossom but no cherries, the other had much less blossom but is now covered in ripening cherries. Nectarines, like the Peaches, are profuse. The flat Paraguayans are also trying hard to please in their fourth year since planting.

First strawberries

The weather must also suit Cacti. Never seen so many flowers on a number of different varieties – they don’t last long, but they add an exotic air to the terrace. The myth that Cacti don’t like water is the usual reason they refuse to bloom. From mid March until late October they enjoy being saturated in water three times a week and should be fed every week with a general fertilizer- no need to spend vast sums on special Cacti Feed or specialist compost.

What a shame the flowers only last for one day

The orange/tangerine blossom has, gone leaving the trees with a plethora of embryonic fruit. Same situation on the grapefruit and lime trees, with the perpetual lemon really going for it this year – problem is the trees are still full of last year’s crop and they make an awful mess on the patio terrace – not appreciated by the HG, so lots of picking up, brushing down, mopping and hosing to ensure a constant supply of coffee.