An Algarve Garden - 2021

Thank you Philip. The Brugmansia is on the Dining Patio at the entrance to The Jungle Room. t is very heavily/headily scented!

I sowed Cleome seeds years ago without success. Just thought I would try again and only got the one plant. They would be nice grouped. I shall leave it to seed or see if it comes back up. Very exotic looking.

Ah, a polydactyl cat! My nephew had one, Greyhound he was called but you can't see his toes in this photo. He got ill and had a blood transfusion from one of my sister's Siamese. Van had a transfusion last year.

 

@Victoria ,..a Polydactyl cat,..i never knew that and even more so about blood transfusions with cats,..amazing what i have missed out on over the years,..very informative information as always and very please to learn it

 

My favourite Hibiscus with five blooms at once ...




Three blooms now on my little standard Abutilon, melding in with the 'Star Rose' Mandevilla ...

 

To end October it is the rearranging of patios. The lower dining area has gone from this ...

... to this simpler version as we don't entertain so much now ...


The kitchen patio, now called The Courtyard, has gone from this ...


... to this ...



We have put the Avocado tree in the middle for now. Hopefully will see about a Lime tree this weekend. There is still a lot to do but we wanted to get things started before the rain comes tomorrow.

T'other Half has to make the trellis "door" to close off the new store area for firewood which is where the stairs were to the deck, which now only holds solar panels. He also has to power wash the tiles!

Night view from the kitchen window ...

 

Looks amazing Vicky... I suppose you get hardly any leaf drop unlike us right now, I have to sweep our patios,especially the east one ,daily now as I think the leaves make them look untidy.If it's not the leaves it's the moss the birds pick of the east side of our roof.
Agree with you that's my fave Hibisus as well.x

 

Your patios are looking good @Victoria, and very relaxing in the night. We have to move with the times and it's a good idea rearranging things to meet our changing needs ...
I love the bright colour of that Hibiscus too

 

No we don't Upsy as most everything is evergreen. The jacarandas make a mess as does the Brugmansia on the lower dining patio.

 

Thank you Michael. Yes, I think we need a change from time to time and it has been 13 years since we changed the patios. This was our original kitchen patio with an old bread oven on it (not a lot of room) ...




... and this was early days of the dining patio ...



My how things change!

 

Hi Victoria,..you created a lot more free space to move about,..looks good,..love the older images and the comparison as to now,..amazing how we change the appearance,..looking at the night time views i can imagine its still warm and perhaps the sound of crickets or similar,..oh love the wee white mouse in the night views

 

Lovely place you got there @Victoria

 

The wee mouse is a pink bloom from the Pandorea ricasoliana vine on the patio to the right of the door to the Baffa (outdoor dining room) ...

Thank you Lem. We have been happy here for many years and have never regretted the move. Our little bit of Paradise.

 

Gorgeous pics as usual Vicky.....glad you cleared that up, I've gone cross -eyed searching for the mouse!

 

Finishing October off. On Friday we went to the Garden Center and I got five Lampranthus aureus for the base of the Avocado tree, a Brachyscome multifida for a pot on the old milk urn and a Portulaca umbraticola, all for the "new" Courtyard.

Planted all upon return ...










So we will see what November brings.

 

Thank you Victoria for correcting me about the wee white mouse ,..a stunning vine it is,.. as well as its blooms,..lovely new plants and the pots they will dwell in,..including the one atop the milk churn,..you sure got them planted quickly,..one always has an urgency to do so

 

Responding again Lem ... a bit different now than when we bought it and put in a lot of hard graft, blood, sweat and tears ... I like to remind myself occasionally of the achievements ...

Agree on that Philip. I was particularly keen as we were expecting rain, which thankfully came, so now they are all settled in and today we have the sun back to perk them up.