Algarve Country Garden October 16th. to 23rd 2007

October has continued to be glorious, and the average overnight temperature during the past week has been 15 degrees, with the average daytime temperature being 25 degrees. There has been a lot more moisture in the air at night, and the winds have been light so the plants are loving it. However our winter "Friend" Oxalis has started to show its head above ground. The Cosmos has started to die back a bit, however there are still quite a lot of new seedlings showing. Other old friends are starting to show themselves like the Zantedescia ( Arum Lily),which is early. The Ceonothus Thyrsiflorus Repens has already started to flower and that is also very early. Other early returners are Freesias which are already six to eight inches high, whilst the Gazanias continue to flower on and on. New pink and white Allysum are also appearing in the gravel drives and paths. The Mimulus also seems to go on and on having been in flower since March.

Also at the top of the garden the Pyracantha is covered in orange berries, and will be adopted by one of the blackbirds as its own very soon. The Plumbago Auriculata (Cape Leadwort) is also well in flower with its pale blue colouring standing out clearly against the green background.

Algarve Country Garden October in the garden

October in the Algarve Garden is usually a month of renewal. Gone are the extra hot days when plants can keel over and die without daily water. October is usually the month when rain returns to the Algarve, and the nights become somewhat cooler. The average temperature at night for the first 14 days in October has been 15 degrees, and the average daytime temperature 23 degrees. Many flowers get another set of blooms, and areas such as lawns change again from brown to green. The three pictures were taken a week ago.

Today it is cloudy, and our first rain started on 30th.September, and continued on and off on the 1st and 2nd. of October. When it does rain, we often get 4 to 6 inches in a day or two. I hope to be able to give regular updates including pictures, of the garden and how things are progressing in the weeks to come.

The Algarve Garden Year

The aim of the blog is to show anyone who is interested what a garden in the Algarve is like throughout the year. We hear a lot on how global warming is changing our climates, and I thought that people in the UK ( and elsewhere), may be interested to see how there garden could change in the future,if this warming continues. I aim to make regular posts showing how the garden changes from week to week and would welcome any comments or questions.