Well that was a short break. One of the shortest trips to Spain ever I think. But to be honest any trip is a bonus after the last two years. This time in 2020 we were just back and preparing for a trip to Mexico. With trips planned for the rest of the year. Little did we know then that in 2020 I would get about 6 weeks in late summer then nothing again until exactly a year later. 3 weeks. And then nothing until this trip. So it may have only been 8 nights but it felt like a lifetime.

If I was professional blogger that hose would have been moved as would have the plant holder. But I’m not ~ I say this is much a diary for me and not for publication! The garden has fared well in our abscence and we are so lucky to have great neighbours and a gardener who goes in once a month. It’s funny how I wandered around the garden for a week and then at the end of it realised what had been done. Without asking. The citrus had been pruned. The almonds had been cut back. All things I had meant to,ask for but didn’t. It was just done.

We spent the latter half of the week collecting leaves and just generally tidying the beds. Unlike Somerset we didn’t have to spend so much time swearing at ground elder and the multitude of weeds we get there. To be fair it’s been so dry here the weeds would have shrivelled and died. And the serious over waterer has been absent. But we still managed to fill bags of garden waste. We have room for a compost heap but I don’t want to leave heaps of dried leaves and garden refuse as I’m worried about fires. The area around the house has been cut back as I’m paranoid about it catching fire.

I was so pleased to see the prickly pear ( the plant not us) had survived the ravages of the cochineal bug which are commonly found on the cactus Opuntia. Boy. Are they prevalent here. When we are here regularly I can keep an eye on it but when we aren’t it goes crazy. There are very few around the area now which haven’t succumbed. This one even had fruit. Not that I have ever eaten one. if you squash the bug you’ll get covered in red dye. Try getting that off your red wall. Or white T-shirt.

last year the roundabout that’s not a roundabout was cleared of all of the dry vegetation. By now I’d expect it to be covered in the yellow oxalis pes caprae but the dry weather has put things back. There is a small patch at the bottom of the access drive which I suspect was watered from a water leak we had. Don’t ask. It was a big one.

The flowers are really an acidic yellow but en masse make a lovely colour splash. The roundabout which isn’t a roundabout then has a succession of wildflowers to add to its solitary almond tree and two small fig trees which produce very small figs. Tasty if you can be bothered to climb the bank. Which I don’t often. Not with my balance.

Let’s talk about pots. The two at the edge of the path have been filled with tulips. I ordered Tulip Ballerina. El Niño. Temple of Beauty. I think El Niño is planted here. Along the white wall I’ve planted Armani. All tulips which I had planned to,plant when we arrived mid December for Christmas. But we didn’t arrive so they have had to go in in late January. Hopefully they will be ok. I’ve also planted four more pots dotted around the terrace ~ Temple of beauty and Ballerina. I’m hoping we will be there to see them this year. I also moved pots around. The bird of paradise ~ strelitzia Reginae into a bit more of a sunnier spot. It has four flower spikes forming so maybe. Just maybe I’ll see them. Empty pots should have been moved to the side of the house. Looking at that pic I realise I didn’t do it.

To the other side is one of my favourites. The foxtail agave ~ agave attentuata ~ which has done really well, ~ probably better as it hasn’t been fussed over. The added benefit is that there are about four more that are growing in the pot which I need to replant into their own pots. Then later I will plant direct into the garden. But not this one. When they flower they have a fabulous long tail,like flower. Then die. So I don’t want this one to flower ever.

This spikey blighter is on the slope where we don’t venture. Which as just as well as it’s lethal. We won’t be having one of these in the main garden. Ever. But it does have pretty flowers. Just along from this are the mimosa trees. Huge. Usually full of flowers. Not yet though.

The almond blossom is out in abundance around the Campo. Except in our garden. We have five almond trees at the rear of the house and there is a little blossom but it’s always later than most. Don’t ask me if it’s sweet almonds or not. I don’t have a clue. I have picked the almonds. Dried them but haven’t cracked them. I have tried and failed. They are a hard nut to crack. But the blossom is a amazing.

We also have two loquat or nispero trees behind the almonds. I would grow these just for their leaves whicrh are huge. The fruit rarely ripens on the tree and when it does it has to be picked quickly. I find it doesn’t keep well and certainly doesn’t travel.

The border if I can call it that at the side of the house pretty much looks after itself. I have added a few things to the original plants that were there when we bought the house. Which I can’t believe is coining up to 5 years ago. 5 whole years and my Spanish is still not as good as Ian’s. I digress which I do a lot. Back to plants. The Swiss cheese plant is still alive and I’ve grown to like it. The trouble is that growing up we had one. Indoors. Along with the rubber plant. The Christmas cactus. The spider plant. Who knew they grew outdoors. Everyone but me. T have planted more agapanthus. That’s a surprise. Another strelitzia. Some Allium.

I’ve rescued the aeonium ~ replanted. Staked and moved to a better position. It could do with a wash looking at this photo.

I’m surprised just how much gardening we did. But you know ~ it’s never ending. I have a list already for our next visit. And the three after.

To be fair it wasn’t all gardening. A trip down the windy road to Nerja. A trip down the wiggly road for lunch in Caletta. Friends around for wine and cake. There has to be cake. I was surprised I didn’t get stopped with my pots of powder. Liquorice powder to make a chocolate liquorice cake. One pot for me. Two pots for friends. Along with eye drops for another. Friend. Not cake.

There was a little walking. Not much to be fair. We walked for miles on Sunday then realised it was all uphill back. An idiots mistake. Mine.

There were sunsets. I won’t bore you with the amazing sunsets from the terrace. I can do that with my Instagram posts.

But my favourite part is always the garden.

Until next time.