violets'n'vanilla

Well that's the question - gardens, trees and vines.

If we buy a house on a cleared plot, I would need to landscape the land, so what are the possibilities of finding a landscape gardener who can lay down irrigation [especially if we have a well on the land], know where to buy trees [olive, fruit, palm & decorative] and plant out a small vineyard? And what do you think that costs would be? [Of course that depends on how big the plot is, but having some idea would a help]

Does anyone know where to buy trees and vines? To date, I have only found 1 garden centre on the internet near Lisbon so far [always hopeful ].

Interested in what you have to say about gardens in Portugal,
so I'm all ears
~~

Cleri

I dont think you will have much trouble in finding a gardener,especially Algarve.We have people here who do the whole package or just individual jobs,but all can do irrigation etc.
We found the whole process quite expensive,certainly more expensive than we thought it would be.
Palm trees are expensive,Olive trees are very very expensive,I guess if you are up north,things are cheaper.
If you have your own bore hole,irrigation is a good idea,if not !!!!! water isnt
particularly cheap,so tread carefully.There are masses of garden centres in the Algarve.
Fruit trees have to be protected,if you are going to live on the coast,its more or less impossible here in Vale da Telha to grow fruit trees,the sea wind "burns" them,we have palm trees but even they suffer a little because of the wind.
My friend has just had a quote to brita (gravel) 700 sq M and was told 2000 euros,thats for the labour,gravel and plastic membrane to be laid underneath.
Brita here is 24 euros per cubic metre.
We had grass planted (the kind that spreads itself) rather than turf,as it is more hardy and needs a little less water,but it was so long ago I cant remember the cost.
Im sure others will let you know more details,happy gardening!
Cx

violets'n'vanilla

Thanks clerigogirl,

That's really helpful, we thought that allowing quite a 'kitty' for the garden/plot would be the case. Hopefully we'll inherit a couple of olive trees, but we don't know at this stage.
It's interesting about the wind down south too, however, we are intending to head for the 'middle' section. And yes, a bore hole is important, it goes on my tick box list, as well as a loo.

Hope that you're feeling a bit more upbeat now, just remember that the right person will come along for your house, and this just gives you a little more time for preparation , that is if you haven't done everything already. So keep cheerful it will work out, keep positive, and keep packing.

I found some links on the internet, they maybe useful to others here ~ btw, does 'landscape gardener' : translate correctly as: gardener da paisagem ?


http://portugalresident.com/portugal...=GARDEN&sid=42
http://gen.ecovillage.org/iservices/...tation_low.pdf
http://www.bgci.org/educationcongres...a%20-%20AS.pdf
http://www.panachemag.com/3_06/TheGo.../gardening.asp
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article...rescapesection

omostra06

where are you looking for a gardener? we have a great one near us at Tomar, really knows his stuff. also olive trees etc can be bought here quite cheap. vines can be bought for about one euro each.

violets'n'vanilla

This is music news to my ears

So we shall keep this information ready for when we move, wonderful.
Thank you.

omostra06

we bought some orange, lemon and tangerine trees for about 10 euros each, most garden centres sell them, also the markets are great for picking up plants

Cleri

Thanks for your good wishes V
Dont worry,Im an upbeat kinda gal,not much gets me down,and after all,I live in a beautiful place,which Im sure many people would give their right arm for,
When the time is right,things will happen,I am a huge believer in fate
I can sit it out in the sun with my vinho until the right people come along
Cx

omostra06

thats a good atitude to have.

Cleri

Thanks Omo

TouristTrap

Awesome Clerigo! That's my girl, hic

violet, I find one of the most exciting things about moving to a new house / place is planning out the garden.

I'm sure you'll have many happy hrs doing it

violets'n'vanilla

Yes, it is exciting.

My mind is racing, compost heap, tools, soil content, bugs, layout of plot, bore hole & irrigation, harvesting.....etc etc.
You say that you've bought fruit trees, how are you getting on with them, how much have you yielded from them yet?
Does anyone grow apricots or bananas or peaches?
Paradise .... you lucky people .

violets'n'vanilla

Here's a funny question for you garden/horticultural experts...

Do you know the name of a tree which is common to the Med area, which is:
similar to a pine or conifer, in as much as the trunk grows tall and straight,
and is evergreen,
has sparsely populated upward directing 'fingers' instead of downward or drooping leaf branches,
it is very picturesque and often in holiday catalogues,
has similarities to a monkey puzzle tree, but not, if you get my meaning,
it's not the umbrella pine, and is not bushy.

Any ideas?
I just love this tree for it's architectural splendor, and have been trying to find it's name.

violets'n'vanilla

Another question about trees ~ well you guys know so much ~

Can any of you tell me if there are any restrictions about taking out trees that you feel are too close to a property?

I think that France [I may stand corrected] has rulings whereupon you are protector of trees on your property and if anything happens to those trees they find you fully responsible.

I feel that trees too close to a property can be a fire risk, a foundation risk, and a security risk, so if any of you know the answer to this question that would be great, then we are better 'in the know' when viewing properties to buy.

Thank you again for your help.

violets'n'vanilla

I have found a photo - sorry its rather small - the tree that I'm talking about is the one right at the very back and the very tallest. Any ides?

omostra06

i think no problem to remove trees that are too close to a house. unless they are cork oaks, which are very protected cant even trim them without permission.