Douglas jack

Hi,PL ,by your timers in the UK, will fit your garden tap connector in chiclana,any other items at garden centre next to the florin close to you,pipe cheapear in the UK,B@Q worth taking before wieght allowances come in

poollounger

Susique planting in autmn makes sense to me. Just keen to get started. Was hoping to plant when over at the end of January but the pool was incomplete and with all the rain the garden became a swamp. I am not too concerned about the oleander being poisonous...so many plants are..laburnums, daturas, helleborus. What is a brezo fence ?? Is that the dark brown thatched looking matting ?? I like the split cane fencing. We were lucky as the pool just fitted between the house and a row of three fig trees and a plum.Do you know if one can get lime trees in Spain ?? And edible oranges?? I sneaked one off a tree in the garden centre to try and burnt my mouth it was so sour !! I also like all the plants we can only have as house plants in Britain that look so good outdoors in Spain...like rubber plants, cordylines and the multicoloured leaved plant whose name escapes me for the moment.

poollounger

Thanks Doug..I did have a look for timers in B & Q but they didn't have any, but they are so seasonal and it's still winter here.
Is it worth getting the ones with the little solar panel to recharge the battery ??

Arco-Iris

Susique. My understanding is that binding a newly-planted palm helps to establish the root system. When you see new growth from the centre, it can be unbound. Also, sawing off the droopy palms at the base every year helps to promote growth.

We tend to follow what our Spanish neighbours do - grafting fruit trees, planting new ones, rotivating. It's a bit hit and miss as our soil is not as good as theirs and we need a lot of manure.

After the relatively dry winter of 2004, by the autumn of last year the ground was like concrete and it took a week to dig holes for new plants. Consequently, we're planting like mad now that the water table is up.

Happy digging and muck-spreading, oo-ah, oo-ah.

poollounger

John I have had a look at the UK Lidl site and yes they have an automatic timer..but the fitting is 3/4 inch....is this going to be compatible with the Spanish outside tap ??

susique

Hi Arc0-Iris

Good point about hard ground in autumn! Its all very well to recommend autumn planting but obviously another matter to carry it out!

Re manure, are there not any horses near you? As they are often live in residential areas, I would have thought there might be good a source of supply nearby, unless of course, owners are using it on their own land. Might be worth a wander round the neighbourhood though?

Perhaps you could carry a sack and shovel in the car to collect the nuggets from the road, after the Sunday morning drive/ride? I saw loads of people out with their horses the other Sunday.

Regarding my palm, I think its probably a bit late to bind it now, we moved it at the end of January, it looked fine a couple of weeks ago. Also being dug up and plonked straight into a new hole, in pretty damp soil anyway, probably helped its survival potential - I hope. I would hate to lose it.

susique

Hi Poollounger

Yes Brezo is the matting stuff. We decided on that because a) its cheaper and b) you can't see through it as much as the split cane so more privacy. The bit permanent sunshades are usually covered with Brezo. I think it looks more natural too.

We too had a swamp when we last visited, again caused by pool builders but they have promised to clear and rotavate the area before they leave thankfully.

I'm sure you can get lime trees, they just another citrus after all. There is a garden Centre on the road between El Colorado & Conil, just after the Segundo Mano place on the right. It is a super place, goes on forever at the back and they have lots of BBQ's and stone garden seating and pots etc. in the front. I don't actually remember seeing limes but then I was not looking for them but oranges, yes. They sell the variety Navalina, a tree about 1m tall with large fruit on it costs 65 euros. I bought a Navalina orange in the supermarket next day to make sure they are nice, and they are lovely! You can get a similar sized tree but less mature, thinner trunk, for 17.50 euros (see, Ive been making notes, how efficient am I?) And I too, have tried one of those nasty little sour oranges, off a neighbour's tree, make excellent marmalade I expect.

Bougainvillia 1m high in flower (or bract) 9.75 euros - 75mm high 7.75 euros.

I would imagine the plants we grow indoors here would be OK, after all, we only keep them in because it is too cold to leave them out but you would need to keep on top of how much or how little water they need. Also there is the chance they would not be happy with the amount of sun. Probably best to see what it sold in Spain.

Not that I am any sort of expert, but it also occurred to me that we need to give a lot of thought to any planting near swimming pools, try and stick to plants that don't drop leaves or too many tiny petals or it will all end up in the water!

You just reminded me, Daturas are spectacular in Spain, obviously perfect climate for them and their perfume - heaven. Must get one....

Arco-Iris

Thanks Susique - when we enquired about horse manure, most of it was spoken for! We did find a source of well rotted later and will be rotivating that in soon.

Daturas - we had a spectacular one in Portugal, much loved by bees which gathered in their hundreds at sun-up. Tried one here but lost it in last 2004's hard winter, along with a couple of well-established bourganvillea.

I've been up to me armpits recently in naranjas amargas (bitter oranges) and made several pots of marmalade, using light and dark sugar, black treacle and a poco de brandy....yum, yum. Also, lemon curd with the abundance of lemons.
We saw lime trees the year before last and said "later" and then couldn't find one. We're still looking so anyone who finds a source, can you post please.

Here's a lovely Marcel Proust quote..." let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make out souls blossom".

poollounger

Iris your parties sound more enticing by the minute, yummy homemade jams and a poetic outlook on life.(Shall skate over the Marigolds for the moment.) I wondered if I would have to make my own bread in Spain then discovered the organic wholemeal at Carrefour. Perfect with a bit of brandy marmalade I expect !!
I make a mean Caipirinha...the south american cocktail for anyone not familiar...limes, sugar syrup and rum. Hence the need for lime trees.
What about peaches and apricots. Am I right in thinking that for one of them one needs two trees, a male and a female ?
House plants I have seen outdoors are the rubber plants, spectacular as trees, and the multicoloured one..a Codaeum I think. Do you have to add sand to the soil for the palm??? My Spanish neighbours told me the soil was very fertile and it seeems to be soft loam...was an orchard previously I believe.

NicCol

Thanks Poollounger for this thread - very informative!

Could I ask about grass. I have stayed in a couple of villas in Chiclana with English grass, which doesn't look like it fairs well. I was thinking of the spongy grass that grows like clover (does anyone know the name?).

Any opinions on the best option??

susique

You will be talking about gramon. It is ideally suited to the climate and my personal preference is for this type of grass. Keep English lawns for England I say! When In Rome and all that (or in this case Spain)

Arco-Iris

Poollounger. Best to pick up a soil Ph test kit and check yours. Different plants need different soil, e.g camelias, gardenias, rhodedendron need ericaceous soil. Palms don't seem to be fussy, well ours don't anyway.

I'm not aware, and we've had no problems with our peaches and apricots, about a male or female tree. However, we did have to get a male and a female kiwi fruit for cross pollination.

Nic-Col. In these parts, the spongy grassy stuff is called cramon, which seems to need less water in summer and recovers well in the autumn. At one time it was a laborious method to propogate it but I understand it's possible now to get it in the roll, like turf. Those who've seeded grass have sat and watched the ants make off with the seeds! Result; patchy grass - a real labour of love, and plenty water to be successful. And many people aren't on mains water, and have salty water at that - double trouble!

Arco-Iris

Ah, Susique, I got my spelling wrong, no wonder I couldn't find it in the dictionary! Looking on the net, it says it's Bermuda grass and one of the worst weeds in Argentina. Elsewhere it says it's used extensively for golf greens. Very drought resistant and tolerates salty water. It used to be propagated by rhizomes, but seed is now available. Have a look at bermudagrass.com. Lots more info. on allaboutlawns.com

We don't have either, but have created a Med. garden with gravel and drought resistant plants that spread. Didn't want to run the risk of draining the well.

susique

Any idea where I can get the gramon as turf please?

cindyp

This bit's a quote (managed to delete the marker when posting)*****I'm sure you can get lime trees, they just another citrus after all. There is a garden Centre on the road between El Colorado & Conil, just after the Segundo Mano place on the right. It is a super place, goes on forever at the back and they have lots of BBQ's and stone garden seating and pots etc. in the front. I don't actually remember seeing limes but then I was not looking for them but oranges, yes. They sell the variety Navalina, a tree about 1m tall with large fruit on it costs 65 euros. I bought a Navalina orange in the supermarket next day to make sure they are nice, and they are lovely! You can get a similar sized tree but less mature, thinner trunk, for 17.50 euros (see, Ive been making notes, how efficient am I?) And I too, have tried one of those nasty little sour oranges, off a neighbour's tree, make excellent marmalade I expect.*******


I think we have been to that one too - if it's the one I am thinking of it's called El Tejar - has ceramics out the front and out the back it's like a gardening paradise. We got a lime tree there - about 3-4ft high, it was 28 euro I think - had some limes already growing on it.... we also got a lemon, a fig and a clementine there as we'd like to be able to eat the fruit too. The lime is for salads and G&Ts!!!