GARDENS Gardening tips for beginners

A beginners guide to gardening in Portugal

We were contacted by Erika who is planning to move to Portugal from Sweden in the next month or so. With little gardening experience, she asked for some tips on where to start with her new garden in the Algarve.

Portugal is one of the best countries where you can enjoy so many outdoor activities. One of the major reasons why people move permanently to Portugal is to enjoy the long warm summer. Due to the hot climate, you will spend most of your time outside your house. As a apartments usually have a balcony where you can enjoy the outdoor life. However, if you love gardening, it might be a bit challenging due to the hot climate. In this article, we shall share some gardening tips that will give you the best results in Portugal.

1Succulent plants – Aloe and cacti are very popular in Portugal. The good thing about these plants is that high temperatures or lack of water does referred to as succulent because they are able to retain water in hot climates. Succulent is a Latin word where “Sucus” means juice. These types of plants are great because they are easy to maintain. 2Edible garden – Portugal is a great place you can settle permanently if you love planting, pruning and digging. Unlike other places like the UK or other places in North Europe, in Portugal you will have a good chance to try growing some vegetables and fruits you may have never grown before. For example, melons, that do well in Portugal.

3Be aware of pests – You need to use a special type of nets that will keep wild animals and birds away from your garden. Nets don’t have a great appearance on

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4Irrigation – Even if you have a small garden or terrace where you are planning to grow some plants, you need to think about how you will be doing irrigation during summer. South Lisbon is one of the areas where it rarely rains. However, there are many electronic irrigation systems you should use but if you are on a tight budget, manual pipes will also be great. Whichever method you use, you must ensure that it is bills.

5Grass – Verdant landscapes are so abundant in the northern part of Portugal because there is enough rainfall. As a result, it is easier to maintain a lawn than it is in the southern part of Portugal where maintaining a green lawn throughout the year is not easy. Likewise, many gardens and patios in the Algarve contain paving or shingle. You can consider planting leafy and colourful plants to make your garden more attractive. Trying to maintain your grass in the southern part will not be possible unless you are planting on a communal land which will be a bit expensive to maintain.

Conclusion

If you love gardening and you have been planning to relocate to Portugal, those are among the things you should try if you love gardening. Despite the fact that the place is a bit hot especially during summer, you can still enjoy growing some plants.

NICHOLAS LOFTHOUSE JOINS THE MONTE REI TEAM

Monte Rei introduce new assistant PGA professional

We met up with Nicholas Rhys Lofthouse from Llandudno, North Wales who has recently been appointed Assistant PGA Professional at Monte Rei. Nicholas moved to Portugal in January this year. He has a Degree in Tournament Golf, Year 2 PGA, attended the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Florida and comes from The Belfry, where he was Academy Assistant. Asked what his best score at Monte Rei was he replies ´70, which is 2 under par´... Very impressive. Before arriving in Portugal Nicholas had played the course before, winning the East Algarve Trophy. When asked his opinion on the course, Nicholas says ´The course is incredible and I have played top courses all over world. Every hole is WOW and very way around the course´. the new Callaway ´Rogue´ range of clubs, To contact Nicholas email nick.lofthouse@monterei.com, alternatively call +351 281 950 960.

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