The Romantic Garden

The asset of the house is the garden

with an immense variety of flowers plants and scents.

The Mediterranean Garden

Our quinta is surrounded by a wonderful garden with a great variety of plants. It is fenced in with roses and oleander protecting it  from views from the outside.

In this 7500 sqm garden you will not only find romantic seats to dream away the day, but also fruit trees , vines, a mini-pool, a barbecue spot and a baking oven. Until June a small creek crosses the orchard at the bottom end of the garden.

The garden is fenced in although you often do not see the fence because of the bramble and the bamboo plants.

In the picture below you have the view of the Lisbon coast from our sun terrace. It is a dream to have breakfast or lunch here. Especially when the weather is fine the view is just marvellous. If you go down past the sun terrace you come to our orchard.

When you pass the entrance gate and look to your right, you see the old Mediterranean garden. Where in former times apple trees grew in abundance- the were felled by the first owner because of a disease- we started the Mediterranean garden in 2001.

The  works in this part of the garden have not been finished yet, but when can you say that about a garden ?

Here  the typical Mediterranean plants like palm trees, cacti, rosmarin and lavender grow. Here and there you find wonderful hidden spots, where you can relax, enjoy nature or read a book without being disturbed.

The Walk of Roses

When you enter the quinta, a small path to the right below a wild olive tree leads to the walk of roses. It goes along the western border of the quinta up to a group of olive trees. As the plants are regularly watered, you can find roses , irises, agapanthus and many other water- -dependent plants and borders.

In autumn 2013 we began to build the new Mediterranean garden. After an intensive exchange of soil ( the clay was mixed with sand to improve drainage) we put in plants which were supposedly capable of surviving the dry and hot climate in our summer without much watering. Afterwards we put in a layer of gravel 10-15 cm high to prevent the growth of weeds and to keep the moisture in the ground. After two years this part of our garden had developed perfectly. The few plants that did not survive the heat period in summer were not replaced.

Below the Mediterranean garden we  have tried to build a waterwise garden according to the suggestions of the well-known French specialist Olivier Filippi. We were inspired by his garden in the South of France. He planted drought-resistant borders on flat hills, which he had built with the soil gained when excavating the ground for the pathways. If it rains heavily in the rainy season, the water can flow down the hills and get carried away on the gravelled pathways, which meander among the hills.

Our pathways will be flattened as soon as we find the time for it.

In the first year the plants must be watered. Therefore we have water basins on the hills to avoid the water running off the top of the hills and to promote a deep penetration of the soil with water.

The central driveway leads down to the orchard with its small creek, which only runs until June. Then it gets dry. This small creek often surprises the visitor with its great variety of wild plants.

In the orchard you can find lots of fruits according to the seasons. Among them are figs, oranges, lemons, tangerines, medlars, walnuts and quinces.

On the other side of  the little creek you can see two wooden figures (a crocodile and a wood gnome). They are from the jungles of Venezuela.