Gardening in Fuerteventura

[GMT]

GMT - my Almond tree has a few bigger Almonds this year. Last time they were tiny and didn't swell up (not pollinated maybe?) Fingers crossed they don't get blown off - it's gusting over 70km/h right now.

Thanks Archer, good to know there is hope to have almonds over there, gusts of wind permitting.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Another tree/shrub that you'll see around is quite a strange one, again I don't know it's name but I'll try to dig out some ref books tomorrow and track it down.


The growths are like short, stubby fingers and although it does develop some tiny leaves in spring they are not really worthy of the name:



If you keep the shrub/tree trimmed at the top it will bush out quite well and form a dense plant - a row can make quite a good windbreak. When the new growth gets going well it is a beautiful apricot/gold colour for a few months and the plant glows in the sun. It roots very easily - use the prunings to increase stock. 
The plant in the first pic which is near our windmill was pruned last year by the owner and the prunings put on the communal bonfire pile - I rescued quite a few bits, stuck them in pots in a large container under a tree, and forgot all about them until today. When I went to look they are all growing well and ready to be planted out:

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

The last few days I have been keeping busy by cutting back the bougainvilleas  that covered my front wall/fence. The wall got damaged in the winds last year and needs major repair work - the fence needs to come down before the walls can be reinforced. 
So, loads of very thick and very prickly bougainvillea and my pitahaya being slowly demolished - lots still to do. I reckon I'm about a third of the way through and there's as much growth on the other side of the wall and it's all grown through the fence …. keeping me busy during lockdown!

  

 

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

A few more things growing in my garden:

an Aloe tree with the ubiquitous wild lavender. 


a rescued potted poinsettia from last Christmas, it'll go in the ground later:


seedlings of Caesalpinia gilliesii, Desert/Yellow Bird of Paradise in bloom - my original plant gave up the ghost after 3 brilliant years 


this shrub has responded well to a severe pruning:


seedlings under a milkweed, I think 2 are milkweed and 1 the previous shrub with yellow flowers which is next to it.


the milkweed has bloomed all winter and dropped hundreds of seeds.


Yellow Datura v Blackcurrant swirl Datura seed pods:
 

the desert roses are coming back to life with lots of growth buds, this particular one has even started blooming!:
 

a new plant waiting to go in the ground, the flowers are like tissue paper, so delicate:


one of my disasters, statice, I've tried 3 plants now but they seem to do well for a month or two and then give up.
 

Thunbergia erectus blooming against the wall and a very strong looking mirabilis seedling:


I'm delighted with the way my new raised beds are filling out, apart from the statice, especially the rosemary horizontalis at each end:
 

[Emmi Smith]

Tamara, your strange tree/shrub a few posts above is commonly known as the pencil cactus.

https://greeneryunlimited.co/pages/pencil-cactus-care

They are so easy to grow.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Thanks Emmi, name certainly fits.

[windermeregolfer]

Some colour in our garden at the moment, the hibiscus have been flowering like this for 2 months now.

                   

[Perrypower1]

Very nice, the Weather in the UK is turning cold for a few days, so soak up what sun you can.

[Emmi Smith]

https://cdn1.imggmi.com/uploads/2020/3/2...3-full.jpg
Pair of Doves have taken up residence in my garden, as you can see very friendly!

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

I've pushed on with the pruning today, working mainly on the outside of the fence/wall. I filled 3 giant bags today (the industrial ones that sand etc gets delivered in, cubic metre?) with bougainvillea and 3 of the largest IKEA bags with pitahaya pieces. I've also kept 3 gorilla buckets of pitahaya pieces to grow on. Luckily one of our local goat farmers that passes my place each day takes all my stuff like this for his animals - I just leave the bags by the road and he pops them on his truck and returns the empties over the gate when he goes home (he doesn't live on the finca, he's also a Puerto taxi driver!). 

Still loads to do ……………. they are/were meant to start work on the wall this coming Wednesday but I'm not sure now in view of the latest update to the lockdown.

  

The pitahaya is a nightmare, it has a very thick tough core running right through it - about half an inch thick - but apparently the local goats adore the fleshy bit, it's very juicy, a bit like aloe.

After my 'over the garden wall' chat with the goat farmer today I suddenly realised how far my Spanish has come along. I lived in Corralejo for 4 years and hardly spoke any Spanish but since moving to Tindaya 4 year's ago it's come on in leaps and bounds, driven partly through necessity and partly by the fact that out here they reply in Spanish rather than the tourist town habit of replying in English to your attempts! I've recently had the 'Have you lost an iguana because I've found one on the road' and 'do your goats eat bougainvillea and pitahaya because I need to cut it all down for my wall to be repaired' conversations - a bit like learning French at school where it was 'the pen of my aunt' stuff! I struggle with my tenses, and thank goodness for Google, but I've come a long way. For anyone that is reading this and contemplating moving to Fuerte at some point in the future, start learning Spanish ASAP! Like right now during lockdowns!