The area that could be seen from the kitchen window and the east side of the terrace had never been cultivated but we started off a herb bed there and things seemed to thrive so we decided to build a large raised bed next to it.

This photo shows the work in progress - we were asked if we had discovered a neolithic burial mound! The ground was very stony but we cleared the worst of them and left the smaller ones for drainage. We had to do the work over two visits and left some of the plants we had already bought for the bed healed in.

The main plants are a pomegranite tree (Punica granatum) and two Arbutus unedo which we hope to have as a hedge at the back of the bed. Arbutus grows wild in the hills behind the house and the fruits are used to distill the local firewater Mendronho.

We added roses, rosemary, Convulvulus cneorum, hebe, Strelitza nichola, Pittisporum tobira nana, Carissa grandiflora (the natal plum), Salvia splendis, Cuphea ignis (cigar plant) and some named Cannas. The cannas turned out to be the wrong thing for this space growing far too tall and untidy in a relatively neat bed so they were removed after one season and I am not convinced how small the P. tobira is going to be. One has already been removed and replaced by a glorious Salvia elegans "Tangerine Sage" brought over from the UK. One of the problems of gardening in Portugal being the lack of choice and variety of plants available from the local nurseries and garden centres compared to what is available in the UK espeically from specialist nurseries who offer mai order and online ordering. In the UK a wonderful range of herbs, ferns and perennials is available from Proper Plants.

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