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I had to tear myself away from my own garden projects this week to spend a delightful couple of days in Lisbon. A beautiful city with Portuguese Tarts on every corner.

1) We selected a house with a courtyard garden so I write this happily sitting under a huge avocado, a lime tree and a Japanese medler wondering at the climbing Asparagus fern with its spiny branches.

2) Botanical Garden of Lisbon

These gardens are hidden in the centre of the city and currently the glass houses are closed for refurbishment. There are many mature trees and an impressive dry garden but generally the gardens feel run down and in need of love and investment.

Incredible Swiss cheese plant

One of the many huge agaves

3) This exotic tree on a street in Lisbon stopped me in my tracks, still trying to find out what it is.

4) The Cold Glasshouse located in Parque Eduardo VII, has about 1.5 hectares of glass houses that are unheated but are far from cold. They are completely wonderful and only just over 3 euros entrance fee.

5) Another Swiss Cheese plant, I bought one of these for our sitting room last week never imagining I would see so many of them in Lisbon

6) Devil’s backbone (Kalanchoe daigremontiana). It is always a thrill to see a plant you nurture on your kitchen windowsill casually growing outside with little if any love.

Do follow The Propergator and join in the fun of Six on Saturday.

Yesterday I spent the day at Wisley Gardens for their late summer show. From a retail point of view it is my favourite show of the year. My garden used to go into decline from July but over the years the Wisley Show has helped me become a year round gardener with colour and interest through to the frosts.

1) 21 plants purchased, I did get a little carried away!

My Mum showed more restraint with just six beautiful plants

And my sister just had four (but she is moving house soon)

2) Most interesting plant phytolacca americana , they say the Declaration of Independence was signed with ink made from the berries of this plant. Will grow to two meters and enjoys a shady border.

3) Have been after a fig with cut leaves for some time, this is ice Crystal

4) Saw a bush honeysuckle (rather than climber) on one of the recent gardening TV programmes so delighted to find this one – Lonicera Stawberries and Cream

5) It is funny how tastes change, a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have even glanced at a Begonia but I find myself drawn to their beautiful foliage. This is Silver Splendour.

6) Last and most expensive purchase was telescopic pruners. I have a walled garden with walls well over 3m high and I have worked hard to cloak them in green climbers. These pruners were worth every penny (£50) because I no longer have to wobble at the top of a ladder to keep on top of the tendrils. Works brilliantly (though the job has to be broken down in to ten minute sessions to avoid neck ache)

Do check out The Propergator’s blog and why not do your own Six on Saturday.

My meeting in London finished earlier than expected on Wednesday so I hopped on the District Line and spent a very happy couple of hours at Kew Royal Botantica Gardens. I have been hoping to see the Chihuly: Relections on Nature since it opened in April, I couldn’t resist the chance to visit before the garden in full of children on their summer holidays.

1) Beautiful sculpture at Kew2) My favourite pieces3) Glass in the glasshouse4) Dreams of my own glasshouseAh to one day have a glasshouse, not a greenhouse (though that would be wonderful) but a full on glasshouse.

5) Plant inspirationWill definitely grow cobaea scandens from seed next year.Beautiful viola hederacea

6) What did I buy?

All from the half price bench.

Calocephalus Brownii – looks like it has been sprayed with silver paint, completely tender but really interesting

Primula capitata, not sure what colour the flowers will be but lovely blue grey leaves.

Primula auricular, half price and in a terracotta pot.

Scindapsus pictus to add to my hanging house plant collection in the kitchen

Violas, no label so no idea what they are. Had to buy it after seeing the viola in the glasshouse

Back to my own garden today, no need to water so just some gentle deadheading and staking.

This was an exhausting week with a three day conference in Newcastle. On my return from drizzly grey skys I was taken by surprise by the thirsty tired plants in my garden. A good water and dead head helped but jury is still out on one of my new heucheras, the label clearly said shade, I should have positioned it more carefully.

By this morning pretty much everything had perked back up.

1) Agapanthus

I have ten different agapanthus plants and last year I had just one flower, not one plant flowering, literally one flower. I did my research, moved the pots to the sunniest parts of the garden, fed and watered during late summer and this year four are in flower, two in bud and four still just healthy green leaves maybe they will flower next year.

2) Beautiful lilies

And they smell wonderful. I have a second pot in bud and the promise of flowers in nine weeks from the bulb seller at Hampton Court.

3) Forgotten..

This is a voodoo lily (arum cornutum) bought at Hampton Court maybe five years ago. I had forgotten about it and stacked various pots of ferns on the raised bed. Still it fought its way through, love the leopard print stems.

4) Tetrapanax papyrifer Rex – Chinese rice paper plant.

This plant has gone crazy!

5) The big task – tendrils taking over

Before – the green wall needs attention

The mess!

The beautifully groomed wall after a day running up and down the ladder.

6) Mystery plant

My sister was given this lovely plant from a friend at work. Does anyone know what it is? Hoping we can grow more from its seed for next year.

Happy gardening, may the lovely weather continue.

That is my six, do visit The Propergator blog to find out how to be part of the gang.

Heuchera Silver Gum Drop – first time I have seen this steely silver foliage. Vibrant pink flowers. Shade loving.

Heuchera Paris – green leaves with deep rose flowers. Sun or light shade.

Heuchera Peach Flambe – peach leaves turning to plum by winter. White flowers. Sun or part shade.

Bergonia Luxurians

From Brazil has umbrella, palmate leaves with small white and yellow flowers. Semi shade, moist soil. Needs to come in for winter.

Six white lily bulbs called Lingerie

Spent Friday at Hampton Court Garden Festival. A wonderful day with four of my best friends.

The gardens were surprising similar this year with a focus on natural, wildlife planting and very little clean landscaping.

1) Though your EyesLoved the green planting, not so keen on the huge metal head that was the main feature.

2) Stop and Pause GardenThis garden was beautiful with lush planting. Particularly loved the seating area with the circular frame.

3) A Place to MeetThis was one of the few gardens that had very defined hard landscaping. The water feature was actually a plunge pool!

4) Floral MarqueeThis is always the best part of the show, creative displays and the opportunity to buy buy buy. This year the marquee was filled with the aroma of lavender.

5) What did I buy?Three heuchera from Plantagogo – Silver Gum Drop, Peach Flambe and Paris.

Bergonia Luxurians, an exotic from Brazil with umbrella leaves that should grow to two meters. Will have to come in over winter.

Also bought six lily bulbs called Lingerie, very pure white and seller claims that if I plant today they will be flowering in six to ten weeks!

6) Back in my own gardenLast week I was full of cold so didn’t get out into the garden and yesterday I was away for a full fourteen hours on a very hot day. Several plants really suffered due to the heat and my lack of watering. This morning I have thoroughly watered all the pots and hoping most plants will be looking better by tomorrow – fingers crossed for my verbena bonariensis, astrantia and scabiosa.

Join in Six on Saturday, just go to The Propergator’s blog and follow his guide.

A weekend of proper summer weather. Lovely for us, not so good for the dogs but have made beef/ cheese/ peanut butter popsicles – mmm.The garden is becoming a jungle. Flowers are mostly white and purple so today I am focusing on white.One – star jasmineThis has gone crazy this year, filling the garden with scent.Two – Euphorbia diamond frostI love this plant, managed to over winter one for a couple of years until I became too confident. Will see how long I can keep this new one.Three – anenome wild swanWith the beautiful purple undersideFour – nicotianaI grew these from seed but have mixed feelings, the flowers smell amazing in the evening but they have big ugly leaves that snap easily and attract tiny white leaf hoppers. I think they need to be in big groups in a bigger garden. Not one for next year for me.Five – passion flower ice queenA beautiful plant from Wisley show last year.Six – a bit of blackBlack violas grown from seed by my friends mum with ophiopogon planiscapus in the background both sat on the black deck.Sneaking in a black and white dogJust had a shower, drying in the sunHeading to Hampton Court with my loveliest friends on Friday, must remember to take photos for SOS.