I've been overseas for work in Lisbon where I was amazed at how many plants I recognised. Almost everything I saw was part of the "warm/dry" plant spectrum you see more and more of around Melbourne: oleander, palms, bougainvillea, agapanthus, lemon trees, jacaranda, olive trees, agaves, pencil pines and even gum trees and paperbarks. It's a Mediterranean climate so I'm not surprised, Melbourne's looking a bit more Mediterranean every year. The only place you saw the more temperate Melbourne plants, like hydrangeas and camellias, were out of the city up in the hills.
And I was intrigued by how people managed to squeeze gardens into the city where most people have, at best, a window box. Here's a classic example of what I mean - look at all those plants on a tiny window box! Often they were artificial plants.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden8.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u5HMJZczxfxaLLiJk-R0NXZbw7f3VqGTDiZDRXK3T2axVQiAyAGXXDt1zjwjPJU2OIwXTF0X85xZ8u5MKAyiklTFjalDbuzZtWjmk6NoRLY_gR3NMrTTG-tK61=s0-d)
Here's an example of the amazing bougainvillea - absolutely stunning.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden1.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_usPmWlCGVGBYeNZaRAbbzrqKGEXzLPOvxtC0bd07nuo13tiYM0S_APydgPSql951xcNZJOHBwM06enmGZDneIuMD3XCOYrLSIF1UKMaDZnrS5RbiXT7BxBRPLn=s0-d)
These gardens backed onto a castle at the top of the hill. Imagine having a garden on three small terraces! But these must have been really, really expensive houses to afford this much garden.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden2.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uS5CS2iwdInNr8MFoV_Hfm6fUwgNxKIHeYnHAcuWoPsuasQKT4V1Ioqc57c73iCPWrHMWJ-T4JND-rjVo_4mT6NuXJud_QmWyTIhxzzyNhtYIkkVptXafDlUg=s0-d)
This plant looked really familiar but I don't know exactly what it is. But it sure looked funny.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden3.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vAR9nPV1V49J76UtcKrsga6BHo22RgdXfQxT5QJA6Kh6IqqR5ibH59vmNQfSinHaGAGIxFPVh8IOH36qMJToLwkvlt9KAfUBY3OeXfhyxpOcrb58aHF5zic-I=s0-d)
Here's another plant that I don't know, and this one I've never seen before.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden5.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tlewG9-USBhNoLunpAundlOAa2Q9QVfatrnlOXzdGULkzTHpaf2FBuf2MslJnoQBwHScwaGplZ_08-uUv6iYxHM_zvS9IGAqOAIiGAYXBrIrr_z9eTrsY8sYpQ=s0-d)
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden7.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tpGJMz27R1ZRiXeFw_ws4SlocxX3GP6yCLsH98VAKa9Af19Gh8tcb7VCw7DeA6TrQSAO6gydfR9tG3EkVNmL12auzAhej0sZx0GsZzz1YS9JdgtoE5PupFbyAU=s0-d)
And finally, this sight absolutely inspired me. 10-foot-tall sunflowers growing out of pots on a window ledge. If they can do that, I can do that. Sunflowers are on the list this year.
![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden4.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s1IAnnuoG-2G7oMUJ1tatO4nvZrHDoi8u3aKIJ6IJfj9Y9xR0NJHcx244ybT_R6KddapDy-35w8jgA8uZL8XpezTFsfuFPIqFs5e96xMOC4FbLZiNSYpJLJFfk=s0-d)
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tAu9UK399uy4koutPjLpP8pJGv6k6EF2UN79S4tumieuK50PNiWX0eC2t1GfmtBu4ffsX-99_SVrvmFklBEIK5lnOvYrsLedzGaVnS2hacflRFrZG7zyNc9QZXhO9_5vwsDUqlpJ7a1nKkvw=s0-d)
And I was intrigued by how people managed to squeeze gardens into the city where most people have, at best, a window box. Here's a classic example of what I mean - look at all those plants on a tiny window box! Often they were artificial plants.
These folks shared a little public courtyard which was filled with plants, including a little lemon tree. ![http://www.alexareynolds.com/blog10/Portugal/garden6.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vDFEiwbXtS5oKVDv6AkxEyjylGiy6BgYidl1Qnwb86tisdcYqejajgebOYxa1cMFTsUN1gFSmjM6ATihDxMfc2bRtze5KGyQPQeft7JsoQc32WwLfVmh4ej8E7=s0-d)
And these guys wanted to hold onto their vine so badly they held together the broken pot with wire.