Courtesy of garden expert John Negus (of 'Amateur Gardening)...I can now give name to the mystery pines growing (in pots Lesley tells me)up at Rocha Brava area.
John sent me e-mail this morning to tell me it is the:
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla).Norfolk Island in the Pacific.
Not hardy enough for most of Britain and unsuitable for conservatories as its a vigorous grower.
Thank-you John!and best wishes to all at Amateur Gardening!
So my nick-named 'telegraph pole pine'( )..is now properly named!
Am now off to inform my Canadian chum Nancy!
Happy gardening& hope sun shines for you

Hi Ellie, well done I am impressed! I don't remember saying they grow in pots?!? they grow very tall, 20' or more so I don't think a pot is the right place to grow them!!
Was thinking of one for our garden but I think they will be too tall. I think I will stick to the Mimosa, Almond and Jacaranda trees, there is one other I have seen in a garden which I need to go and look at next time I am out, It has the most wonderful red flowers and grows well from the look of it
Hope the flu has gone now. (ps. did the questionnaire today)

Sorry Lesley..I checked your e-mail and you never said word about seeing any in POTS!!!
Lord help me..WHERE did I spirit that up from??..I know Ive been feverish...BUT!
wonder if anyone has one in a pot..and they dont know about it?
Mind you ..I have seen some very big things in pots out there(mind you..the pots were pretty enormous as well!
Anyway Lesley..whats this nice tree with beautiful red flowers?
Is it small tree/large shrub?
Not a hibiscus...rosa -sinensis (about 10ft) or syriacus 16ft..?
Yes thanks..little better today..but now have irritating cough(to me & others! )......
you mentioned Jacarandas..think theyre about my favourite Algarve tree..wonderful to sit beneath..aahhhhh..what a lovely thought

Norfolk Island pine — a handsome pinaceous tree of Australia and Norfolk Island (Araucaria excelsa), with whorls of horizontal branches densely set with deep green awl-shaped leaves. It is often cultivated in pots, seldom exceeding a few feet in height, though in its native home it grows 200 feet high.

There you go Ellie, guest has the low down of the pots!! You must have read it somewhere.
The tree I have seen is about the size of a Jacaranda/ almond tree but more dense, with very dark green leaves, I can't remember if it was autumn or spring I saw it in full bloom but it was covered in dark red flowers, it looked stunning. It is on the road out of cvo going towards Benagil, you go past the new build of houses on the right just after the sign to a golf course Vale de something???? (don't like golf so didn't take much notice) in someones garden, but it is about 15' high. Next time (july) I will go and get a piece and see if I can identify it properly.
I am not very good when it comes to proper names for things, not like you who is an expert.
Jacarnada trees are just beautiful, I am having at least two in our front garden that is for sure!

Well thank-you Guest & Lesley..but its strange...Ive been looking through notes and e-mails etc..and nowhere can I find a reference to those trees in pots......Im completely ignorant about them..and can only imagine that I...dreamt it ?
Guest..Ive been looking at picture of the 'excelsa' variety..and like your description..it looks a bit denser foliage than the heterophylla variety.
But reading up on both..I see that theyre both often raised in pots..and are sometimes used as 'Christmas trees'.......well we live & learn..
Im certainly no expert thats for sure..I know a little..and need to know a lot more..I just love the plant world.....
Lesley..I guess youre like me..I like the oldfashioned names for plants..I only know latin names from having to learn for my studies..
Honeysuckle..better than lonicera!
Love- a - mist..better than nigella
forget-me -not..better than mysotis
cornflowers
poppies
hearts ease
grannies bonnets..sound far nicer to me
Now were on the trail of Lesleys mystery tree with the beautiful dark red flowers??? ...............ellie

Hi Ellie,
I am back again, poor computer had to go away to hospital (private! it cost an arm and a leg) but I am back on line again now.
In one of your posts somewhere I think I read that you might be out in cvo in Sept? I am hoping to get out also in Sept. maybe we could go look at the tree together.
Sounds like a couple of tree hugging hippies getting together. No we have been down that one in past posts!!
And yes all my flowers come in 'old fashion names' can never remember the latin ones.

Sorry Ellie, wasn't logged on!!

Great to see you back Lesley!
Yes (just checked my date!) Im booked to fly out Sept.7th..but not sure where Ill be staying yet..but most likely in CVO village(oops..town now isnt it?)
would be lovely to meet up with you and yes..we will go hug that tree..if theyll let us in garden!! and maybe have a dance round it
The Latin names do pee me off a bit..but I had to learn them and it was often difficult to remember all Id learnt(still is!)
Hows garden doing?Id love to see it some time (what a cheek this womans got )
By way..nuts are still on almond..so it could mean a tart in the offing !

Hi Ellie, If I can wangle it to get out on the 7th Sept I will let you know and tree hugging is on the list of things to do!!
Then you can give me some help on planning my garden as it is now just a barren waste, mind you it does have some little things growing back.
Ellie's Almond tart .... must give me the recipe

Sorry Ellie, that was me, seems I have to log on every time now, where as with old computer it logged on for me, must have missed a bit somewhere that says 'don't log me off'

Morning Lesley!
Phewww! gonna be a sizzler here today (30!)...so was out doing my watering very early!
Okay! Thats a date.....but will they let us into their gardens d'you think?2 strange women in kaftans.shaking their love beads !
Ill search out the 'almond tart' recipe later!
what little things you got growing there?...never know ..you may get some nice surprises

Hi Ellie, has been very hot here all morning, but we now have some high cloud which is cooling things down a bit. I to have been out early watering and riding, not nice when it is very hot, sweaty horse and me!!
Last month when we went back to the house, a bamboo had sudenly shot up in the middle of the terracing which will be lawn. Also little holly bushes seem to be taking over the rough piece of land again. I want to transplant some of the wild gorse but can't do anything till the autumn now.
Also need to gather seeds and scatter over the land to bring back the wild flowes again.

(Tree is close to the road, so we might be able to hug on the quiet!)

Once again a really nice post to steady the nerves after a long holiday weekends work..many thanks ..don,t worry about the tree owner....never yet met a dog lover or a gardener that wouldn,t welcome a two hour chat with complete strangers on their passion(horse lovers included)...by the way does anybody still grow any of the old fashioned scented flowers like wall flowers any more....it all seems to be shrubs and scree and decking and patios now.....as a kid i remember my mam loved to grow things from seeds and cuttings....at times it was like living in a scented colouring book....suppose it was on account of her being brought up in the inner city...smoke blackened redbrick and concrete yards ...no colour and the smell of chimneys.......sorry im wandering,.....just a bit tired an missing the mam a bit...anyway i hope yis get to dance around your tree(its not a kind of rhododendren is it) every body needs a goal in life.

Hi Gerry, I don't think it is a Rhododendron, seems to be a tree rather than a large bush/shrub.
I still grow old fashion flowers, granny bonnets, old fashion marrigolds (not the african ones) Geraniums, sunflowers, fushias, fresias, pansies etc. etc.............. have got some decking around the pond, but otherwise it is a good old country garden.
Mind you I have two Mimosa trees that have just about grown out of their pots and will have to plant them out this year, hope they survive. Just to remind me of Monchique.