Out of this world.

19/09/2026 – 25/09/2026  By Uwe Heitkamp

Edition 37.2026

It was back in the days when people still had ten fingers on both hands and actually used them. They would dig small holes with a spade and plant trees along a road or in their gardens. The first time I travelled from Portimão to Monchique, I took the VAMUS No. 94 bus and had time to marvel through the panoramic windows at the trees that had been planted by the roadside perhaps 50 years ago: carob trees, cork oaks, olive trees and many more, including, for example, jacarandas. When someone plants a tree, they have a reason for doing so. They have a vision of what it might look like one day – providing shade, bearing purple blossoms and adorning the path along which they stand. The art of creating a tree-lined avenue is a skill that architects and landscape gardeners have all but forgotten. Trees have lost their importance. They are regarded, if at all, as mere decoration. If they get in the way, they are chopped down, and perhaps a new tree will be planted somewhere else. Yet the diversity of trees is far more important than anything any smartphone could ever offer.

It was a time when people still had ten fingers on both hands, when they used those hands to create beautiful avenues, so that whole neighbourhoods now lie in the shade when summer temperatures soar beyond 40 degrees and the consequent heat and drought make most major cities almost uninhabitable. Man-made climate change is caused by the burning of petrol and diesel in cars and aeroplanes. But it is also caused by the fact that people are using their ten fingers less and less. Planting young trees is a task that stimulates the mind, imagination and creativity. You are actively involved, right at the heart of the action. Anyone who plants a dozen trees knows exactly what they have done. It gets into your muscles and tendons and remains a memorable experience. Anyone who would like to plant a walnut tree, a Monchique oak or a lime tree here in our young Botanical Forest Garden in Caldas de Monchique can register with us from October onwards. After the first autumn rain, we will plant one hundred young trees. In doing so, we are inspired by the diversity of tree species and the colours of nature.

We are using our ten fingers to create an oasis in the Monchique hillside. You can join us, get involved and, for two hours on Saturday mornings, become part of an international community whilst learning about botany. Come to Caldas de Monchique and plant your own tree. Leave your mark with an oak tree in the Esgravatadouro forest. Register with us by email at theobald.tiger8550@gmail . I look forward to meeting you.