🍄 The bliss of gardening on my little piece of African soil. A year-by-year record of the progress in my old garden. My "new" garden of 2000sq.m. started in 2004, and ended when we sold our smallholding in 2017and moved to the Dolphin Coast in KwaZulu Natal. Now "my garden" consists of a postage-stamp-size mostly-indigenous succulent garden and it always amazes me how supposedly drought-resistant plants do so well in this tropical coastal region.
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Friday, 17 July 2009
My New Garden: Progress 6 - January to December 2007
It is only when we are aware of the earth and of the earth as poetry that we truly live.
- Henry Beston, 1935, Herbs and the Earth
It's January 1st 2007, and not only is it the beginning of a new year, a new sunrise greets me as I step outside at 5am to check why the ducks are squabbling so noisily - could be a stray cat or, even worse, a mongoose. They're avid little hunters and I wouldn't put it past them trying to tackle a duck, but all seemed quiet and peaceful when I got there.
Beautiful sunrise January 1st 2007
The Carolina pair swimming peacefully after their squabble...
The fountain at the pond
Found a broken pot and decided to utilise it behind some Echevarias -
added a couple of stepping stones, some pebbles and a couple of grasses.
April 2007 - Full moon through the branches of an old peach tree.
Enjoying the cool Autumn evening after a hot summer.
May 2007 - absolutely freezing conditions - looks like the
Pachypodium won't make it this time...
The Aloe thriving in the freezing weather...
June 2007 - this is the most severe Winter we've seen for a long time -
looks like the Coco Splumosas are also not going to make it... I'm sure snow
would have been kinder than this terrible frost.
July 2007 - and true to nature, the Aloes are in full bloom. Did you
know that, if you planted this same Aloe in Europe, they will flower
during the European summer in June/July, our Winter time here
in South Africa.
December 2007 - The Erigerons on a beautiful summer's night.
Erigeron close-up
30th December 2007 - Finishing off the year sitting outside on
a lovely summer's night enjoying the frogs croaking at the pond.
One of the frogs joining in the chorus. When I was taking the
photograph, he ducked away as if he thought I would not see him!
And so it's farewell to a fabulous 2007 and looking forward to 2008!
.
My New Garden: Progress 5 - Aug to Dec 2006
I haven't up-dated my new garden progress for some time, so please note that this progress is for August to December 2006 - I'll catch up to be current very soon!
There is a great pleasure in working in the soil, apart from the ownership of it. The man who has planted a garden feels that he has done something for the good of the world.
- Charles Dudley Warner, 1870
AUGUST 2006 : Spring hasn't quite stuck her head out yet - very windy and still very cold... not that the Arctotis seem to mind, they've been flowering since the middle of July. The Monkey-tail Cactus has been covered in flowers all Winter long.
Arctotis
Arctotis flower
September 2006 - Erigeron climbing over the log
Monkey-tail Cactus flower
Cactus flowers on a beautiful October night.
October 2006 - the Pachypodium has survived! and started sprouting new heads of leaves.
Can't say the same for the Acacia Umbrella Thorn -
nary a sign of a green bud and I really think I've lost it this Winter...
knew he was too tender, yet I still took the chance of planting him.
Above and below: The lush greenery of November after still some more rain...
The Red Hot Pokers flourishing in the December heat
Bull-Bull in the Pin Oak
December2006 - The Greater Striped Swallows re-built last year's nest
under the ceiling of the garden shed.
Next up-date Jan '07 to Dec '07
.
There is a great pleasure in working in the soil, apart from the ownership of it. The man who has planted a garden feels that he has done something for the good of the world.
- Charles Dudley Warner, 1870
AUGUST 2006 : Spring hasn't quite stuck her head out yet - very windy and still very cold... not that the Arctotis seem to mind, they've been flowering since the middle of July. The Monkey-tail Cactus has been covered in flowers all Winter long.
Arctotis
Arctotis flower
September 2006 - Erigeron climbing over the log
Monkey-tail Cactus flower
Cactus flowers on a beautiful October night.
October 2006 - the Pachypodium has survived! and started sprouting new heads of leaves.
Can't say the same for the Acacia Umbrella Thorn -
nary a sign of a green bud and I really think I've lost it this Winter...
knew he was too tender, yet I still took the chance of planting him.
Above and below: The lush greenery of November after still some more rain...
The Red Hot Pokers flourishing in the December heat
Bull-Bull in the Pin Oak
December2006 - The Greater Striped Swallows re-built last year's nest
under the ceiling of the garden shed.
Next up-date Jan '07 to Dec '07
.