Autumn is on the way

Life without a garden would be empty 

Klisgras (Setaria verticillata)

As the weather pulses cold and warm and cold again, it is apparent that autumn is close here in Gauteng. For some time I have resisted cutting the grass so as to provide the natural flowering of Dandelions of different kinds, and the other smaller flowers that only grow with the grass. I do enjoy seeing what emerges when nature is left to itself, and that it provides for the tiny creatures that persist throughout the season.

A lot of the grass in my garden has already turned yellow or brown, I came upon this Klisgras (Setaria verticillata, a beautiful grass with spiky tussles) which had escaped the wrath of the lawnmower by growing close to the fence. It was glittering in the late afternoon sunlight with shades of yellow, green and brown.

Here in my garden I have planted a section purely with indigenous grasses in stead of Kikuyu, which uses enormous amounts of water and also needs to be cut very often. The indigenous grasses are also a good source of food for many birds and offers shelter to lizards, geckos, snakes and my tortoise, Torti.

The grasses also make great flower arrangements and I have picked quite a lot and placed them in vases throughout the house.

 

We've had non-stop rain for over two weeks now and the garden is light and bright. There is not much in the way of insects about although there are flowers still. The Marigolds have almost all gone to seed though they are still providing beautiful splashes of colour. They are still a haven for a few straggly bees, aren't seeing that many in the garden these days. It has been a tough season for the bees, with all the rain, and I really must plant more flowers this coming spring...

 

 

 

I've also picked the last of the Hydrangeas, placed some in vases and hung up a few for drying. Soon the main plants will be dying back and I'll be looking forward to their return in spring.

 

 

 

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