Nature's simple pleasures

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; 

 solitude will not be solitude, 

poverty will not be poverty, 

 nor weakness weakness.” 

~Henry David Thoreau 

And beauty will become apparent in all things.
.

 Taking a walk down our smallholding towards the bluegum bush at the bottom of our property. Imagine if I decided to turn all this into a garden!
.

Sprinkle simple pleasures throughout your day. Knowing what your simple pleasures are, and putting a few of them in each day, can go a long way to making life more enjoyable.
.

One of my pleasures is gardening. Gardening allows me to enjoy the simple pleasures of Nature, who never complicates things. Plants either grow or they don't. And my one simple rule is never to complicate gardening by planting something that does not naturally occur in this area, no matter how beautiful.

Another simple pleasure is taking a walk on our smallholding. Just walking for the sake of walking and not with a destination in mind. No camera, no sketch-book, no iPod disturbing the peace. Just walking. And watching the crew busy with their daily activities.

There's always something interesting to see, and I stop, and look. Laughing Doves in a tree. A lost sunflower. Take it in. Listen to the birds singing, the wind rustling in the trees, the insects buzzing around the wild flowers and grasses. What an honour.

There are more simple pleasures in my day. Reading, listening to music, washing dishes, doing laundry, watering pot plants, enjoying a cup of coffee, preparing a salad. But one thing at a time. Multitasking detracts from fully enjoying each of these activities. Actually hearing the music, the feeling of your hands in the hot, soapy water, feeling the fabric as you fold the laundry and actually tasting the coffee as you drink it. Enjoy doing each task on its own and you will discover the simple joy of living.

To bless this kind earth... and yourself

Now that we're over the worst of summer (and it really was the pits, with extreme heat-waves, temps in the 40℃'s and drought) and had some lovely rain to break the heat and drought, I'm enjoying time outside in my garden again. I just get absolutely cranky, and listless, when it gets that hot, and can't seem to get around to doing anything outside. But as we all know, we NEED to get outside, we need to spend time in nature, otherwise life becomes unbearable. Well, for me anyway. My plants and the birds in my garden are part of my family, and I feel as though I've lost track of what's going on in their lives. I just did the bare necessities during that heat, filling the water bowls and feed tables and the rest, like watering the garden, was left up to my trusty garden manger, Chrissie. I even thought of telling her to chat to the birds, because I wasn't getting round to it!

But my garden doesn't seem to have minded my absence. It's like a jungle out there after all the rain. Nature's revenge to neglect is that, when left undisturbed and given time, she will reclaim anything built by humanity. So basically, no need to feel guilty here, life winds a way.

 There's a pathway somewhere in there, totally covered now by Bulbine and Sword ferns.

Even the birds don't seem to have noticed my absence. No excitement or fluttering or welcoming twittering when I started spending time in the garden again. Maybe they were even pleased about not being constantly stalked by my camera. Eating and bathing and nesting carried on as usual, making me feel a bit unwanted...

::

Harvest from the Earth

COMPOST -Brown Gold

Healthy plants need healthy soil and well-made compost is at the top of the list of soil improvers. It supplies a mix of nutrients as well as coarse organic material that helps aerate the soil.

Earthworm manure, or vermicompost, is 10 times more nutritious than commercially bought compost. It is a natural fertiliser and soil conditioner. Plants that receive vermicompost are healthier, disease resistant and drought tolerant.

Vegetables are more productive and full of flavour. The earthworm species (Eisenia fetida), which produce vermicompost, feed on decomposing organic matter and produce waste (called castings) that contains five times more nitrogen than topsoil, as well as high amounts of potassium and phosphate.

Another by-product is earthworm tea. It is a combination of earthworm urine and the liquid leached from the decomposing material. It can be diluted with water (1:50) and used as a foliar feed, as a rooting agent or as a pre-soak for seeds. The only way to harvest this waste, is to keep a wormery. This is simply a container in which the earthworms are kept, in conditions that are dark, warm and moist. They are fed whenever necessary, on fruit and vegetable scraps, or soft garden waste. It is as simple as that. The cost of a ready-made domestic system can be from R550.00 (approx. $55.00) to several thousand rand, but it includes the worms and once it is in place, can last virtually forever.

GREEN TEA

Green tea is made from soft, dark green leaves such as comfrey, yarrow and borage leaves. Green tea is best for leafy vegetables. the dilution rate is generally 1 part tea to 7 parts water.

MANURE TEA

Manure tea is made from any kind of manure. some manure is strong than others. For instance, only two handfuls of chicken manure are needed compared to three to five handfuls of cow or horse manure.

Good sources are stables, dairies, as well as nurseries that sell manure in bags.

The final tea should be the colour of weak tea. Manure tea is a good root drench for vegetables, flowers and containers.

If using seedlings, the dilution rate should be 1:12, but for larger plants can be 1:7 or 1:10.

FINDING SPACE

The ideal site is a level piece of ground with the top and sides open to the air to aid decomposition. Ready-made compost bins and drums are also available from garden centres and hardware stores.

THE RECIPE

The basic method is to alternate wet, green material (nitrogen rich) with dried (carbon rich) material, interspersed with activating materials like manure, already made compost or soil.

INGREDIENTS

• Dried leaves

• Grass cuttings

• Garden waste, like shrub prunings, spent annuals, weeds (without seeds or flowers)
• Shredded newspaper

• Kitchen waste: vegetable and fruit peelings (except potato peels and citrus), eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds.

• Ash from a wood fire

• Manure

• Pine needles, hay, peanut shells

WHAT NOT TO USE:

Meat and fish left-overs, cat litter, dog droppings, coal ash, magazines, synthetic fibres, glass, tin or plastic.

.

Earthworm interests

Collectively earthworms build the soil This makes them essential to all soil types used by man and animals. Very simply—no earthworms, no living environment. In nature, they will be found wherever there is decaying organic matter and uncontaminated soil.

How can we ensure that these valuable invertebrates continue to flourish?

Providing conditions in which they will do well.
Constantly feed our soils with humus.
Practice mulching with organic materials which will break down and enrich the soil.
Create our own natural fertilisers by starting to practice vermiculture :

• Set up own wormeries
• Practice trenching with worms and vermicompost
• Stop digging over the beds—rather add compost or mulch
• Make use of organic waste rather than sending it to landfills
• Join organisation like the EIGSA, to learn and to teach vermiculture

Did you know that there is an Earthworm Interest group in South Africa?

EIGSA was founded in November 2004 by Carmen Nottingham, Ken Reid and Allison Barkhuizen. EIGSA’s aims are to promote interest, knowledge and research on earthworms both in South Africa and worldwide. It is a volunteer organization, and membership is free.

.

The outside room

As I look out to my garden

I feel a sense of pride

It really is a lovely room

Except it is outside!

~ unknown

A collection of succulents and ferns in my private bathroom-garden with a Pachypodium lamerei taking centre stage. Lots of rain, some tender loving care and the plants will smile at you.

This area is fairly well protected from the cold, surrounded by high walls, but the frost does still get to the Sword Ferns. Luckily they spring back in all their glory again in spring. I've brought the Pachy and the Echeverias in the pots inside for the winter, but the basket is much too heavy to try and move. Besides which I don't have the space for it, unless I put it in the bath!

Looking from the garden into the bathroom

Looking from the bathroom into the garden

Looking from the bathroom into the garden

::

.

Art & Gardening

“To ‘bee’ in nature is to experience one of our planet’s most awesome gifts. Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.”

Art and gardening go hand-in-hand. Nature provides a plethora of subjects for an artist - anything from a blade of grass to a ten meter tall tree and everything in between, including all the little mammals, insects, reptiles and birds that inhabit our outdoor space.

Hydrangea flower - ink sketch and watercolour

Certainly being inspired by my garden and nature has led me on some unexpected paths. While sketching a subject I have often had to research it's name if I didn't know it, which has broadened my horizons immensely and also given me insight into the habits and habitats of many of the fauna and flora I have sketched.

Hydrangeas from my garden in a vase on my kitchen table

Gardening has taught me to work with nature, not against it. It has taught me not to waste water, to recycle yard trimmings and kitchen plant-based scraps into compost and wisely disposing of plastic pots, soil bags. etc. An important rule in my gardening is to do no harm. Like avoiding chemical fertilizers that run into rivers, oceans and wetlands and not planting invasive species that could wipe out our native varieties.

Red-chested Cuckoo in my garden (Piet-my-Vrou)

I also do not use pesticides and herbicides, which tend to kill many more creatures than the one or two bugs you're trying to get rid of. By creating a friendly wildlife habitat, it provides food and shelter for birds, butterflies, lizards and ladybugs, all great sketching matter!

Bee on a Shasta daisy  - Visiting flowers can be a dangerous occupation for a bee! Many assassin bugs and crab spiders hide in flowers to capture unwary bees and many bees are lost to birds in flight. Insecticides used on blooming plants kill many bees, both by direct poisoning and by contamination of their food supply.

Sketching in nature has taught me to pay great attention to detail. It has made me aware of the plight of our fauna and flora as they struggle to keep up with the ever-encroaching 'progress' of our towns and cities.

Guineafowl in my garden 

A few years ago we regularly had guinea fowl passing through our property, great opportunities for sketching them. Over the past few years I don't see guinea fowl for months on end. It will certainly be a sad day when artists will have to resort to painting from photographs only...

.

Planting for nature

We choose plants for the garden for a number of reasons, mostly colour, size, texture and how they will fit into the overall design. We tend not to give much thought as to the why's of colour and shape, but one thing is certain, plants do not flower in order to pretty up our gardens! The evolution of flowers was to ensure their survival and that of other wildlife.

When you really love nature, its fauna and flora, gardening takes on a whole new perspective. Keeping wildlife, birds and insects in mind when planting can give immense satisfaction in knowing you are providing food and shelter for them. To achieve this, we need plants as they occur in their natural setting along with the wildlife they support – after all, it is their world too, and the pleasure of having such a strong connection to nature in our own back yards offers health benefits the medicinal world would bottle if they could!

Not many of us give real thought to nature when planting our gardens. The garden is there to give us pleasure, please our aesthetic senses and, to some extent, impress our friends and neighbours.

Many insects, like the Praying Mantis, are beneficial to the garden. It is no wonder they are often referred to as 'the gardener's friend' as they have voracious appetites for insects like moths, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, aphids and flies, including one another! Your garden's greenery can be a safe haven for them against predators like owls, frogs, chameleons, bats and monkeys.

A Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta) enjoying minerals in the soil after feeding on some nectar in my garden. This is one of the shiest butterflies around and it is easier to take a photo of a dragonfly up close than to even get near one of these beauties. Male and female similar and females have dots on hind wings. Common throughout South Africa except for most parts of the Cape province. Larval stage feeds on creeping foxglove among others. 

An Orb-web spiderling making its web between two of my plants. I watched this baby building its web in a matter of hours, complete with the characteristic zig-zag pattern in the centre. In South Africa the family Araneidae includes 40 genera of master weavers. There are both diurnal (day) and nocturnal (night) species. The diurnal groups continually repair their webs, usually using them for a number of days. The web cannot be used indefinitely as it dries and loses its capture ability and insects will no longer stick to it. Nocturnal spiders, on the other hand, construct a new web every night and it is taken down at dawn and eaten. This serves as a valuable source of protein. The bridge line, the main original stay that is built, is retained for reuse.

A Speckled Emperor Moth, (Wattled Emperor Moth, Mopane worm) resting on a Restios plant in my garden. It is from the Saturniidae (Silk Moths) family. I actually found her inside the house and brought her out to safety (not sure how SAFE it is...?) and she seemed quite content to just rest a while before disappearing into the thickets. Adult moths lay a single cluster of 50 to 200 eggs around twigs or on the leaves of host plants over a two month period. After approximately ten days, the larvae emerge and then pass through five instars before pupation. Instars I to III of the caterpillars are strictly gregarious and will forage together in aggregations of 20 to 200 individuals. After moulting into instar IV, caterpillars disperse immediately to become solitary. The larval stage lasts approximately 6 weeks, during which time the caterpillars undergo a 4000 fold increase in body mass. At the end of the larval stage, the fifth instar caterpillars burrow into the soil, where they undergo a period of diapause. Eclosion occurs either one or six to seven months after pupation, depending on the generation. The non-feeding adult stage lasts only two to three days, during which time the only function of the imago is to find receptive mates and to oviposit.

Indigenous trees lure birds and provide cover and safety 

 

Watching the birds as they make their homes in the shelter I have provided leaves me with a sense of achievement, pride and satisfaction. Seeing the Sunbirds visiting the Aloes and taking nectar back to their young warms my heart and watching the bees and other insects pollinate the flowers fills me with a sense of wonder, knowing they are ensuring the future of many plants in the process.

When gardening with nature in mind, do not use pesticides!! Most of these products are not selective and in spraying to kill what the gardener perceives as ‘pests’, will usually result in getting rid of the beneficial insects too. Use indigenous plants, preferably a good selection of local species, including nectar and pollen rich plants as they are of great value to bees, as bees around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Indigenous grasses provide safety for many of our insects - this is a Net-winged beetle I found in my garden. Net-winged beetles or flat beetles (Lycus spp.) are all poisonous and therefore display aposematic colouration in combinations of orange and black patterns, which is mimicked by certain long-horn beetles and moths. The longitudinal ridges on the wings are characteristic of the net-winged beetles. They are slow flying insects that are very common on flower inflorescences and flower heads during the summer months. The larvae are predatory on other insects and look very similar to the larvae of the glow worms or fire flies. Eggs are laid under bark and in rotten wood, where the eggs will hatch and the larvae start feeding on other insects. 

Try not to plant hybridised plants - many hybridised plants have far less pollen and nectar and are thus not efficient providers of food. Many of them also have double petals, and, as lovely as they are to look at, it often makes life very difficult for the bees and insects to get to their food source.

 

A Grey-headed Bush Shrike (Malaconotus blanchoti) surveying his surrounds from one of the Karee's. An adaptable hunter, it will eat almost any animal that it can catch and kill, ranging from small insects to large 1 metre long snakes and other bird chicks. It often gleans prey from leaves and branches, either eating them immediately or impaling them on a thorn to be eaten later. Prey items which are to large to be swallowed are ripped into bite-sized pieces. 

 

The Ground-scraper Thrush absolutely loves loose leaf litter and is very active in Autumn and Spring when leaves tend to cover the ground. He is also a snail's worst nightmare and I often watch as they catch one, banging it against the ground until the shell is broken and he can consume the tit-bit inside.

When you plant for nature and not just yourself, you will be rewarded by having the best of both worlds - a beautiful garden as well as the company of a varied variety of wildlife. Who could ask for more?

.