Our summer rains are here!

05:00h - Oh, how joyous! Our summer rains are here! Had 10mm yesterday and the garden is smiling! Listening to the sound of the rain on our roof at the moment - applauding every drop - nothing better than being inside on a rainy day watching raindrops run down the window. A high of 17℃ for Gauteng today. Will be cuddling under the duvet watching Law & Order!

Like me, my garden will be  enjoyng our first seasonal rains and I wil visit her as soon as it clears up.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Clivias, and Bronchitis

My Clivias flowered right through winter (weird, right?) and some of the flowers show a bit of frost damage.The later flowers, like the ones below that started flowering last week, are a gorgeous colour and large and healthy.

Now, of course, I'm looking forward to the "rose hips" seeds, which also make the most beautiful display post-flowering. Two years ago I gathered some seeds and tried to grow my own plants, but it was a dismal failure. So now I know why these gorgeous plants are so expensive!

I have not  been around blogging for some time now (well, it feels like AGES!) At the end of May I went down with Pneumonia and just as I thought I was getting better 3 or 4 weeks later, I developed Chronic Bronchitis and ended up in bed, deadly ill, for three weeks and after surviving that, it took me another two weeks before I could get out of bed and function properly. Not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

But now I'm better, finally able to get round to my favourite past-times, gardening and blogging! At one stage I thought I was going to die and it has given me a new appreciation for life and being able to breathe in particular. I hope you have all been well and looking forward to connecting with you again.

First Aloe ferox flowers for the season!

I am so excited! Early already this winter has been freezing and I've been afraid that I won't have any Aloes flowering this season. And yet, here it is! My first flowers for the season! This fairly young Aloe (about 4 years old) is just outside my garden gate and is in full sun, maybe that's the secret. This area also gets very little water as it consists mostly of Aloes and the Coco splumosa trees are big enough to not need all that much water, rain only suffices.

I'm holding thumbs that my other older and bigger Aloes will follow suit with their lovely display of oranges.

Planning a garden

Ink sketch and colour wash - A corner in my garden

How do you go about planning a new garden or adding something new to your existing garden?

When I started my garden way back in 2004, the first thing I did was to measure the area I intended to plant and then drew up a scale plan of the area. I included intended pathways, trees, rocks and indigenous plants. I rigorously stuck to the map and the completed lay-out was (almost) perfect. Of course the garden has changed plenty over the years with new pathways added, trees that were too close to one another have been removed and new areas like a succulent garden added.

Now, when planning something new in my garden, I often do some quick sketches with notes in my Moleskine Gardening Journal, adding colour just to see what it will look like.

Notes
Put large terracotta pot lying on its side under Tree Fuchsia (Haleria lucida), Plant Echeverias in front, add stepping stones and pebbles.

Summer's end

Autumn struck with a vengeance this year. I say 'with a vengeance', because it's more like winter! We're having extremely cold days, like 20℃, where are the balmy 24℃ and 25℃ temperatures? This will probably be the last cutting of the lawn that Chrissie does this season, already the grass is turning yellow in patches. We were lucky to have good rains this past summer, so all the plants are strong and healthy and ready for the winter.

It was a good flowering season for the Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia), attracting lots of bees, butterflies and sunbirds.

A Geranium sharing a pot with some Senecio Blue chalk succulents

The Hydrangea blooms were also exceptional this summer

After all that rain, the Sword Ferns spread like wild fire 

The last of the succulents left in my garden. All those in pots went to a good home (more about that later)

I always love it when these Leafy Foliose Lichens appear after good rains

The weather patterns are really peculiar lately and I just hope this coming winter won't be too severe, I feel heavy frost looming deep in my bones. But here's the thing - I might not experience winter in my garden this year as we are in the process of selling our smallholding. There is an offer in place and if that goes through, we will be moving down to Ballito on the North Coast (KwaZulu Natal). And of course I will keep you up-to-date on the progress of the (possible) big move.

My Marigold kitchen

Just outside my dining room I have this wonderful clump of Marigolds (Tagetes). The flowers are tasty, fresh and couldn’t be more local: straight from the garden! There are some cookbooks out now which show how edible flowers on food are more than just pretty. The use of fresh herbs has come back into fashion and has proven to be more than a passing fad: edible flowers are all the rage.

Many of us have Marigold flowers growing in our gardens, but did you know that marigold flowers have great healing abilities? It’s true, these beautiful golden flowers will heal your body in many different ways. Marigold flower tea has great antioxidants that help to prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cancer.

To make tea or infuse the flowers, make sure that you boil the water and then add 1 tablespoon of the flowers to the pot of tea and let it steep. Do not add the dried flowers to cold water and then let it boil. The tea purifies the blood, so drink this tea regularly.

Marigolds are also great insect repellents, mosquitoes hate them! By growing these flowers in your yard, you can be assured that mosquitoes will leave you alone and you’ll be helping out your local bees, too.

Water-wise gardening

Image credit

If you are into conservation and in particular water conservation, I have found this great article on water-wise gardening on the Indigenous Gardener's website. The article states that, "While some indigenous and water-wise species are indeed adapted to drought, the way that we water (too frequently, not deeply) prevents them from developing strong, deep root systems. Instead of ‘making rain’ with our irrigation systems – giving a long deep watering - we wet the leaves, mist the atmosphere and moisten the top few centimeters of soil – only to have most of it evaporate soon after. Crazy, isn’t it? When one considers that most gardeners are using treated potable water on their gardens, it becomes even more incomprehensible. Imagine emptying 500 bottles of mineral water in one area of your garden – this is the typical water-use of ONE station of shrub sprayers.

Clearly, it is time for a major rethink.

The article answers questions like "What is a water-wise garden?", what to plant, our relationship with water, saving and storing water and tips on planting, watering and maintenance of a water-wise garden.

Image credit

A key aspect of water-wise gardening is changing our expectations and embracing a more natural style of gardening. Instead of aspiring to artificial lushness and green lawns all year round, we can embrace the seasonal changes of colour and texture that are typical of the landscape we live in.

There is a misconception that indigenous plants (i.e. South African plants) are water-wise. Nothing could be further from the truth! Summer rainfall species such as Plectranthus require regular water in summer to flower. However local plants (i.e. those indigenous to your specific area) are likely to survive and thrive on natural rainfall. These are prime water-wise candidates, and you would do well to choose from this palette. Making a garden that doesn’t need watering is both rewarding and extremely satisfying.

Us gardeners are part of the conservation fraternity of the world. We are very aware of and spread the word about the importance of saving our vanishing fauna and flora. A garden of native plants not facing risk of extinction can be a beautiful way to celebrate local natural heritage.

Water conservation plays a big part in all of this, so head on over to the article for the full story!