Seeing Beyond the Obvious

Too often, in our quest for colour in our gardens, we ignore the subtle beauty right in front of our eyes.  If we care to look deeply, Nature reveals her splendour with every step.

A slow stroll through the garden on a grey spring day reveals such beauty!   Is there anything as emerald green as a Vachellia (Acacia) robusta in new leaf?  Or Coddia rudis – bringing lime green light to the semi-shade of a bush clump.  Ochna natalitia flashes shades of copper and pink before the leaves become their usual dark green.

See the velvety lilac buds of Combretum molle showing such softness against a grey striated bark.    The copper satin- like new foliage and pink stems of Vachellia ataxacantha give no hint of its fierce thorns.   The orange and yellow young leaves of Hippobromus pauciflorus take this little-used tree into the realm of extraordinary.

Gardens which are a riot of colour (alas often the all exotic seasonal examples we see in magazines particularly the overseas ones) maybe gorgeous to look at but I ask the question – are they peaceful?  Do they provide rest for the eye?  And of course … most important for me do they provide habitat?

Food for thought.

Set your African garden ablaze!

How to design, combine and manage your succulent display.

Exciting gardening times are with us.  The ongoing drought has urged us to think differently about our gardens.  Colourful water-wise gardens are entirely possible and dare I say it, necessary. Read on for ideas on how you can enjoy a bright blaze of colour year round with little or no water apart from rainfall.

Mention the word succulent and many people envision a desert -like design.  Not so! Have a look at the garden pictured here.  It is alight with colour year round.  It has had no added water (apart from rainfall) since its establishment two years ago.  In fact the drier and hotter the situation the better the plants look.

A Little Untidiness

A Little Untidiness…

goes a long way in the eyes of animals and birds.  Gardeners have a perfect opportunity to provide creature friendly spaces – plant locally indigenous, take out more lawn and allow a bit of untidiness to prevail.  The townhouse garden shown here is an example.  Owners Vic and Judy wanted a low-maintenance bird and butterfly garden.  Their space is very small so the solution was to have no lawn at all, simply a path meandering through beds which are packed with all manner of interesting plants.  This planting wraps around the entire unit visible from every window – a green corridor in miniature. There are two distinct areas – the front of the house is sunny while the back is shady with hot afternoon sun in winter.  This need not be a challenge if you research the needs of the plants that you like.  The key is knowing the requirement of each plant.  Sun?  Shade?  A bit of both?  Damp or dry?  Correct plant selection in this lovely garden means there is always some interest and the path calls one to wander into this slightly wild wildlife- friendly space.

A Bird Banquet

Insects make up the bulk of most bird’s diet – even those flashy sunbirds who seemingly sip only nectar.  Nectar is a high energy snack while insects provide the protein necessary to sustain life.  So it makes sense that as indigenous wildlife- friendly gardeners we plant as many insect attracting plants as possible.