Harvest

Delicious pickings from the garden

Spring - Nature's Flower Show

Baviaantjies (Babiana) 

Indigenous to this area in South Africa; flowering in the garden

The Bluebells - also in flower in the garden

 Word has it that long ago the - then - lady of the house went on holiday to the UK. 

She fell in love with a field of Bluebells (like the one at Coton Manor Garden)

and smuggled some bulbs back to South Africa . . .

Now we know we have these beautiful flowers scattered all over in the garden

we are considering planting all together . . . the fields of Bluebells are spectacular

~ photo from The Telegraph ~ 

~ photo from Coton Manor House ~

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The annual  Darling  Wild Flower  Show - since 1917

and the Orchid Show  

Carved Pagoda Beams

The beams for the pagoda at the back of the house are carved and going up . . . (looking at the photo, I feel proud of my handy work)

The adjacent rooms should not be too dark; we are planning to grow a beautiful, fragrant rose on the pagoda.  



~ "New Dawn" Roses - from gardenbuilders.co.uk site ~

 

~ "Blue Moon", growing in our Veg Garden ~



Would appreciate advice on a climbing variety that would like our wet winter and very hot summer.

What a difference a week makes!

It is our first winter here. This region has a dry, hot summer/winter rainfall. The weather has been mild until 4 or 5 days ago; now it is raining and cold. We are used to cold, dry winters with frost, even black frost; I decided to use as a guide, the “Gardenate” planting lists for “South Africa – Dry Summer Sub-tropical”. 

The Camomile is flowering.

Rows of tiny little plants popping up.

Radish - left and Basil - right

 

the fresh green salad   

 

Broad Bean - Left and First Chilli - Right

 

Chinese Mustard

First Crop Planted

                                                                                                             The new vegetable garden is marked on the photo above. This area has been a road for at least 90 years; would be interesting to see if we have added enough compost to revive the soil.                                                                                                       The supports (and barriers for the dogs) are made with old strips of Oak wood from a local wine cellar, tied with string. 

First plants and seeds planted. The old Bentwood chair used to be my grandpa's "gardening chair" - he cut the chair legs shorter to reach down easier . . . I prefer to work on the ground.                                



"Instant Gratification"

January 2012

after all the long, slow and hard work

to clean and remove the fible pool at the back garden

all the stones and concrete and metal in the front garden

~ we succumbed to the temptation of an instant "roll out lawn" ~