Christmas garden on False Bay

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

We have been in our new old garden for a month. The last of the problem trees have been removed. Australian bottlebrush trees, one a Dr Seuss trunk with all the flowers and leaves up at the roof, the other blocking the view.

Two bottlebrush trees to go

Lime in pot, 'bonsai' Coprosma Marble Chips
mountain view without the bottlebrush

The Wendy house has gone and we have space for the Ungardener to build his new pond and waterfall. Blinding white quartz stones I picked out from the checkerboard. I would rather have small grey (to echo the mountain) river stones.

Wendy house and quartz chips gone
Pots and Twirly waiting 

The white bench and two potted trees went to a neighbour. I planned to first paint the death green wall, then display tender plants. But three walls and brick paving makes a suntrap. The window boxes were repurposed for a low spekboom hedge under the kitchen window. More window boxes under the garage window later, and a wider planter against the boundary wall where the hedge needs to block that privacy gap. Spotted aloe was rescued from the verge.

Sun patio, spotted leaf aloe
spekboom hedgelet, succulent holding bed (with banana)

We have three white roses. The poor standard (who chooses a standard rose in our prevailing southeaster!!) was still in its nursery bag, we cut off the roots. The buds drooped for a few days, and then the rose chirped up. Chocolat is staking his claim to his patch, leaving his Here be Dragons scratches.

Roses with Aragon and Chocolat

Agapanthus, yellow Bulbinella, Californian poppies from buttery yellow to russet, lush golden Hibiscus, pot of pink Oxalis, amethyst stoepjacaranda. First flower on Leonotis.

December flowers
Agapanthus, Alstroemeria, Bulbinella, Fuchsia
Californian poppy, stoepjacaranda, Pelargonium, Leonotis
Oxalis, Bougainvillea, Agapanthus, heartsease
Agapanthus, Hibiscus, Alstroemeria, Streptocarpus

The Advent wreath has Coprosma and Bougainvillea. My square glass vase first with septemberbossie and Alstroemeria, now scented pelargonium with Bougainvillea and a Begonia leaf.

I wish you, my readers, a very happy Christmas!

Advent Wreath, straw stars
December garden vases

We looked at LARGE GREEN compost bins. Tried this instead - drill lots of holes in a small dustbin.

Small compost bin

We have begun planting. Near the checkerboard - Brachylaena discolor to flash silver leaves, Diospyros whyteana dark mirrored leaves, Melianthus major leaves and the nectar flowers, Erica versicolor red flowers for the sunbirds. At the birdbath - Halleria lucida to feed the sunbirds, Grewia occidentalis lavender star berries for birds, attracts butterflies. Next to the carob again for the sunbirds - Burchellia bubalina and Leonotis leonurus tiered candelabra flowers.

Diospyros, Brachylaena, Grewia
Melianthus
Leonotis, Burchellia, Halleria, Erica

At the birdbath a pintailed whydah, dove, robin and a LARGE hadeda ibis. Today he put up the terracotta bird feeder.  

Coprosma
hadeda ibis, fiddlewood

In Porterville I themed Paradise (and Roses) adding indigenous South African plants. Spring Promise - pink and white flowers, velvety grey leaves - will be last, as that is now the succulent holding bed. Summer Gold - yellow to orange flowers, golden foliage waits for the pond to be built. Autumn Fire (Karoo Koppie) - orange and red flowers, succulent leaves - waits for the palisade fence at the front.

Winter Chill - blue, white and purple flowers, foliage either white or dark - waits for the washing line pergola in the New Year. The cobalt blue pot we found in the garage. Blue flowers we have, Agapanthus and Plectranthus - but the glazed pot is intense. Liriope I found here and tada, it works. The pergola will frame the lemon tree and mountain (yellow against the blue and white).

Winter Chill
blue and white, with lemons

For Helen The Patient Gardener's End of Month View

Newly laid patios in January

Pictures by Diana and Jurg Studer  
of  Elephant's Eye on False Bay 

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