Our False Bay garden in June

By Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

The bay window opens to the road and passersby. The yacht was bought when we lived in Aarau in Switzerland. It hangs in the window, softening the view out to our neighbours, and in from the street. At night, backlit thru the drawn curtains, it is a ghostly galleon, the Flying Dutchman.

Flying Dutchman
yacht flew from Aarau to Cape Town

Winter weather is kind. Today we had good rain in the morning, this afternoon the sun shines. Succulents on the Karoo Koppie are filling in.

Karoo Koppie

Karoo Koppie and verge

Plectranthus neochilus will be a haze of purple spires. When this peculiar succulent was given to me in November, it was green fingers. Then the fleshy triangular leaves came. Now tiny delicate shell pink daisy flowers Senecio articulatus. Harvesting lots of lemons.

Left Senecio articulatus
Right - lemon, Plectranthus neochilus

In December we planted Brachylaena which already waves its silver and green leaves just above my head. Halleria lucida or tree fuchsia blooms on the trunk. It DOES have flowers for the sunbirds - haven't yet seen if they know it is there for them. My Inspire has found its new place where I can sit and lift my eyes to the quiet hills.

Left - Halleria lucida
Brachylaena

I was inspired by Cindy's garden in Rwanda to build the washing line as a pergola. The frame is standing (thanks to the Ungardener) and painted in garnet red to echo the gate and front door. Those square slabs will be in a double line (between the hanging washing). We need some negative space for the eye to rest, since we have no lawn. We've chosen large (Chocolat for scale) concrete slabs from Revelstone, the surface texture 'York stone' and the colour Quarrystone to echo our brick paving. They wait neatly stacked at the pergola. My map of Africa that we found walking on Chapman's Peak Drive, now comes full circle as we see that mountain from our bay window.

Washing pergola and paving

King Arthur my mother's slipper orchid is trotting along with 5 slippers this year. I'm delighted to find masses of white arum lilies Zantedeschia aethiopica. The flowers make a peaceful circle around the birdbath off the west patio. Along the Terraforce retaining wall of the Karoo Koppie pots of Lachenalia rubida scatter my path with rubies. Our Porterville garden was carpeted in lemon yellow Oxalis pes-caprae. I'm leaving this one with the potted lime.

Lachenalia, Zantedeschia
slipper orchid, Oxalis

The white roses and magenta Bougainvillea are now being joined by the Hibiscus, rich yellow in summer, in winter the flowers are laced with burnt orange. The inherited plant lurks in the shade of the carob tree, and I will establish cuttings on the sunnier side. Two potted Septemberbossies still need to move to the pergola. Bright pink pelargoniums wait to be planted. Sunny yellow Chrysanthemoides monilifera line the roadside on our journeys and will light up our garden one day.

Hibiscus, Pelargonium
Septemberbossie, Chrysanthemoides

Mid-winter and we walk along the False Bay coast.

Mid-winter on the False Bay coast

For Wildflower Wednesday everything but the lemon, the hibiscus and the slipper are Proudly South African. June garden for End of Month View.

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

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