Our False Bay garden in February

By Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Young Thomas Gray is doing what we missed, helping us in the garden. The Ungardener has been working on Froggy Pond. Thomas has discovered that he can leap up onto the post of the boundary wall, from where he can chat to little Ginger next door. Hadedas are about his size, but, that beak! We trim OAP Aragon's claws, so she doesn't get trapped in her rug.

Thomas (Gray) and (Catherine of) Aragon

My Hoya bloomed for the first time, but stupid didn't take the picture in time! Dangling chain-of-hearts Ceropegia with tiny trumpets. Standard Iceberg rose blooms over the wall. Succulent pelargonium has a bunch of flowers. Abelia is now big enough to harvest. Garlic chives I plant as a kitchen herb from my mother, and Pam@Digging plants it as a border which the deer don't eat. White pelargonium Mother plant for cuttings - but I want to use the nice pot, for darkest blue Agapanthus inapertus.

White flowers in February

Sedge volunteers all over the garden, and gets weeded out only where it elbows into the path or stomps on newly planted intruders. Gazania rigens which I bought in an optimistic 6-pack is enough for a small field! I will move lavender to where the gentle mauve fits my colour plans. Septemberbossie in two huge inherited pots, is lanky and ungainly but flowering - one day, neat topiaries?? I added 2 seedlings to gaps along the Cornish Stripe boundary. Deep blue Cape forget-me-not making lots of large glossy black seeds - and I hope for MANY more plants. Inherited Plectranthus saccatus in the sage and mint family, flowers in the shade and grows effortlessly from bits poked in. Overflowing pot of pink Oxalis came with the house (one of the pots on the OUT list, but the bulbs I'll add to Spring Promise). Electric pink Salvia greggei - is both a nod to USA readers, and a reminder of my mother's Camps Bay garden. Success with ivy pelargoniums, very happily flowering in our third time's the charm garden. For WildflowerWednesday

February flowers

I've trimmed the Brachylaena to a tighter shape, for more leaves where I can see them to enjoy. Down the sunny West side of the garden the gray leaves of Dusty Miller echo the distant tree at the gate.

Gray leaves on the sunny side

Our tapestry hedge on the verge is at the optimistic toddler stage, with a neat green hem of Plectranthus neochilus (purple spires coming soon). For End of Month View

Tapestry hedge with Plectranthus border

Froggy Pond has water! The Ungardener is busy with concrete for the paving slab edge. Then I can have fun planting - mostly quiet and simple harvests from yellow Bulbinella and purple P. neochilus. Raised planter along the Woodland Walk has filled in well.

Froggy Pond
Woodland Walk planter

This week we drove along Chapman's Peak, heading for our first ever leisurely visit to Kirstenbosch. We stopped to admire an exuberant school of dolphins far below.

Dolphins below Chapman's Peak

We were walking on the beach as they brought in the shark net. Hauling that net in is HARD work.

Bringing in the Fish Hoek shark net

Mid-month we hiked up Kalk Bay Mountain with a group. The far side of the mountain went up in the HUGE blaze a year ago. Among the blackened relics of protea bushes there is a fresh green carpet with lots of bulbs. Breath-taking view across mountains and to the sea!!

Hiking up Kalk Bay Mountain

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