Our False Bay garden in March
by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa
On the verge, checking our tapestry hedge for octopus legs that need urgent pruning. That Metalasia has a yummy waft of herbs and honey. Autumn turns purple with Plectranthus. And my yellow daisy has finally read the Summer Gold memo - any colour so long as it's yellow!
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| for my Get Well Soon niece |
Sunny yellow, mellow mauve and rich ivory. Love that trio, which garden iris does so well - and I knitted it as a cotton pullover for my mother. (Late for In a Vase on Monday)
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| March posy for my Happy Birthday niece |
Need to collage or vase to bling the flowers on my blog. March flowers for Through the Garden Gate with Sarah Down By the Sea in Dorset
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| Grow our own food |
Our banana has 3 good leaves (one broken by falling bottlebrush). Lemons and bright blue sky. When I need a green garnish, something to liven up a quick pasta, lemony crunchy Portulacaria afra leaves. Garlic chives and nasturtiums emerging.
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| Pruning our neighbour's hedge |
The Ungardener has been hard at work. Up a ladder to reach the glooming hedge. 3 carloads of Australian brush cherry and bottlebrush for municipal composting. Many piles of smaller friendlier stuff run thru our chipper for mulching. Needs a bit more near Strelitzia nicolai for our lemon tree.
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| Oldtimer's disease. Remember ... |
Remember the important things. We are charging the car ...
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| DINNER?! |
... feed the cats!!
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| Sir Gammy Leg hadeda |
Sir Gammy Leg has a left leg which healed badly. But he comes every year with his lady. They teach junior, this is a good garden - wildlife pond to bathe in, thick mulch and lots to eat. When he is old enough for big school they leave him here for the day. Late afternoon the bus HOOTS, leaving now, hop to it!!
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| and his hadeda Lady |
Hadeda ibis. His Lady has 2 sound legs.
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| Honey bee, ladybird pupa cocktail ants |
I found a tired and hungry bee on the kitchen windowsill this morning - took her to a sunny yellow daisy for breakfast. For Gail at Clay and Limestone and her Wildflower Wednesday Ladybird pupa getting ready to eat the aphids on the roses. On the trellis is the carton nest of cocktail ants (they cock their 'tails' when threatened)
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| shield bug with flaming candle spots |
Shield bug, those spots along his side like a row of candle flames.
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| March flowers in our garden |
Euryops daisy bush doing yellow. Euryops pectinatus has silvery leaves. 'Weedy' Hypochaeris feeds bees. Hypoxis with 3 ranks of leaves.
Blue Felicia, Plumbago and Plectranthus. Maidenhair fern enjoying the kinder lower autumn sun - me too!
Pink roses, pelargoniums across pinks and white.
The garden is bookended by vibrant orange Tecomaria and Leonotis. This year Boophone is just leaves. Nerine sarniensis buds just opening today...
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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer
of Elephant's Eye on False Bay
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Autumn is lovely in your garden, Diana, and you've captured it well in your floral arrangement. I'd never have known that Portulacaria afra can be used as a garnish and will have to try that. The cats do NOT look underfed but they're very good at communicating their expectations regarding dinner nonetheless. The return visit of your Ibis, his lady and their offspring in tow is endearing.
ReplyDeleteI can just never get over the beautiful variety of flowers and foliage! I enjoyed the bird story also!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I popped over as this has been such an interesting post, especially hearing about Sir Gammy Leg and his family and seeing the range of blooms in your autumn garden. I hope your neices enjoy their pretty virtual posies. Thanks for joining in IAVOM today, Diana
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms at any time of year in your garden! Your kitties are handsome. They look like they are good friends. Nice bouquets for your family members; I hope your niece is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteThat shieldbug looks huge. Or is it just a tiny tree trunk it is sitting on?
ReplyDeleteAbout the size of my little fingernail maybe? Zoomed in to show how much colour there is on his back.
DeleteWhat a beautiful birthday bouquet for your niece. That hedge cut must have taken so work it is always amazing how much plant material is created. Your cats make me smile waiting for their dinner. It is the only time the cat and dog work together to try and get their food earlier in the afternoon! Lovely to see Sir Gammy Leg! I can't wait until we have some of your lovely colourful March flowers appearing in our garden too. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful posting, Diana. From your 'sunny yellow, mellow mauve, and rich ivory' bouquet to your tapestry of March flowers at the end, and the Sir Gammy Legs story in between -- not to mention a pair of handsome cats! I think this has to be my favorite post of yours. P. x
ReplyDeleteDear Diana,
ReplyDeletefor me your garden is always like a little adventure - and sooooo exotic :)!. Sir Grammy is a beautiful boy he must not be perfect at all.
Best wishes for you and your family.
Big hugs
Elisabeth
I admire your various flowers in March garden. So colourful! The story about Sir Grammy is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you. As I sort thru my too many photos, so the story for the post unfolds.
ReplyDeleteI sure enjoy checking in with your garden there on the other side of the world, in a completely opposite season. We don’t have much in common except for a love of gardening!
ReplyDeleteThere is so much life in a garden. And color. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
So great to hear about the Ibis Kindergarten!
ReplyDeleteAmazing colours! Loving the cats and the birds :)
ReplyDelete