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!

 

for my Get Well Soon niece
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)

 

March posy for my Happy Birthday niece
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

 

Grow our own food
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.

 

Pruning our neighbour's hedge
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.

 

Oldtimer's disease. Remember ...
Oldtimer's disease. Remember ...

 

Remember the important things. We are charging the car ...

 

DINNER?!
DINNER?!

 

... feed the cats!!

 

Sir Gammy Leg hadeda
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!!

 

and his hadeda Lady
and his hadeda Lady

 

Hadeda ibis. His Lady has 2 sound legs.

 

Honey bee, ladybird pupa cocktail ants
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)

 

shield bug with flaming candle spots
shield bug with flaming candle spots

 

Shield bug, those spots along his side like a row of candle flames.

 

March flowers in our garden
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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Comments

  1. 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.

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  2. I can just never get over the beautiful variety of flowers and foliage! I enjoyed the bird story also!

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  3. I 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

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  4. Beautiful 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.

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  5. That shieldbug looks huge. Or is it just a tiny tree trunk it is sitting on?

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    1. About the size of my little fingernail maybe? Zoomed in to show how much colour there is on his back.

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  6. What 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

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  7. Beautiful 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

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  8. Dear Diana,
    for 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

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  9. I admire your various flowers in March garden. So colourful! The story about Sir Grammy is lovely.

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  10. Thank you. As I sort thru my too many photos, so the story for the post unfolds.

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  11. I 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!

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  12. There is so much life in a garden. And color. Beautiful.
    Amalia
    xo

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  13. So great to hear about the Ibis Kindergarten!

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  14. Amazing colours! Loving the cats and the birds :)

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