January and our False Bay garden

 

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

Come with me Through the Garden Gate Down by the Sea in Dorset with Sarah. We always have compost volunteer tomatoes. Cherry tomato elbows aside my South Africa rose in her pot. Baby Roma is at our compost heap.

 

Sun ripened compost volunteer tomato
Sun ripened compost volunteer tomato

Zöe sunning with the giraffe. Late afternoon, early evening, the cats roar around. She streaks down the garden, up the passage, a blur of is it a bird or a plane or an arrow shot from a bow, or a cheetah?? An almighty cratch thunk and the wooden giraffe hit our reverberating laminate floor. His ears flew off in opposite directions, but we found them to glue on, again.

 

Zöe sunning with giraffe
Zöe sunning with giraffe

The Ungardener has a new rug for his TV chair. Couldn't catch Thomas to pose but it matches his colours. After 8 years we are working thru niggles - grab rail in the shower, another shelf in my bathroom, and a new kitchen tap which flows instead of dribbling and leaking.

 

Zöe trying out the new rug
Zöe trying out the new rug

Missed my chance for a neat row of tall Crinum moorei. Fierce wind knocked two down. Was going to pick them, but they seem to be doing fine, lying down.

 

Crinum avenue
Crinum moorei avenue

Looking into a Crinum moorei flower.

 

Crinum
Crinum

I spend too much time on my computer (mostly iNaturalist and I am a month behind on reading blogs) This 'path' passing the lemon tree was my next task. We had lawn there when we moved in, and it is still determined to push thru the paving slabs.

 

Path from the pond
Path from the pond

Path to the pond
Path to the pond

Froggy Pond is swamped by dwarf papyrus. Hippo and frog are hidden in that jungle.

 

Froggy Pond
Froggy Pond

We had a water lily (flowered in 2017) and today I see one tiny leaf emerging. So that is my next mission - rescue the blue water lily!

 

Water lily leaf
Water lily leaf

That perfect blue of a gentle summer day, not too hot, just right. Plumbago!

 

Plumbago
Plumbago

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of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

 

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Comments

  1. Well, cats do believe that the territory they roam is theirs and humans are just allowed to remain in exchange for food and attention, as needed. I look forward to the day I find a tomato seedling in my compost heap but I'm not holding my breath in anticipation of that event. The Crinum flowers are lovely.

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  2. You've been busy with projects! The Crinum flowers are lovely, whether upright or leaning downward. Sweet kitty looks pretty contented. :)

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  3. Love your description of Zoe's adventure through the garden and house! Hope you can get Thomas captured sometime on the new rug and the blue water lily if it flowers! Thank you for your continued support, it was lovely to see everyone carrying on this month. Sarah x

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  4. You're not the only one behind on reading blogs, but working on projects in the garden is a good reason. I, too, love the crinum flowers

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