August and our False Bay garden

  

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

I spent half of August in iNaturalist. Identifying plants and animals across Africa. My laptop and my brain need a break. This is the stone I use to sign off my blog posts. Found on a walk along the Chapman's Peak road, when it was closed for serious civil engineering (a new bridge, avalanche fences and gallery) A perfect map of Africa with the Drakensberg and the Rift Valley.

 

Africa in my hand

My sister gave me a few seeds of the very dark nasturtium. Now they return to Autumn Fire in a spontaneous range of colours each year.

 

This year's nasturtiums

When we moved in, the potted lime was happy, but down the years it was shaded out. Move to the front garden against a north-facing wall, lush green sprouts have popped out!

 

Potted lime sprouting in the sun

For Spring Promise I wanted pink. Dombeya is having a spectacular year covered in trusses of shell pink bells. My mother's tuberous begonia shimmers in salmon pink. Always a choice of pink pelargoniums. Spring brings the Oxalis, a garden relic.

 

Pink garden flowers in August

Summer Gold. All the yellows. Bulbine has fluffy stamens. Albuca is a lime gold almost a snowdrop. Perfect yellow bietou daisies. That peachy pelargonium (also my mother's) doesn't fit with pinks or reds.

 

Mostly yellow August garden flowers

Blue and white for Cornish Stripe. Two lush armfuls of Felicia. Potted freesias springing. One happy violet. Blue salvia is a gift from a good friend and her old garden.

 

Blue and white August garden flowers

Looking back at August for Through the Garden Gate Down by the Sea in Dorset with Sarah

 

Zoe sitting on a branch
- so convenient, so comfortable

With Zoe, I will be back in my garden in September and October. Months of pruning to catch up on, while carefully avoiding nesting birds. A few buds on the lemon, but I need to clear back too much groundcover. Then, my chainsaw is waiting for action.

 

I invite you to join us at Elephant's Eye on False Bay. Please subscribe as you prefer

via Feedly,

or my Facebook blog page

 

Pictures by Diana Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

 

Teal blue text is my links.

To read comments if you are in a Reader,

first click thru to the blog)

 

Thanks for comments that add value. Your comment will not appear until I've read it. I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months.

 

Google and Blogger comments uncooperative? Use Name / URL instead.