Our False Bay garden in October, GSB and digital detox

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Our False Bay garden in October, GSB and digital detox

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Step onto the patio where our Adirondacks live. Look left and we have pink profusion for Spring Promise. Pink pelargoniums with Dombeya bells against a blue sky (not today- it has gone chilly - a fire this evening)

Pink flowers for Spring Promise

Down thru Summer Gold with yellow Euryops and its ferny leaves. Some yellow Bulbine. But I need to encourage the yellow Clivia to flower again. To Froggy Pond.

Yellow Euryops for Summer Gold

Talborne organics to feed potted roses, citrus and banana. Finally after the Day Zero drought years the lemon has lush leaves. And one flower. Little pile of Waiting to be Chipped. That hole where I battle back the woody ivy invader. New BIG garden waste bag for the dreaded ivy and too exuberant hedges and trees. In September we had 134 mm, with 60 of those all on one day! Now we have a hole for my Nuxia floribunda (forest elder for caterpillars for the Cape Robin) tree to grow into.

Carefully nurtured fresh sprouts on lime, got et by snails. ALL et. But it is bravely making a second attempt.

Lemon tree

Blue Felicia overflows 2 pots, with white Coleonema album for Cornish Stripe. Always the best part of the garden - where the good bones work as intended. Moved the Agapanthus to where it has more space to display, instead of swamped under Barleria AND Hypoestes.

Blue and white flowers for Cornish Stripe

Look back to the lemon tree. Where our East Patio stars my mother's tuberous begonia. They are very strange flowers, but I love the asymmetric leaves. He trimmed windswept top of Searsia outside kitchen window.

If you are in the Southern hemisphere (or active on iNaturalist - we will need identifiers please?) Great Southern Bioblitz 24 to 27 November

Tuberous begonia and Cornish Stripe

Back to settle on an Adirondack with tea and book. Look right for Rose Courtyard. A yellow so golden it touches orange for South Africa. Pink Thuli Madonsela still has tight buds not yet showing colour. Roses and citrus will be fed and watered once more for November.

South Africa rose

I have learnt to love our inherited Icebergs. Generous with gracious clusters of flowers and a light mood-lifting fragrance.

Iceberg rose

I don't 'grow food' but can always find an edible garnish for eye candy. Using the nasturtiums that pour in the garden gate! I am early for Through the Garden Gate Down by the Sea in Dorset with Sarah.

Dinner with garden garnish

I will digital detox in November. Scuttling around preparing the important stuff. He is building a cut and paste cardboard model. I write a blog post. We have lists we are chewing down. Trimming hard and weeding lightly to open up the paths. Just in time we collected new seat covers today.

In summer we plan to get the house painted. Inside and outside. That will be another daunting round of preparation! Chocolate cake needed against layers of stress.

Chocolate cake against stress

My niece will be here on SabbatiCAT. Thomas and Zoe will be fine. We last travelled for weeks. Overseas. In 2016. COVID and immune-compromised are not good travelling companions.