I'm currently writing my blog from my cottage in the Drakensberg, Champagne Valley, Kwa-Zulu Natal; South Africa
memorablemeanders.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My Garden in South Africa
Our grandchildren enjoyed my garden when they lived in my home for six months last year
Acacia karoo, one of the three sweet thorn trees in my garden has fluffy round yellow balls which smell divine
A garden should have many "rooms" to make it interesting. Here we are walking between two of the rooms in my garden on the way to several more up ahead Late afternoon sun plays across the lawn towards the bench at the main pond (pictured below)
Soft evening reflections across the water surface calms the soul
I'm not too clued up on exotics so to me this is merely a daisy which grows very well in our area Above is one of my alltime favourite indigenous shrubs: Euryops spp. It flowers (displaying these bright yellow flowers) for nine months of the year
Gaura lindheimeri (butterfly bush) is also not indigenous but as a perennial it retoons year after year, creating a splash of colour
while attracting a myriad of butterflies
Another non-indigenous perennial in my garden: the day lily
Solanum spp (potato bush) non-indigenous but endemic to our area in the Free State
Pride of India (Lagerstromia indica) another non-indigenous shrub in my garden
Although the above creeper is seen all over town, no-one has ever been able to tell me what it is called. A golden trumpet flower? It is non-invasive, dies down in winter and returns to bloom profusely during the summer
A close up of the "golden trumpet flower"
Climbing roses on the wall facing the street
Six-year-oldgranddaughter loves the outdoors and spends hours in the garden looking for bugs and other interesting creepy-crawlies
My dry rock garden which contains primarily Barbeton daisies (gerbera spp) Aloe spp, Cotelydon obeculata, portulacaria and Cussonia spicata (Cabbage tree-rear centre)
A walk down through two rooms towards the dry rock garden (pictured above)
Another view of the garden from the ponds
One of my three [interlinked] garden ponds
The view up the driveway toward the motor gate.Pudding, my dear old lady cat rests in the evening shade
Oh Jo----your garden is fabulous!!!! Love those big trumpet flower. Wow!!!! Everything is truly incredible... I can understand why you miss it so much... Glad the grandchildren enjoy it!!!
Thanks Betsy;) it has been raining for the past month (and these photos were taken in November) so the garden is apparently looking really lovely now. Bless you. (((Hugs))) Jo
Hi Grant;) thanks for that. This garden took three years from bare ground (an open plot next to our house) to this. I do miss it while here in North Africa. It's good to see you again.
Jo, I love your garden(s). So much diversity and colors. I'll bet you're missing those flowers about now. Sure glad you have photos to remind you, and us.
Thanks Gaelyn;) I took many photos before I came up last August, and then again while I was home most of the spring and summer (four months) I knew I could browse through them and even do a post on the garden.
Hi diane;) I'd love you to wander through my garden and enjoy it all. A few dogs, cats and grandchildren would accompany us...
Your garden is absolutely beautiful! I see some plants I know but some are new to me. I love the water gardens.
The trumpet flower looks like what we call a cow itch vine. If it is the same, do not plant near a foundation. It grows quite quickly underground. If it is not the same plant, it is a close cousin.
Beautiful, I can see lots of thought and hard work was put into this garden. Although, in a garden, the work is never hard.
Oh Jo----your garden is fabulous!!!! Love those big trumpet flower. Wow!!!! Everything is truly incredible... I can understand why you miss it so much... Glad the grandchildren enjoy it!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy
wow, I love that... that is absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Betsy;) it has been raining for the past month (and these photos were taken in November) so the garden is apparently looking really lovely now. Bless you. (((Hugs))) Jo
ReplyDeleteHi Grant;) thanks for that. This garden took three years from bare ground (an open plot next to our house) to this. I do miss it while here in North Africa. It's good to see you again.
Jo, I love your garden(s). So much diversity and colors. I'll bet you're missing those flowers about now. Sure glad you have photos to remind you, and us.
ReplyDeleteFabulous garden. I would love to amble around it in the soft evening light and smell the fragrance.
ReplyDeleteLovely garden,very beautiful flowers :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaelyn;) I took many photos before I came up last August, and then again while I was home most of the spring and summer (four months) I knew I could browse through them and even do a post on the garden.
ReplyDeleteHi diane;) I'd love you to wander through my garden and enjoy it all. A few dogs, cats and grandchildren would accompany us...
Jo: It is wonderful to see your garden with all the flowers blooming. All I see is snow.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is absolutely beautiful! I see some plants I know but some are new to me. I love the water gardens.
ReplyDeleteThe trumpet flower looks like what we call a cow itch vine. If it is the same, do not plant near a foundation. It grows quite quickly underground. If it is not the same plant, it is a close cousin.
Beautiful, I can see lots of thought and hard work was put into this garden. Although, in a garden, the work is never hard.
A masterpiece!
I'm dazzled that you built this garden from bare ground. Wow is right!
ReplyDeleteThe photo of the golden trumpet flower is my very favorite. Your "garden" looks like a park. You must miss it terribly.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDelete