GOING INDIGENOUS

‘I appreciate the misunderstanding I have with nature over my perennial border. I think it is a flower garden, she thinks it is a medow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error. ‘ Sara Stein

There is such a misconception when it comes to our indigenous beauties. The image that seems to come to people’s minds when you mention indigenous is succulents and veld grasses with a rather dull colour pallet. How far from the truth this is we have a whole range of plants for every colour in the colour wheel the choice is huge. Not only do we have the choice of any colour we want ,but many plants have so many characteristics not only do they have beautiful flowers but they are scented and attract butterflies and birds, not many of our exotic species can boast about having all these attributes.

No matter where you garden is and the soil type you have there is a plant for every space. Hot and dry our aloes take pride of place giving an awe-inspiring sight on those winter days when not much else is in flower. These beautiful focal plants are used in many contemporary designs because of their amazing architectural beauty. Pair these up with soft grasses and groupings of succulents you will create a very contemporary design. That will not only be water wise, modern and low maintenance but you will also encourage the humming birds and bees into your garden.

 A plant that all are familiar with is the Agapanthus we see them planted in mass all over South Africa. Seen on our road island plantings and in just about every garden there is at least one or two tucked away somewhere. These hardy beauties grow in any almost any soil condition sun or shade giving a continuous show of colour during our festive season. We now have a spectacular selection of hybridised Agapanthus to choose from. An amazing display can be achieved by mixing all the different colours.  Paired with Zantedeschia aethiopica and a selection of plectranthus you will have an informal mix of beauties that will brighten up any shady area of your garden.

When it comes to our trees we really don’t use half the selection we have. Many of our gardens have become smaller and it becomes an extremely important decision when it comes to the choice of tree. Trees are forever, they are the one element in your garden that can’t be moved around or changed. So many people plant trees that become to big for their garden not only does the scale look wrong but it becomes an ongoing maintenance battle of taking off branches that are blocking out the sun or growing into walls. Big trees generally mean big roots causing havoc with plumbing and foundations resulting in the tree fellers paying a visit and the tree being removed. All this can be avoided with a bit of research and thought. Trees should be planted a minimum of one meter away from boundary walls and five meters form any building. What would you like your tree to do for you? Screen off the nosy neighbours and create some shade then an evergreen tree would be the best choice. I like using either the Rhus lancea or Rhus pendulina, as they are fast growing, heat, drought resistant, with a non-aggressive root system as well as attracting both birds and butterflies into the garden. If you want seasonal interest then deciduous trees mark out the change of seasons with grace, their leaves changing colour in the fall and dropping during winter so the sun can warm your garden, with the branches silhouetted against the crisp wintry sky.

If you want to find out more about brining nature back into your garden I recommend you buy Bring Nature back to your garden by Charles and Julia Botha.

http://www.whirlwindgardens.co.za/

Organic gardening for small areas

Many of us do not have the luxury of space. That does not mean we can't grow our own Organic vegetables, we just have to be a bit more innovative. Here are a few ideas we came up with.

Hanging Baskets are great for people who only have small patios or balconies. Plant them up with a selection of your favorite herb combinations. Sage is one herb that hates wet feet, so this does exceptionally well in a hanging basket as they dry out quickly. Just keep in mind, hanging baskets will need to be watered once to twice a day especially in summer because of this.

Pots are always the next best thing; terracotta always looks good with herbs and vegetables trailing over the edge. There are a large variety of troughs available and you would be able to fit quite a few of these along a patio. Oak barrels have a rustic charm about them.Large containers are preferable over small pots as they dry out quickly in the hot summer months.If your patio is in a windy postion avoid plastic pots as they will end up all over the place. Remember to line the bottom of your pots with gravel to help with drainage,if your pot has small drainage holds try to enlarge them. When it comes down to aesthetic beauty keep it simple, especially in small spaces use either one style of pot or keep them all the same color.

Instead of buying pots why not recycle all your old containers, tubs and whatever else you have that can be filled up with soil. You could even just plant straight into your compost bag if you like! Lie the bag of potting soil flat on the ground make a few drainage holes around the edges to prevent your plants from becoming waterlogged, slit a few holes in the plastic, spacing your herbs and vegetables evenly so their roots have room to spread. Make sure that you plant the taller plants at the back. Or make a potato bag, stand the bag on end and lean it against the wall, open the bag at the top, make a few drainage holes at the bottom. Take out two thirds of your soil, roll the sides of the bag down, place potatoes about 4cm deep, when the plant reaches about 30cm in height add some potting soil and roll the edges of the bag to accommodate this repeat this method until the bag is filled. Talking about Organic potatoes I think this product is really nifty and does not take up space  http://www.potatoesforafrica.co.za/ have a look

If you are able and want a more permanent feature you could build raised retaining beds. These keep the veg off the ground and are easier to tend as you don't have to bend over.

Herbs and vegetables need six to seven hours of direct sunlight a day, keep this in mind when positing your pots and Herb gardens.It is very important that your growing medium is right it must be free - draining but also capable of holding an adequate quantity of water either use an Organic potting soil E2E has a great potting soil or make your own using one - third garden soil, one - third compost and one-third river sand. 

If a pest should appear do not despair,place broken eggshells or beer traps to deter snails and slugs.Remove caterpillars or beetles by hand.Your companion planting should do the trick but if you need a helping hand Margaret Roberts has a wonderful range of organic products.

A few of my favorite companion planting combinations. Try a few of your own and let me know what did and did not work for you.

• Going Italian, Thyme, Garlic, Tomatoes, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Brinjals, Rosemary.
• Mexican, Mixed Chillies, Coriander, Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic.
• Pretty berry pot, Strawberries, Mint, Roses, Borage, Nastutiums, Echinacea, Gooseberries.
• Salad mix, mixed lettuces, Onions, Green peppers, Spring onions, Radishes, Mustard, Rocket.
• Winter soup pot, Cabbages,Leeks,Celery,Thyme,Sage,Rosemary,Onions,Turnips,Swiss chard,Chives,Carrots.

Happy Organic gardening!

 www.whirlwindgardens.co.za

The organic vegetable garden

Concept plan

It all started with a rocky koppie, the only place in my clients garden where there was space and sun, this is where our Organic vegetable garden was created . It took allot of careful planning as the koppie is on a slope, huge retaining walls needed to be built to get the area level as well as hold all the soil around 80 cubes! It is quite a feat to get there ,one has to trek up decked walkways to get to the top.

the site before the organic vegetable garden was created

 It was going to take lots of building to make this work. We wanted it to blend in with its natural surroundings become a part of the landscape, bricks would make it look harsh and foreign.So natural rock was our best option and there was allot of it in her garden. Rocks, cement, soil, sand all of this was carried by hand and bag to the top of the koppie cubes and cubes of it.We got really fit from this!

The long walk up!





slowly it began to take shape

We designed the garden in three levels,each has a specific planting plan.Inspired by the key hole design ,because this shape allows the gardener easier access to the vegetables and a bigger planting space . I modified the key hole to circles for the top two levels and used it coming out from the circle at the bottom because this level is bigger than the top two. These circles are paved walkways done in the same natural rock to match the walls.The center circle and bottom circle we raised for practical and design purposes. This was a perfect place to plant the mint,it loves to creep and would eventually take over the entire garden if left to its own devices if planted in the beds.   




natural stone walkways lead you through the garden, a fruiting olive graces center spot.

 

After the hard landscaping was completed it was time to plant, my favourite part! As I mentioned each level has a specific plan and all my planting is done to companion planting guidelines. For those of you who do not know, companion planting is the natural solution to pest control and this is what makes a vegetable garden organic.Plant plants that like each other next to each other so they grow strong and healthy without the need to spray and be continuously fed with chemical fertilizers. There is no need to spray in this garden as insect repelling plants have been incorporated in the design.I have used allot of these around the borders of vegetable beds.If the need arises and my veggies need a helping hand then these insect repelling plants can be made into sprays. I have Margaret Roberts Companion planting book as my guide to help me on my organic journey!  





Granadilla vines are planted at the top of garden they will grow up the wooden stakes and hide the green palisade fence.A lemon tree grows in the top pot, a fruiting olive in the center and a black velvet fig fills the third. Obelisks have been made from the exotic black wattle a very invasive tree that must be removed.Beans and sweet peas will trail up these.  







In my next post I will go into detail about the planting and maintenance plan ,explaining my companion planting combinations . This garden is unique and will be ever changing with the seasons. I will keep you updated on its progress and let you know what things have worked well and what has struggled.While waiting in anticipation for my little seedlings to grow the rabbits and rock dussies decided that everything was quite to their liking the way it was and proceeded to have a gourmet fest demolishing nearly all of the seedlings. So operation rabbit and rock dussie fence is under way. Most of my seedlings will have to be replanted! 

To look at more pictures look at www.whirlwindgardens.co.za

Some like it Hot and Dry

Under our hot African sun, water is precious. I love the huge variety of succulents, aloes and grasses that we have. They do not require much tender loving care or water, in fact they would be more than happy if you left them alone.I designed this garden for a very hot and dry area, it was a small garden and the clients wanted it to be low maintenance and modern.I became inspired with a colour pallet of bright yellows, sultry reds and bursts of orange from our aloes the stars of winter. Succulent gardens do not need to be placed at the back of the house. Left to be that arid dry dusty patch that the dogs kennel is put out of sight, where all the not so pretty stuff is thrown. In fact succulent gardens are very contemporary. Black pots set off the vivid colours of Euphorbia tirucalli.

Instead of leaving the earth bare create interesting shapes with ornamental gravels and pebbles.This contemporary path of floating cement steps leads the eye through the garden.A little courtyard where nothing grew became a very interesting space.



Aloe barberae are fantastic focal points in a garden and in a contemporary garden their architectural form is hard to beat. In this garden they complimented the architecture beautifully.Bold shapes softened by the soft grasses with aloes studded throughout the garden hold the promise of an amazing display in winter and the vibrant colours draw the eye to these architectural beauties. 

 





Builbine frutescens and Carex frosted curls