Rain gardening

Once upon a time we walked down the panhandle, past the ash trees to the reed bed and the weaver’s nests. We were smitten.

Giant or Spanish reeds

The Story of Elephant’s Eye

Chapter 4

Rain Gardening against Winter Floods

Masked weaver

Cape weaver

We moved in to our new home in May 2007, and in June the rains came! In 2008 July brought the river down our gravel driveway. This August we had 174 mm of rain, but graciously dispersed across the month. Leaving our clay soil charged with water for spring flowers and sparing us from new floods.

Floods 2007, 2008
2008, Zonquasdrift and the Berg River 2009

The Ungardener worked hard at rain gardening. Our driveway and forecourt are paved with gravel. There is a buried porous pipe which helps to drain excess water to the reeds. Ultimately all our accumulated flood water finds a path across our neighbours to the Porterville stream and down to the sea.

Apple Creek

For the weavers and their nest building, I leave some tall wild grass that the birds can harvest. Giant or Spanish reeds are an invasive plant from the Mediterranean (the plant for which the French town of Cannes was named). Our reeds are a reminder that our chosen plot lies in a hollow, gathers the rain, and allows the reeds to flourish.

Plum Creek from the roof
with red hot poker in July

I’m allergic to little garden bridges which serve no purpose. Ours crosses Plum Creek. In summer the boggy plants are dormant, in winter they paddle in water. Hibiscus tiliaceus with its heart-shaped leaves always glowing in autumn colours, red hot pokers, olifantsriet and my pots of vlei lilies Wurmbea stricta.

Plum Creek with vlei lily now in bloom

As you circle the house, the western roof drains to the reeds, ensuring that they continue to survive with their accustomed supply. The southern side goes to a rain water tank, which overflows to Apple Creek. The eastern side goes to the second rain water tank and overflows to the pond. The northern side goes straight to Ungardening Pond.

Plum Creek bridge looking to Paradise and Roses

All our paths are brick edged gravel, keeping our feet out of the mud – and again helping to drain downpours from the plants to three storm water retention ponds.

Here the Voelvlei dam is hidden in the middle distance between mountains beyond and the pristine renosterveld around the dam. Named for the greyish renosterbos Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (a sort of wild rosemary) which is supposed to look like a rhino, in colour. If I were trying to return our garden to what was here, before the town and the wheat and wine farmers – these bushes, with bulbs and annuals would be it. As we saw when we walked thru the Hantam National Botanical Garden, first in 2011, then in 2012.

Groot Winterhoek and Witsenberg mountains
Voelvlei dam hidden in mid-distance
Renosterveld

We are allowed to retain our rain water in our garden, but not allowed to collect the rain and channel a pipe to our neighbour’s garden. Our mediterranean climate means that winter can brings us short fierce cloud bursts and we need to be prepared. We wanted a home without stairs, but there are two stairs at each outside door – against extreme weather.

Rain gardening neatly fits Beth of Wisconsin @ PlantPostings  Garden Lessons Learned meme. Her summer, my winter!

Chapter 3 was Flower year in our Porterville garden
Chapter 5 is Be careful what you wish for ... Karoo Koppie and Friends

Pictures by Diana and Jurg,

text by Diana Studer
AKA Diana of Elephant's Eye
- wildlife gardening in Porterville,
near Cape Town in South Africa

(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink. Those are my links)