May around our garden

Tucking Saxon Holt’s advice into my camera, I try to capture something deliberate.  Weaning myself off macros for today.

Looking from the front door

As we step out of the front door, we see once a polka dot effect, now the plants elbow and shoulder us.

Figs and fragrance at the washing lines

Past the figs, to the washing lines. Where I have plants which raise clouds of fragrance. From the earth and the sunshine, with the alchemy of nature. Lemon verbena, scented pelargonium, Salvia greggei and lad’s love (Southernwood) with its fresh lemon scent. Not the peak oil, gagging chemicals wafting over from my neighbour.

Elephant's Eye Light Railway and Apple Creek

The white Plumbago, which only weeks ago ‘wasn’t sure if it wanted to go on growing’ (thanks Esther) is covered in flowers!  Apple Creek enjoyed being groomed. The dwarf papyrus is paddling in the last of the rain, and the reed frogs are clicking thru their repertoire.

Tomatoes amongst the potted bulbs

In my pots of mostly indigenous bulbs, I have acquired two healthy tomato plants.

Ash Planters

The ash planters have gone from dubious to vibrant green spears of Chasmanthe, ruffled collars of Veltheimia, a carpet of leaves from the assorted tiny bulbs, all woven together by acid drop yellow Oxalis.

Pink border

My embattled once was fynbos is going to be pink. There were March lilies, there will be watsonias. I have added lots of cuttings of shocking pink pelargonium, and two tone pink Dimorphotheca jucunda.

Looking at Rest and Be Thankful, looking from Rest and Be Thankful

Walk around Ungardening Pond, looking at Rest and Be Thankful. Settle with a cup of tea, next to the waterfall, while our wild birds putter and chirple thru their day.

Winter Chill with Narcissus and Iris
Autumn Fire with Strelitzia and Crassula 

At Paradise and Roses in my Winter Chill bed I have Great North (lushing out since I removed the nearest Dusty Miller). A white iris from my mother’s gardening friend Celeste. An armful of Narcissus  from Anna, are spearing thru. In Autumn Fire I am nurturing an orange Crassula.

Pink Promise with Dianthus and Melianthus
Summer Gold with Mexican feather grass, and Belle Epoque

Spring Promise has fresh leaves on the Melianthus, which I treasure twice, because you love it too. Summer Gold has acquired Celeste’s yellow iris. I am learning to let go of the old and storied rose varieties, that battle with the heat, leaf loss and sunburn. Choosing the disease resistant modern varieties, WITH fragrance – like Perfume Passion which has a layer of buds at shoulder height now.

When we sit at Paradise and Roses there will be velvety red Duftwolke to our left.

The the wide view is foliage and texture ahead of the 16th and Pam’s  Foliage Followup.

Dietes and Agapanthus, yellow Oxalis
pink Oxalis, pots of bulbs

The dividing line between the Karoo Koppie and the Blue Border never was a Line. Now I have planted a row of spekboom cuttings. Which will lend themselves to formal trimming. While remaining green in summer. Tidying at the front door to reveal my alternating clumps of Dietes spears and Agapanthus bowing, I ripped out the Felicia by mistake. Those harvested cuttings are now a second blue line by the spekboom.

yellow Chrysanthemoides, purple Dimorphotheca jucunda
blue Plumbago, red Tecoma

Common hairtail butterfly on Chrysanthemoides monilifera

Behind the Blue border is our boma of vine chunks. Wildlife habitat, yesterday providing sanctuary for a torpid lizard we rescued from Chocolat. That hedge is 2 rooted bits of blue sage and four cuttings of wild rosemary. Cutting back two clumps of Scabiosa in the white Winter Chill bed at Paradise and Roses, gave me frightening dozens of cuttings. Some went home with our cleaning lady, who gardens. And a row went behind the blue border, to add gentle purple depth

Winter Chill, Spring Promise
Autumn Fire, Summer Gold
at Paradise and Roses

The informal hedge dividing ‘meadow’ with plum trees from Paradise and Roses had also reached its sell by date. Standing almost waist high it was a barrier, not an invitation. Now I have a thickly planted row of hand-sized Dusty Miller cuttings, paired with a row of Scabiosa cuttings, across Winter Chill and Spring Promise. For now it is just promise, but a gardener’s eye sees far.

Our garden is dancing into the ball. Everything is either in flower or covered in buds. Colour every which way.

Pictures and words by 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.)