The water crisis in Cape Town has made most of us re-think our gardening priorities, and for me, having always struggled with oily, sandy soil and seasonal changes of deep shade to blazing sun, it will be pretty much business as usual - letting whatever can survive on the minimum of attention, remain. I have lost only the odd shrub, a sign of the resilience of the current vegetation, and it seems that the plants that have enjoyed the drought most of all are the clivias. They are coming into magnificent bloom, with larger flower heads than ever before and I intend to extend their range in the shady parts of the garden as they look good even when not flowering. Gazanias have flourished in the runoff from the shower, and the washing machine continues to feed the jasmine that has climbed up to the roof of our double storey. It appears to like detergent water.
Half of the garden has now been paved - the areas where the grass never grew anyway - and a few pots with roses have been strategically placed, but I won't be adding to them this year, not until winter rains return regularly, and even that is not assured.
My focus will be on aloes and succulents, which are attractive all year round and provide an assortment of textures and colours. I feel that, as Murphy's Law is the one I live by, as soon as a desert garden is established we will get so much rain the plants will burst. It's like organising a stargazing evening to guarantee cloudy conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment