A Time For Everything

Happiness and a new potplant

Every morning I sit on my deck and soak up my garden. Saterday was no different, except that it was a perfect sunny winters morning and I had nowhere to go, so I did a bit of stocktaking.


Whilst my lettuces are going to seed
and the chives are floppy
The coriander is making a last stand
but the English Basil is past it's best
My Thyme and Origanum are maintaining nicely,
the rocket is still rocketing,
and my little tomatoes are growing up a storm.

The bulbs I planted are pushing through,
My Butterfly bushes are slowly saying good buy
but the Ribbon bush is coming out in full swing
and next to my lovely constant lavender
it makes for a beautiful sight.

The fynbos beds are a mixed success
I'm losing my King Protea (again)
But the red Leukadendums are blazing away.
and the Confetti bushes are looking lush and green
I can't wait for the show

The Restios are bouncing back after a radical trim (a little misunderstanding)
The White wild dagga is about to burst at a heady 5 feet
The Rosemary bushes are filling the nasty gaps quite nicely
and I'm waiting for the Agapanthus too join the blue party
The Perennial Basil is making up for it's English cousin
and my little Bay tree is now taller than me.

The Pelargoniums need cutting back
whilst the daisies need to be replaced with new cuttings
All the Sweetpeas have come up
and last but not least the grass is finally actually looking like a lawn
and is actually greener on my side!

My dog is doing his morning rounds
and my cats are curled up in the sunny spots.

All is as is should be and not a bad mornings work if you ask me.

Colour Swatch

This collection of colour is inspired by this weekends find.

You're never too old to learn II

I have to say the popularity of my snack has been a bit of a surprise. Suddenly I'm very aware of the power of the web and feel all exposed. (The irony isn't lost on me.)

The real Kusmalva I suspect

Making popular pitas isn't all I was up to though. I went hunting for Pelargoniums of the fynbos family in the veld around my neighbourhood. And I think I've returned with egg on my face.



I found this speciman which I suspect is the real Kusmalva (Coast Geranium in plain Afrikaans). Why? Because it's clearly a Pelargonium and I found it in the veld next to the sea. Sometimes it doesn't pay to fight the obvious.

The problem I'm left with is, what on earth does it make my gardens variety? So I won't quit my day job just yet as I'm clearly not a horticulturist of note.

You're never too old to learn

A large part of the reason I started this blog was my lack of knowledge. I know there are lots of you out there who have answers to my questions so please feel free to share.

I recently bought a fantastic book on Fynbos (the smallest of the six floral kingdoms of the world). This is some of what I learnt about the Pelargonium. One of the five largest Fynbos genera, 148 of the 270 species worldwide are found here in the Cape Floristic region. So out of the three Pelargoniums I have in my garden only one is from the Cape ~ the Pelargonium capitatum (Kusmalva in Afrikaans). That is of course if I identified it correctly, an interesting exercise in itself.

Pelargonium capitatum/Kusmalva

Real Talent in a plant.

My Rose Scented Geranium ala Pelargonium Graveolens Roseum has a bright future. On further investigation I have found out more about this twigs potential properties.

Not only is it used in the perfume industry but you can cook with it. Apparently its leaves and flowers can be used in food. Use them in salads, frost them to decorate cakes and use them to give flavour to stewed apples & pears (sounds good). For more Scented Geranium recipes and crafts.

Even more charming though, is the fact that it's used in Nit Shampoos and ticks don't like it.

Location, location, location

My garden is a coastal garden and being 300m from the beach it's more coast than garden. In summer we're battered by the South Easter and in winter the North Westerly pulls out all the stops. Add some salt and place in the sun for best results. It's a miracle I have roses at all.

The South Easter gives Table Mountain it's cloth.

The North Westerly brings out the moody side.

However we're also fortunate enough to live smack in the middle of the Western Cape fynbos kingdom and like many South African gardeners I'm discovering the benefits of using what belongs here.

Here is one of my projects.

Someone recently gave me a bouquet that had Rose Scented Geranium (Pelargonium) leaves in. Bar the real thing I have never smelt anything like it. So, I stuck it in some hormone powder and then in the ground. It might not look like much now but hey it's got new growth!