Red, Green, Hot

Irresistable chillies from my garden in watercolour. I have been having a lot of fun finding edible things that are either homegrown or selfseeded. there is nothing to beat 'freshly picked' for flavour and bursting goodness.

Watercolour

Everlastings

I saw this idea somewhere and for the life of me I can't remember where - Pinterest/blog/magazine? But it stuck and I had just the thing for it. The pot is someone else's left behind and on it's own I just couldn't take to it. But add some beautiful succulents and I'm in lurve. It's the perfect compliment to my sun bleached, weather worn Cape Town deck. So whoever you are - thank you!

Happy holidays everyone 

may the sun follow you 

and the south easter be at your back 

x

The Odd Stillife

Last year was a bit of a dud year as far as achievement goes, and I spent a lot of time at the end of it reflecting the downfall of my 'empire in the sun'.

No fabulous book
No cleverly landscaped garden
No veggie patch at all...
you get where I'm going.

Sometimes though the problem is your frame of reference, not your reality.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

Marcel Proust

Gardens are for....Boogyboards and chives

So the book goes on to simmer and I'm going to enjoy where I am.
My next few posts are going to be about what my garden is really there for.
Laugh, cry and enjoy with me.

All Hands on Deck

This weekend was spent planting and sowing with my kids. We went through my staggering collection of empty pots and planned what to fill them with.


First the stones, then the compost, then potting soil, mix,mix,mix, plant and sew and finally water!


Carrots, beans, spring onions, lettuce, wild rocket, nasturtiums, strawberries, basil and sweet peas.


Quality check: The puppy has also shown considerable interest, digging up every pot to check what we had just buried AAAAAAAARGH!

Empty Vessels

A few weeks ago Gardening in South Africa had an article on "Getting creative with containers", something I've always battled with. Don't misunderstand, I have many, what I don't have is much in them and no real idea where to start.

So I've decided to follow Julie Andrews sound advice (excuse the pun) and start at the very beginning - the pots themselves. Here are a few examples.

Step 2: And now to address the space inside?! maybe some bulbs or winter herbs or even the odd ball?

Kathryn asked me to show some pics of my roses in pots with the pennyroyal. So, here they are. Looking rather bare and spindly. (which is why I avoided them before)

In everyone's defence here (that is, mainly mine) they take a beating in summer with the sun and salt laden south easter and I've probably not been feeding them enough either.

No roses (small detail) - but no aphids either, which is a first (considering I haven't sprayed since I planted the Pennyroyal). And I see there are lots of new leaves. I have also been wondering wether they need bigger pots. They have been in these for a bit more than two years. My usual best performer is the Papa Meiland but it is also the most sheltered of the five:

Royal Zulu

Queen Elizabeth

Papa Meiland

Julia's Rose

Dainty Bess

On a happier note, this is what they bring to my table before being roughed-up by me and the weather. The only one missing is Dainty Bess.

Handmade pots

I went back to my pottery classes this week, a very theraputic creative space indeed. A long time ago I mentioned that I was making a herb pot based on african masks. It has four faces (the mouths being the planting space) and obviously the top from which to grow your herb collection. Well here it is, sans herbs.



I have mixed emotions about it. On the one hand I think it's quite an achievement and on the other, There is none of the somber dark I'm a dead cool spirit representative vibe.

Then Helen who runs a backpackers at Oude Molen (where the studio is), brought in this great pic of her "Queen" hair and all, which I just love. But...




it occured to me then, that my guys might end up looking like they had a bad meal the night before once all the herbs were in place. The better they grew the worse the effect...irony perhaps.