HESSEQUA NEWS - The first stop of Green Fingers' monthly outing was to Annette Pienaar's Indigenous and Clivia Nursery in Still Bay.
"She led us down a winding dust path into a haven of enticing smells, bushes with indescribable colours, delicate plants, tough plants, around each corner a wilderness of surprises. Suddenly we came across a burst of orange and yellow clivia in bloom in the shade of a sprawling Milkwood tree," said Sal Carter.
A rustic wooden bench making it an ideal place to sit and meditate. "I could have spent the entire morning wandering around this unspoilt wilderness, but tea and scones in the nursery beckoned."
The next stop was the immaculate suburban garden of Koos and Annette Smit.
Unfortunately the overhead cloud did not give this pretty garden it's full due, but nevertheless one could see it was colour coordinated and laid out with great thought - again totally indigenous.
They crunched along chip stone paths into the backyard where under a gnarled old Milkwood tree a riot of colourful clivia greeted them.
Koos lead the way into his pride and joy - his orchid house. A fascinating collection of air plants as well.
"To show how healthy the environment is, a Cape Robin has made her nest there and two beady-eyed babies lay tjoep still as we peered into their nest. Mother bird was waiting anxiously outside her beak bulging with earthworms!" Carter continued.
Their third stop was at Vera's luscious garden. Healthy plants tumbled over each other in the rockery of natural stone, colour gave way to soft greenery, ferns under a lanky Milkwood, bird song was everywhere.
Again everything indigenous and again such a variety. A garden clearly loved and cared for.
A garden to be enjoyed by all and sundry was where headed to next.
Two sisters, Lenie and Louise live next door to each other and although they have colourful gardens of their own, have created a masterpiece on the municipal road opposite their houses. Lenie, being a potter, contributed interesting pieces.
It is mostly indigenous and the bushbuck do their share of pruning when necessary (and when not!). Lenie and Chris's garden is surrounded by a vibracrete wall, which Lenie has studded with pebbles, surrounding her own unique artwork.
The result is captivating, as is the fairy garden which peeps out from under the wooden veranda.
They collect Phillip Fouché, the landscaper at his nursery and wind their way up the hill behind the golf course to see one of the garden's he has designed. He was given carte blanche to spend what he liked on this triple plot garden.
The one request was that there was to be no spare spaces. This is a challenge as new plants have to be given space to spread themselves in due course and in time to come, he will have to do a great deal of thinning out.
A lot of thought had gone into the planning of that garden and the result is pleasing, colourful and balanced and again mostly indigenous. In contrast, Phillip showed them a garden he created for minimal maintenance.
It is mainly hard landscaping - stones, stones and more stones and circular flower beds planted with different colours.
Quite a contrast to most of the gardens they have seen.
Finally, they cross the river to Hanneli Taute's home. She is an artist with a difference - her medium being inner tubes! Using this unusual material she embroiders weird and wonderful art pictures. An interesting end to an interesting day.
Read a previous article: Who says indigenous gardens are boring?
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