We are patiently waiting for our first crop of tomatoes, but in the meantime it seems there is a tiger in the parsley….
Showing posts with label Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garden. Show all posts
Revamping the herb garden
For my birthday earlier this year, friends gave me a large clay pot full of different herbs. With spring in the air, I decided to replant the herbs into all the different long-forgotten pots that’s been either cluttering the garage or standing around in the garden without any purpose. I found this great recycled pallet stand for all the containers. It is from The Wood Lady and their products are available on-line or at the Ceramic Factory in Linden.
We are patiently waiting for our first crop of tomatoes, but in the meantime it seems there is a tiger in the parsley….
We are patiently waiting for our first crop of tomatoes, but in the meantime it seems there is a tiger in the parsley….
Lovely Lavender
A while ago I read the beautiful and elegantly written debut novel ‘The Language of Flowers’ by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The book is about a young woman’s gift for using flowers and the language of flowers to change the lives of others around her. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years but it was in Victorian England that the interest in floriography soared. Armed with floral dictionaries, Victorians used gifts of floral arrangements to send coded messages to someone else, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society.
This past weekend my mom stayed over and to decorate her room Daniel helped me to cut lavender flowers from our garden. The garden is a bit of a sad sight at the end of winter and I wish the rains would come and allow the bare garden to blossom. So, taking into account the (lack of) diversity of flowers available to pick in the garden, I do like the message of lavender. In the language of flowers, the lavender flower’s most common meaning is love and devotion but it is also associated with purity, silence and caution. It represents luck when given as a gift and offers the promise of new adventure.
This past weekend my mom stayed over and to decorate her room Daniel helped me to cut lavender flowers from our garden. The garden is a bit of a sad sight at the end of winter and I wish the rains would come and allow the bare garden to blossom. So, taking into account the (lack of) diversity of flowers available to pick in the garden, I do like the message of lavender. In the language of flowers, the lavender flower’s most common meaning is love and devotion but it is also associated with purity, silence and caution. It represents luck when given as a gift and offers the promise of new adventure.
Spring Festival at Garden World
Here are a few more pics from our Kirstenbosch Chelsea exhibit excursion (see here). It is currently the Spring Festival at Garden World and they have 11 designer show gardens on display. It turned out to be a great outing for our boy. Daniel had a wonderful time exploring and running around and he loved the children’s gardens (especially the miniature box gardens).
A bit of the Cape
Just 100 years ago Kirstenbosch, the beautiful National Botanical Garden on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, was a run-down derelict farm. This year the garden celebrates its centenary. That provided them with their theme of “100 blooming years” for their display at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show that took place in London earlier this year.
South Africa has been exhibiting at this prestigious event for 38 years, and this year’s entry provided them with their 33rd gold medal. That is impressive!
This year’s the display was a circular, walk-through exhibit that creates the experience of being in the heart of Kirstenbosch. On the one side it featured the Dell and Cycad Amphitheatre, and on the other side with a clever depiction of Table Mountain, the Protea Garden.
The exhibit is currently on display at Garden World, a garden centre just outside Honeydew. After I took my friend Eljanne to the Apartheid Museum, we loaded the family in the car and for something totally opposite to our morning excursion, we went to see this Kirstenbosch Garden. It literally took my breath away, especially the colourful and exquisite proteas. My photos cannot do it justice.
PS. The Chelsea garden is on display at Garden World till 21 August. It will then be recreated at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 31 August till 24 September. Do go and see it!!
For more info, click on the Kirstenbosch FB page or the Garden World FB page.
South Africa has been exhibiting at this prestigious event for 38 years, and this year’s entry provided them with their 33rd gold medal. That is impressive!
This year’s the display was a circular, walk-through exhibit that creates the experience of being in the heart of Kirstenbosch. On the one side it featured the Dell and Cycad Amphitheatre, and on the other side with a clever depiction of Table Mountain, the Protea Garden.
The exhibit is currently on display at Garden World, a garden centre just outside Honeydew. After I took my friend Eljanne to the Apartheid Museum, we loaded the family in the car and for something totally opposite to our morning excursion, we went to see this Kirstenbosch Garden. It literally took my breath away, especially the colourful and exquisite proteas. My photos cannot do it justice.
PS. The Chelsea garden is on display at Garden World till 21 August. It will then be recreated at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 31 August till 24 September. Do go and see it!!
For more info, click on the Kirstenbosch FB page or the Garden World FB page.
The Garden Design Show at Lifestyle
About a week ago, I took Daniel to the Lifestyle Nursery in Randpark Ridge for a lunch, a hair-cut at the child-friendly hair salon on the premises and some playtime at the nurseries’ playground. Before returning home, we stopped in the garden section – the annual Lifestyle Garden Design show is currently running and is on till the end of May.
First launched in 1997, students of the Lifestyle College create a number of designer gardens over a period of three weeks. This year the organisers decided to increase the size of the gardens and rather than numerous small demonstration gardens, they only have five show gardens all generous in size.
My favourite garden by far was the “Mizu to Koishi” garden – I loved the oriental design with the striking patio, zen sand, floating stepping stones and the oversized pots.
Daniel on the other hand, did not seem to care about creative landscaping, eco-conscious outdoor spaces, controlled xeriscapes or water-wise installations :-). He could however manage an unusual degree of patience while I had a good look around – all made possible by a muddy pool of water.
Lifestyle Garden Centre
Cnr of Beyers Naude Drive & Ysterhout Avenue
Randburg
You can visit their website or like their Facebook page.
First launched in 1997, students of the Lifestyle College create a number of designer gardens over a period of three weeks. This year the organisers decided to increase the size of the gardens and rather than numerous small demonstration gardens, they only have five show gardens all generous in size.
My favourite garden by far was the “Mizu to Koishi” garden – I loved the oriental design with the striking patio, zen sand, floating stepping stones and the oversized pots.
Daniel on the other hand, did not seem to care about creative landscaping, eco-conscious outdoor spaces, controlled xeriscapes or water-wise installations :-). He could however manage an unusual degree of patience while I had a good look around – all made possible by a muddy pool of water.
Lifestyle Garden Centre
Cnr of Beyers Naude Drive & Ysterhout Avenue
Randburg
You can visit their website or like their Facebook page.
Image credits: All photography by me
Green thumbs
I mentioned in a previous post that I took my little boy to a nursery to buy plants.
The plants were delivered last week and even my gardener who helped me to plant the new additions, looked slightly amused that I brought home yet again another purple and white collection. Can’t help it – are yellow flowers really that pretty compared to a lavender in full bloom or a white iris with splashes of purple? But who knows - maybe in a couple of years I will pull everything out and go big on yellow and red?!!
The plants were delivered last week and even my gardener who helped me to plant the new additions, looked slightly amused that I brought home yet again another purple and white collection. Can’t help it – are yellow flowers really that pretty compared to a lavender in full bloom or a white iris with splashes of purple? But who knows - maybe in a couple of years I will pull everything out and go big on yellow and red?!!
What I actually wanted to write about today is the gem of a nursery that I use. David Webb Nursery is located about 12km’s from Fourways/Northgate on a plot on Copperhouse Road. David Webb has been in the landscaping industry for more than 40 years, supplying only to other landscapers and retail nurseries. Luckily for us, the nursery is also open to the public now.
Driving through the gates, what struck me everytime is how tranquil it is, and that the plants are so well-looked after. That alone is almost refreshing in a way – this is a NURSERY, and it does not attempt to be a lifestyle emporium, coffee venue and kid’s entertainment area as well… The staff are always friendly, helpful and exceptionally knowledgeable. Add to that the wholesale prices, and it is definitely worth the drive.
David Web Nursery, Plot 93, Copperhouse Roud, Nooitgedacht. Cell: 083 225 9532
Image credits: All photography by me
And before I say goodbye to you today, can I share these lovely kiddies’ garden accessories with you? How cute is the birdseed bungee jumper?
Image credits: All images from Hen and Hammock 1) sack of outdoor games 2) Mr McGregor gardening gift set 3) Birdseed bungee jumper 4) Mini Bugs
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