Summer in my garden...

…is when Orange River lilies, buttercups, Queen Anne’s lace and the brown-andyellow marigolds that come up everywhere give me joy. Under the Northern Cape sun, the garden wilts easily and watering has become expensive, so I also have a succulent garden. I am grateful for the large wild olive trees under which I can have breakfast or wait for the rain in the afternoons.

– Annette Visser, Pofadder

…is a time of extreme climatic conditions: it’s either hot and humid or cold and damp. The plants struggle to adapt to the extremes and soon become tall and slender. We need to prune regularly to keep growth in check.

– Denise Slatter, Hilton

…is when the carrot trees look stunning with their light-green leaves and flowers, as does the flat-topped wild syringa tree with its new leaves. The snowwhite flowers of the bride’s bush are contrasted against the red cliffs of Praatberg. And the drawn-out “do-do-do-do” of the emerald-spotted wood dove looking for a mate makes you grateful to be alive.

– Heleen Claassen, Sasolburg

…arrives when my neighbour’s deciduous pin oak flaunts its shiny new leaves. Everywhere, hydrangeas and agapanthuses get ready for Christmas, fully decked out. And early morning, as the sun paints the Outeniqua Mountains from Tierkop to Geelhoutboom Mountain, the red-chested cuckoo calls out “the summeris-here, the summer-is-here”.

– Pieter Scholtz, George