Starting anew
Joan moved to her retirement cottage at the end of July 2017 and started her small garden from scratch a month or so later.
“Because it had been rented out for so long, there wasn’t much of a garden, other than the established trees,” she says.
“I paid two gardeners to dig it all up, clean it out and put in lots of compost as the soil was very sandy. I decided I wanted a bird and meditation garden so I read up on which plants attract birds, and also researched how to create quiet spots with beautiful views or features.”
Joan confesses that she didn’t have any special plan for her garden’s layout. “I just filled it with waterwise, bird-friendly plants,” she says. And it’s paid off, because her garden is a hive of avian activity – plants such as Leonotis leonurus, Tecomaria capensis, Dais cotinifolia, aloes and salvias are relished by feathered visitors, as are Grewia occidentalis, a fast-growing shrub that’s an asset to any wild garden, Ochna serrulata with its unusual fruits that look like Mickey Mouse faces and Halleria lucida, one of the best bird-attracting trees.
“I also put up bird feeders and water bottles in three different corners. I’ve noticed striped field mice feeding there too!” she says with delight. “And I’ve placed small frog ‘ponds’ under the outside taps for the few endangered frogs that I’ve noticed frequenting my garden.”
Joan says her favourite spot is the back veranda, which looks out over the garden and the Riviersonderend mountain range.
“It is a great place to relax and meditate. My garden keeps me sane. It’s a creative outlet; a place of peace. It has a lovely lemon tree and is filled with herbs that I use for cooking and flowers that I cut and bring into the house.
“My garden is not perfect. I make mistakes as I go along and I change things that aren’t working, but it brings me enormous joy. A short time spent messing about in the garden makes me happy and enthusiastic!” she says.
My favourite plant in my garden is the bougainvillea at the entrance. It provides such a lovely welcome. – Joan