[ SHAN’S GARDENING TIPS]

• Know your soil. “We have alluvial silt that has washed up here from Montagu during several floods over the years (those we can remember were in 1981 and 2003). It is extremely fertile agricultural soil.”

• Feed your plants regularly. “Once a year, we add grape skins and chicken manure to the beds.” A mulch of wood chips is applied around the roots and in-between the plants. Nico fertilises the gardens twice a year with 3:1:5. Until last year, he cared for both gardens, but when Anne-Marie relocated her roses to a sunnier part of the garden, she started following her own nutrition programme. She says: “I give my roses Ludwig’s Vigolonger once a year after pruning (mid-July) and then Vigorosa monthly from September to June. I also spray monthly with Ludwig’s cocktail of Ludwig’s Insect Spray, Chronos and Picanta.”

The rose bed also gets a layer of grape skins and chicken manure every year. “Nico and I have decided that we are going to see whose roses are the most beautiful this year!” adds Anne-Marie with a smile.

• If you want a lush green garden, you need water. “We are fortunate to get water from the canals that flow from the Breede River and the Brandvlei Dam,” says Shan.

• Grow a variety of plants for colour throughout the year. “In October, the roses are magnificent, with abundant colour and fragrance. The Clivia miniata with their orange blooms are beautiful just after winter and in summer the cannas and hibiscus provide colour. I love the bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii); its red foliage makes a wonderful statement in the garden.”

• And last but not least: “Enjoy your garden!” says Shan.