Plant choice
All the plants in this garden are adapted to the local climate. “In winter, the temperature can drop to -16°C,” says Charmaine. “By May this year, we’d already had frost! But roses do well here, as do bulbous plants such as garlic, onions and day lilies. And we can grow fennel and artichokes. We also have wisteria, grapevines, Boston ivy, pomegranate trees, pecan nut trees, quince trees and certain conifers.
“We’ve planted several cactuses, including the queen of the night (Selenicereus grandiflorus); its flowers are so white, they practically glow in the dark. You can propagate it by simply breaking off a shoot and planting it. Or, if they drop off, they’ll grow where they’ve fallen. We favour plants with white blooms because they look so beautiful at twilight.”
They seldom buy new plants, Charmaine says. “We propagate our own plants from seeds and cuttings of those that we know thrive here. Martin is always collecting cuttings and seeds.”
The couple even have plants grown from seeds that they collected in France when they lived there years ago. “Even though we lived in a rented house, Martin still couldn’t resist growing cuttings in bags. Before we left, we gave bags full of plants to a couple who had recently moved into a house without a garden. Back then, they were novice gardeners but they’ve become keen gardeners with a beautiful place.”
Charmaine says the Karoo has very definite seasons. “We love it! In the heat of summer we keep busy with watering. In winter, we can rest a bit as we don’t have to water as often. And July or August is pruning time.
“We’ve almost achieved our goals for our garden. But, of course, a garden is always a work in progress with new, different plants that have the potential to thrive here.”