Category: Christine’s garden

Dominated by large trees on a medium sized property, my garden is very shaded. With no “full sun” areas I have to plant shade and partial shade loving plants. I love shrubs and flowers including cammellias and azaleas but bougainvillea and Irises are my favourite and getting these to thrive is a challenge …

The Gardening Blog in the News!

Post author By Barbara
Post date April 29, 2013
12 Comments on The Gardening Blog in the News!

I was so excited when Christine told me that “We are in the Fair Lady Magazine!!” It was such a surprise to the both of us that our “little” blog made it in one of the top woman’s magazines here in South Africa! We are both grinning from ear to ear and had to share this with all our gardening friends!

[one_half]The Fair Lady May Issue (cover)[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Article on the Gardening Blog![/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

And the Article reads:

“Life long friends Barbie and Christine are working moms who both developed a passion for gardening in their 40s. Their busy lives meant the didn’t get to visit each other (or each other’s gardens) as much as they’d like, so they decided to start a blog to share their successes, discoveries, photos and advice with each other.

The result is a warm, chummy blog packed with personality! Of course, you can get information anywhere, but what makes this site shine is the way Barbie and Christine – amateur gardeners, just like us – engage readers in their daily gardening lives, with beautiful photos to match. They also encourage readers to share their gardening successes and advice.

Visit www.thegardeningblog.co.za to catch up with them.

Look out for Barbie’s fabulous “1 Minute Tips” videos.”

I think it is just great that we managed to put together a blog worthy of being mentioned in the FAIR LADY!

Happy gardening everyone! xxxxxx

Tags flowers, garden, gardening

Annuals Barbie's garden Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Perenniels

Early Autumn in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Post author By Barbara
Post date March 17, 2013
12 Comments on Early Autumn in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

The cooler days are slowly replacing the swelter of summer. The refreshing rains in March will give the Two Gardens a welcome time out! This is the time to reflect and review – what is coming up this season and what can we look forward to.

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in March 2013

I have started early with all the cleaning and cutting and digging and clearing. I feel ready for the cooler march weather and I can start sowing my new seeds for the winter. But there are still some really pretty blooms in my garden – you might have seen them all before, but they still delight me.

My new Dietes I bought and planted this week are blooming!

[one_half]I still love this forever bloomer[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gerbera[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Roses always delight![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Still blooming – Fuchsia[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Newly trimmed Hotlips Salvia[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Barrow full of blommies[/one_half_last]

Mexican Petunias are blooming with my Gaura

[one_half]My Leopard Tree is looking gorgeous![/one_half]

[one_half_last]My whirling butterflies[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Euphorbia in bloom[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My white Salvia[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Tansy cut back and already blooming again[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another view of Tansy and Salvia[/one_half_last]

I still think this useful medicinal plant is pretty in bloom – Bulbinella

[one_half]Loving this bed with Peach and Blueberry too[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My flowering Potato Bush bed is also all tidy[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

[one_half]Squash flowers all over the place![/one_half]

[one_half_last]New patch with Yarrow and Bulbinella[/one_half_last]

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Join Carol and friends over at May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in February! And if you haven’t joined yet and have some blooms you’d like to show off, please join in the fun of showcasing your blooms! We’d love to see what YOU have blooming in your garden right now!

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx

Tags garden bloggers bloom day

Annuals Barbie's garden Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Late summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Post author By Barbara
Post date February 15, 2013
10 Comments on Late summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

When the heat ebbs and the lazy afternoons have been replaced with plans to re-do the beds, then you know that summer is going to be replaced real soon. February has always been the best month of summer, but it looks like this summer was really short!

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in February 2013

I am really keen to yank out all my used and dead foliage and get my beds ready for the winter garden. I have very few colourful blooms and hardly anything new to show you. There are still the roses and salvia that keep up a great show! I love the Gaura this year, reseeding itself and the small Violas have been a great help in keeping the veggie patch cool this summer.

Happy Valentine’s Day – My garden gives you a Heart – what a surprize – from my Yarrow!

[one_half]This is something new-Soapwort[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Gaura self-seeded itself! Looks pretty here[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The last of the Fuchsia [/one_half_last]

Still a lovely flower to photograph – it has been scorched this summer – shame!

[one_half]My Aunty Henna rose did well this summer[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My calibrachoa et al in the wheelbarrow[/one_half_last]

[one_half]My salvia – white and hotlips[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Salvia hotlips loved the summer heat[/one_half_last]

Roses are still blooming – these are steadfast and reliable

[one_half]Love the Peppadew plant-looks like red flowers[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Back side of the salvia, roses and fuchsia[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Squash flower[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cucumber flower[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Oreganum in flower[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another Oreganum in the raised bed[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Pretty Violas[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Small daisy heads of the Fleabain[/one_half_last]

That’s it from Philly, lets see whats happening in Christine’s garden in Cape Town …

Here’s what’s blooming in Christine’s garden in February 2013

I’ve unfortunately neglected my garden over the last few weeks and was both happy and dismayed when I took a walk through yesterday to take a few photos for this post. I used to be able to ignore the garden and not much would change … but now as my garden is maturing the growth this summer has been nothing short of amazing. Gone are the bare patches and walls, to be covered with … well, lots and lots of growth. Some pretty and some not so pretty. Lots of work to cut back, control and clean up. There’s not much to show off but here are some of the flowers gracing my garden right now …

[one_half]The lovely Iceberg Rose still blooming[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cute Marigolds are taking over[/one_half_last]

[one_half]This has grown HUGE this year![/one_half]

[one_half_last]I have masses of these too this year[/one_half_last]

[one_half]An unknown volunteer – only one[/one_half]

[one_half_last]There’s a pot under there somewhere[/one_half_last]

[one_third]The lovely Lavender[/one_third]

[one_third]Dietes bicolor (Peacock flower)[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Cordyline and Alyssum[/one_third_last]

[one_third]I love the colour contrast here[/one_third]

[one_third]Oxalis (four-leaf clover)[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Love the Salvia and grasses[/one_third_last]

[one_third]Covering some copper pipes[/one_third]

[one_third]Brinjal Black Beauty flower[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Brinjal Black Beauty yummy![/one_third_last]

[one_third]Love all the grasses[/one_third]

[one_third]These look beautiful this year[/one_third]

[one_third_last]The Salvia are gorgeous[/one_third_last]

[one_third]Oops! signs of neglect[/one_third]

[one_third]Its more beautiful in reality …[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Did I mention I love these?[/one_third_last]

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx

Tags garden bloggers bloom day

Christine's garden Home page features

Flowers to say “I’m Sorry”

Post author By Christine
Post date February 14, 2013
11 Comments on Flowers to say “I’m Sorry”

To all my dear gardening friends, I owe you an apology. Life and work (mostly work) caught up with me and have kept me from my garden and my blog. I miss the daily banter and commenting about our gardens tremendously and I’ve missed ‘watching your gardens grow’. Unfortunately it doesn’t look as if things will slow down anytime soon and I’m committed to this crazy work schedule for at least another three weeks.

I promise I will be back soon to following all my dear garden-blogging friends!

xxx

Tags iceberg roses, roses, sorry

Barbie's garden Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Mid-summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Post author By Barbara
Post date January 18, 2013
10 Comments on Mid-summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

The Festive Season has passed and the New Year resolutions are still top of mind. The summer has deepened and the blooms are inviting the butterflies and the bees for a friendly visit. The wind this time of year is unusual and the hot, searing air makes all the flowers and plants thirsty. The heat of the summer is upon us so stay cool this Bloom Day!

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in January 2013

I know that our Northern friends can only wish for this summer heat! Out our way, the air is so dry and the grasses are a soft caramel colour. The clay ground is as hard as cement so no big planting projects are planned. The plants are so thirsty and I have to water almost twice a day. I have more blooms than I expected. Here is what my lovely garden is putting up for show!

My front garden

[one_half]My roses are still beautiful[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Lemon verbena is still a favourite[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

The Leopard Tree in gorgeous this time of year – in bloom and lush green.

Hot Lips Salvia – a never-failing favourite!!

The Veggie Patch

[one_half]Black Beauty Eggplant[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Squash flower[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Fennel attracts beneficial bugs[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chive flowers[/one_half_last]

Chilli pepper

Calendula – a health-giving flower, but still need to find a use for it

[one_half]Violas all over the veggie patch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Oreganum flower – my first I’ve ever seen[/one_half_last]

My Back Garden

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

I bought this sweet flowering plant one day – and I don’t have a clue what it is called!

A Gaura in your garden is a must – such a lovely plant with whirling butterfly flowers

[one_half]Potato bush is more like a tree![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Fleabain – still a lovely ground cover[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Tansy attracts all the bees![/one_half]

[one_half_last]I don’t know why I forget this flower![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Irises still blooming – amazing!!![/one_half]

[one_half_last]So pretty – my favourite of all!!![/one_half_last]

Dietes Grandiflora – finally a bloom!

Mexican Petuna – also a new bloom!

[one_half]The Thyme is flowering – so sweet![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Viola is everywhere! Helpful ground cover[/one_half_last]

That’s it from Philly, lets see whats happening in Christine’s garden in Cape Town …

Here’s what’s blooming in Christine’s garden in January 2013

In the last eighteen months I spent so much time planting wonderful foliage plants – and I really have lovely foliage – but sadly, not enough blooms! For this Bloom Day I don’t have much to show, but Barbie’s Garden sure makes up for it 🙂

Here are some of my favourite blooms …

[one_half]The Gloriosa Lily[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Pentas loved by butterflies[/one_half_last]

[one_half]These flower reliably for me[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bower vine mixing in[/one_half_last]

[one_half]I love the pink Gaura too[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Russian Sage with Dietes[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Calibrachoa as ground cover[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Mexican Petubias are back![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Blooming but past their prime[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Four leaf clover has flowers 🙂[/one_half_last]

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Join Carol and friends over at May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in January! And if you haven’t joined yet and have some blooms you’d like to show off, please join in the fun of showcasing your blooms! We’d love to see what YOU have blooming in your garden right now!

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx

Tags garden, garden bloggers bloom day

Bloggers Harvest Day Christine's garden Home page features

A Summer Harvest

My limited edible gardening produces just enough to keep me interested. I like to try new things to see how they grow here and this month I’m having great fun with the Brinjal “Black Beauty” I planted recently. It’s obviously in an ideal spot because it produced flowers almost immediately and the first Brinjal is almost ready for picking. I think I could pick it now but I’d like it to get a bit bigger – apparently the right time to pick is when it’s almost the size of my hand (it’s the size of my closed fist now, so not long to go). This week I read somewhere that Brinjals (Aubergine or Eggplant) like to be positioned where they have lots of space and against a warm wall. No wonder mine is doing so well. That’s exactly where I planted mine – in a very deep, large pot that stands against a warm wall.

In other January Garden Bloggers harvest day news, I have so much Basil again that I’ve made my own Basil Pesto. The lovely small leafed Basil (called Basil Minuet) is wonderful freshly picked in salads. It has a less pungent flavor than the ordinary Basil which makes it perfect for eating freshly picked. I prefer the ordinary Basil for making Pesto. So I grow both and hope I can keep getting seedlings of the Minuet.After picking all the lovely leaves it takes about 7 to ten days and they are ready for picking again (depending of course on how much I need). And so far its been bug-free! I love this variety.

[one_half]Look whats growing in my Herb Garden[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Six cups of Basil, ready for turning into Pesto[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Difference in size of the two varieties[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Insert your text here[/one_half_last]

I’m still picking Rosemary, lots of Thyme and am loving the Wild Rocket (Arugula). I need to get more of them, two plants are not enough for us.

A quick update – I prepared this post two days ago, and today was able to harvest the now larger-than-my-hand sized Brinjal!

What are you harvesting or growing this month? Please join us for Garden Bloggers Harvest Day, we’d love to see what you are growing or harvesting!

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags garden bloggers harvest day

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Summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Post author By Barbara
Post date December 15, 2012
12 Comments on Summer in Two Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

The summer heat has arrived with a bang! The temperature is rising and the cool spring days have gone. The holiday season is here and the gardeners are keen to get the sprinklers on and new plants in the beds. Time to enjoy the weather and the lazy summer days just gazing into the garden.

Here’s what’s blooming in Christine’s garden in December 2012

My garden is flourishing and I’m really thrilled with it. Everything is growing, all the bare patches have filled in and everywhere I look there is something flowering and thriving. From lovely foliage combinations to flowers galore, there is something lovely to see in almost every corner and bed of my garden.

Here are some of my favourite blooms …

[one_third]Mandevilla splenens[/one_third]

[one_third]Perovskia atriplicifolia[/one_third]

[one_third_last]The lovely Penstemon[/one_third_last]

[one_third]Aquilegia in pale yellow[/one_third]

[one_third]A mass of Petunias[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Petunias and Star Jasmine[/one_third_last]

[one_third]Salvias and Daisies[/one_third]

[one_third]Abutilon against a tree[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Abutilon covered in buds[/one_third_last]

[one_half]A beautiful Hydrangea[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Cute new annual – Torenia[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Petunias in a barrel[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Roses are great this year[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Duranta Alba lovely when it flowers[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Ground covers getting mixed up[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Thunbergia alata growing in a pot[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Brinjal ‘Black Beauty’ is flowering![/one_half_last]

That’s it from Claremont in Cape Town, lets see whats happening in Barbie’s garden in Philly …

Here’s what’s blooming in Barbie’s garden in December 2012

My best time of the day is the early evening when I can water the plants and see what is thriving. The days are getting really hot and this means most of my greens have bolted. The blooms are now going to seed but I still have a few glorious flowers that I can show you this Bloom Day.

[one_half]My roses are beautiful – a summer winner[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My Irises are still blooming – amazing![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Calibrachoa in my wheelbarrow looking pretty[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Yarrow in bloom[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Salvia is loving the heat![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Fuchsia and Hot Lips Salvia[/one_half_last]

[one_half]A Zucchini flower – this is edible[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Lots of Tomato flowers blooming[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Guava tree already in bloom[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gerbera still flowering – amazing![/one_half_last]

[one_half]Love my Viola as ground cover[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The Fennel is really pretty-love the smell[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Calendula and Chamomille[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gaura still a favourite[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Potato bush in full bloom[/one_half]

[one_half_last]My front Rose bed looking fab![/one_half_last]

About Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Join Carol and friends over at May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners around the world have blooming in December! And if you haven’t joined yet and have some blooms you’d like to show off, please join in the fun of showcasing your blooms! We’d love to see what YOU have blooming in your garden right now!

Thank you for joining us!

PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do!

Happy gardening xxx

Tags garden bloggers bloom day

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Seasonal Celebrations in the Rose Bed

Post author By Christine
Post date December 7, 2012
13 Comments on Seasonal Celebrations in the Rose Bed

If you come to visit me you’ll ring the door bell from outside and then as you enter and close the door, this is the first thing you will see …

It’s what I see every time I look out of my back door and its bursting with blooms right now. In this small corner of my back garden, the roses are maturing and much larger this year. Covered in so many more blooms than last year, I’m really thrilled with them. Who said roses are difficult? I find them easy – the instructions are so precise: I know exactly when and how much to water and fertilise each shrub and how and when to prune.

Besides the once a year chop, I finger prune my roses occasionally and I am rewarded with such wonderful blooms and greenery, they are an absolute pleasure to me. And when they are pruned and bare for a short while, they just blend into the scenery allowing the other plants in their midst to shine – but only for a brief time while they recover and then come back to steal the lime-light, because once they are flowering its hard not to notice them.

[one_half]Basking in the shadows of the Roses[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Quite a few blooms on Monday …[/one_half_last]

[one_half]And lots more blooms by Wednesday[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And even more today![/one_half_last]

I’m tempted to cut the roses and bring them indoors, but I am enjoying this view so much I just can’t bring myself to cut them.

This is a ‘Summer’ Bed, at it’s best from December through to March. It’s far from perfect … I’ve made many changes and keep trying different things, but the roses are a constant around which everything else changes from time to time – except I think I’ll leave the Jasmine on the trellises now – I’m happy with them, even if they are too close in colour to the roses (the foliage). The result is that you do not notice the bare rose stalks when they are pruned and bare from the end of July through to early September – and when the Jasmine flowers in September and October, the scent as you enter the property is wonderful. Jasmine and Lavender …

Growing in the bed below I have Dietes grandilora, Penstemon, a Daisy bush, Heliotropium, a Duranta gold on either side and at the very front some of my Lobularia and Carex’s are really struggling because the dogs and the moles are at war here. Those dogs and moles have cost me a lot of plants! I’m considering other options – when they make me really cross then thorny plants, scarecrows, fences, ‘get off’ pellets … and other scary options spring to mind!

In other news, it’s a busy work time with little time for the garden and even less for blogging, but in two weeks time we will have a break and with it lots of lovely time to spend in the garden!

I’m joining Donna of Garden’s Eye View for Seasonal Celebrations. Seasonal Celebrations is a time for marking the change of seasons and what is happening in your part of the world during this time!

Happy Gardening, wherever you are!
xxx

Tags iceberg roses, roses, seasonal celebration, summer

Bloggers Harvest Day Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

A Short but Sweet December Harvest

Post author By Christine
Post date December 5, 2012
14 Comments on A Short but Sweet December Harvest

Rosemary and edible Viola thriving in shade

It’s a small harvest. Lots of herbs we use daily and I pick as I need, no big baskets full of produce here this month, just regular picking of the most delightful Basil I’ve grown yet. We’re eating it raw in salads and putting in everything it seems. This one is Basil “minuette”. It is much smaller (smaller leaves, smaller plant) than the other Basil I grow which has a much stronger flavour and a very distinct, sharp taste. The minuette is lovely raw. Sweet, slightly tangy, not strong at all. Lovely. Add some cherry tomatoes, parsely, mozzarella or feta, balsamic and olive oil and Yum!

I now have a regular supply of Rosemary. With two plants flourishing I’m never short of this wonderful herb. The Oregano is great and the Lemon Thyme is marvellous to cook with. We are all on diet here and these lovely herbs add wonderful guilt-free taste and variety to the limited portions I have to serve at meal times. The Herb garden really makes dieting a bit more interesting.

My potato plant burst out of its bag and has been re-potted into a container where it is happily growing up. I’ve planted an additional Lemon Grass (because I love the plants and we use it in cooking a lot), and I’ve planted my first Brinjal ‘Black Beauty’. The curry plant adds an interesting texture and fragrance to the herb growers and I’ve popped a few Marigolds in between things to help keep the bugs at bay. I never spray my herbs or veg with anything – they encourage the creepy crawlies to wonder on elsewhere (to my perennials, sigh).

Also picking lots of chives and fennel is in abundance here, but Coriander keeps bolting and the lettuce are struggling – so instead I’m giving Rocket a try to see how that does.

What are you harvesting this month? Please join us for Garden Bloggers Harvest day in December and let us know how your Veggie Garden is doing!

Happy Harvesting
xxx

Tags garden bloggers harvest day

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Intimidating …

I have a new project. It’s extremely intimidating. Let me share …

In November last year My daughter and her partner took ownership of a house they bought, in the same block around the corner, from my home. It’s a fabulous area* and they bought at a great price. Reason the price was so great is the house on the property was so neglected it required extensive work. It was in fact uninhabitable and the garden was so overrun with weed and overgrown neglected plants that we had to chop back creepers to get into the house. Really. It was so bad I can’t describe it adequately, I will have to show photos some time. They bought the house for the area and the amazing view of the mountain from the property.

Long story short, the existing wreck of a house got demolished, a new one was built and they now have a beautiful new home, situated in a mess of a “will-be-garden-some-day”. I’d like to add to the story that these two built the house themselves. They designed the house (no architect involved), got it approved by Council, then gathered a small crew consisting of a bricklayer and three labourers and proceeded to build themselves a beautiful home. (At one stage my little girl was mixing concrete and laying foundations … I have the photos to prove it :)). The end result is a an impressive house and I am incredibly proud of what they accomplished. (If our readers are interested, I will show the house – leave a comment if you’d like me to show and I’ll do a photo post soon).

So being the avid gardener that I am, I somehow got myself roped into ‘doing the garden’. No problem I thought. How hard can it be? Filled with enthusiasm, Lovely Daughter and I spent last weekend planning and discussing and then went to photograph the area. What you will see on these photos is only the mess I have to work with. You won’t see the beautiful house they built – all you will see is the most intimidating project I’ve ever taken on. Seriously. Looking at the photos I am tempted to call in a garden designer and pay the big bucks to let someone else start it off for us. Unfortunately having just built a house there is no budget for fancy garden designers, so LD and I will have to work through this, one step at a time.

Please tell me this is not intimidating?

Front of the property (seen from above patio) – From left to right