There is a dangerous doctrine – dangerous because it precludes endless gardening pleasures – that every plant in the garden should be disease-free, bug-free, hardy to cold, resistant to heat and drought, cheap to buy and available at any garden centre. – Henry Mitchell
How inspiring it is to see open spaces and roadside verges turned into attractive areas to please people passing by.
Called “guerrilla gardens”, as I’ve been told, they are tended by public-spirited members of our communities to enhance their neighbourhood.
One such garden caught my eye recently on the outskirts of Simon’s Town as I drove towards Cape Point.
All year this corner patch, planted with well-chosen, wind-resistant shrublets, had been a delight, but this spring, magenta, pink and purple vygies bursting into bloom turned it into an arresting sight.
I wonder how many busloads of tourists have also been impressed by this display?
This season a feast of private gardens are being opened to the public.
This weekend, October 29 and 30, Franschhoek will have 10 beautiful gardens on show, from 9am to 5pm. Tickets will be sold in front of the town hall, with a group discount for 10 people or more.
On the same days and the following weekend gardens will be open in the Elgin, Vyeboom and Bot River district. Information leaflets are available at most nurseries.
Durbanville’s gardens open on November 5 and 6, from 10am to 4pm, at a cost of R30 a person. For enquiries, phone Gordon on 083 583 3379 or Barbara on 084 983 5196.
Admiring (and coveting) unusual plants in these show gardens invariably leads to a desire to obtain some for yourself.
At Liz and Duncan Henderson’s wholesale nursery, which specialises in perennials, I saw this month many eye-catching salvias, such as “Purple Majesty” and the striking “Costa Rica Blue”.
There was also a rich wine burgundy. All three are tall-growing. For the smaller garden, the pretty red-and-white salvia, “Hot Lips”, would be a good choice.
In the Salvia leucantha range, there is a dainty white with a pink tongue called “Danielle’s Dream”, but for sheer exuberance and showiness, the purple “Midnight” is a winner. The latter is a robust plant and needs room, one bush quickly covering at least a square metre in a short time.
In Europe, the tall Verbena bonariensis is prized for large gardens. Here it is regarded as an undesirable weed for it reseeds so readily. I was delighted, therefore, to see that the Hendersons had plants of a similar, but much smaller Verbena rigida, which flowers over a long period and is not invasive.
Another mauve charmer to look out for is Scabiosa “Vivid Violet”, which is low-growing and forms a neat clump. These plants will flourish happily in full sun and in most soils.
Finally, if you need a small, showy perennial for a damp patch, there is a lovely Tradescantia virginiana (Widow’s tears) with golden leaves and blue flowers.
Incidentally, the Hendersons’ exquisite one hectare Fairholme is one of Elgin’s gardens on show this weekend and the next. - Cape Argus