Gardeners are interesting people and their priorities usually lie with everything leafy. If it has roots and leaves, it is probably at the top of their shopping list.
This is definitely evident in the life of Johan of Roche House, and the story of the ‘Iceberg’ roses is a perfect example of this. But more on that later. First the story of how the garden of Roche House achieved its state of grandeur.
Queenstown is known for its long and colorful history, and Roche House has been part of it since 1854, just a year after the town was established. Johan and Michelle, his long-time friend and business partner, proudly display a copy of the original 1854 title deed in the entrance to the building.
‘Passionate creator of beautiful spaces’ could be a title bestowed on Johan, as he has taken a run-down garden and created a haven enjoyed by all who stay there. When he and Michelle purchased the property in 2001 it was in a very poor state. The garden was virtually non-existent, except for a couple of privets, a huge palm and a neglected pride of India (Lagerstroemia speciosa).
Having attended a landscaping course by David Stevens, Johan had no problem working with this blank canvas, and with the inspiration and knowledge acquired he used the old trees and existing layout to develop the vision he had for Roche House. Over the years he has constructed tranquil garden rooms and used mass planting in small places to create a sense of grandeur.
Keeping in tune with the architecture of the home, where the original stained-glass front door and windows, tiled floor and pressed-steel ceilings are still on the show, Johan took this olde-worlde charm into the garden while Michelle built on the old character of the interior with antique pieces and original artworks.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من The Gardener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من The Gardener.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.