Size doesn’t matter when it comes to an exciting garden.
Gardening in a small space can be quite a challenge, especially if you have downsized from a bigger garden, but with careful planning it is possible to create a new garden that is both exciting and fulfilling.
The key to designing any garden is, of course, to decide how you intend to use your outside space. Mistakes are far more obvious in a small area so it is crucial to plot the dimensions of your property accurately, as well as the hard surfacing, garden furniture, accessories and the plants you intend to grow. There is nothing more rewarding than a garden that flourishes without having to be constantly tamed.
SHAPING THE GARDEN
Geometric shapes lend themselves to small areas as they do not encroach on limited space as much as informal, flowing lines tend to do. Rectangles, squares, octagonals and circles are exciting shapes with which to experiment and can be combined to create a truly stunning effect. To create an illusion of space, place hard surfaces on the diagonal at 45° to the building.
VERTICAL GARDENING
Vertical gardening offers the ideal solution when working with limited space. You will find a myriad of ideas in magazines, the internet and at garden shows on how to maximise space by planting in raised beds, stacked containers, individual planters suspended on trellis panels or freestanding planter boxes with a wire support frame.
SOOTHING WATER
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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.
