The Resilient Garden

A Cape Town gardener reveals the secrets to a sustainable, water-wise garden

- Marianne Alexander

Despite the three-year-long drought in Cape Town, this garden, which the owner Angela McQueen refers to as resilient, is lush and abundant. It relies on greywater, harvested rainwater and rainfall. “It was established on a budget,” explains Angela who does all the work herself. She follows permaculture principles so it’s completely organic. Her technically minded husband, Alister, installed most of the infrastructure, including the rainwater harvesting systems. “A resilient garden will survive change beyond the norm, recover well and, once established, give you year-round pleasure with minimal or no supplementary water,” says Angela.

GROUND RULES

To turn the oily white sand into rich, water-retaining soil, she brought in over four cubic metres of mulch. “Mulch cools and nourishes the soil and helps with water retention,” she explains. Fallen leaves are left in the beds and act as a blanket keeping the roots cool, trapping moisture and creating an environment for microbes, insects and beneficial soil-building fungus. As leaves decompose, they add nutrients to the soil. “Don’t skimp on the mulch and make sure it’s at least 10cm thick – it’s the most important thing you can do for a garden,” she says. In addition, the soil is never tilled. “Constant tilling releases moisture and disturbs soil microbes and delicate fibrous roots. The secret here is to do what nature does.”

LIMIT AND CONSERVE STORM WATER RUN-OFF