Small project with a big impact

We focused on three goals on this project: curved bed lines, more color, and softer feel. We removed a lot of the rock, expanded the bed lines to have a soft fluid feel, and smart perennial placements to add color, texture, and screening. This front yard, although small, makes a huge impact.

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A Perfect Winters Day

Yesterday was one of those perfect winter days - warm enough that you could sit in the sun and feel toasty but not hot. We went for a walk in Kloof Gorge, to take some photos of the red hot pokers that were sitting proudly above the dry winter grass.

On the way back I started to notice a scattering of these Helichrysums in the veld. The flowers were already dry and silvery, but seemed to reflect the sun like little mirrors in the grass.
The flowers are probably several weeks old now, and if the veld isnt burnt too soon theyll probably look just as good for a few more weeks. (True to their common name - Everlasting)

I changed the photos to black and white to show how striking the silvery flowers really are.

The only blight on the day was discovering hundreds of tiny little red ticks the size of pin-heads on my ankles. I had to spend the next half an hour making sure they were all off me.

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How To Have A Debt Free Garden

Are you in debt with your garden? A post at Garden Wise Guy recently, got me thinking about how often I see gardens with plants planted in the wrong places. Like bad debt, these plants get out of control, causing damage and sapping your energy. The result is usually a completely discouraged gardener.
Decide how in debt you are by asking yourself these questions:

1. Are you struggling to keep a plant/your garden/lawn under control - as fast as you trim it, its grown back already?
2. Is a tree or plant getting bigger by the day, and will soon be causing damage to walls, drains, paths etc. but will cost too much to remove?
3. Are you continually having to cut back plants that want to get bigger than the space allows?
4. Have you got thorny plants too close to a path, that constantly need cutting back to prevent injury?
5. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work needed in your garden?
   

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then chances are, youre in debt with your garden, and probably see your garden as a chore.

A garden is a lot like money - if planned wisely, it can grow into something of great value. But unfortunately like most of us with bad money habits, we dont invest our plants in the right place. Sometimes the problem becomes so big that we find ourselves in a hole that we cant get out of.

Continuing the financial analogy, the best way to deal with these problems is to:

• Start with the smallest thing you can manage - get that under control, and it will give you energy for the bigger stuff.
• Identify potential problems early, and get a plan into place to deal with them.

Obviously, prevention is better than cure. Read up, or ask your local nursery about the plant you are about to plant. Find out how big it gets, or what its roots will do in a few years time.
Rather than continually having to trim it back, plant something that will get to the height/size that you want it to.
If you have huge areas of lawn that require constant maintenance, reduce your lawn size, or even let an area of it grow wild and plant some wild flowers into it.

The most common problem plants that I see are Fig trees, Palm Trees, Wild Bananas, and Pandanus. These all start off quite innocently small and attractive, but get out of hand so quickly. Kikuyu grass can also be a nightmare to try and keep under control.

The Pandanus in this photo started off as a small spiralling little plant that is now threatening to move across the road. (You cant see him, but on the other side of the plant is a gardener trying his best to cut it back with a small bush knife!)

Get out of debt, and both you and your plant/garden will be a lot happier for it.

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