There is no doubt that a beautiful garden is a definite attraction, wherever it might be. One normally thinks of a garden as being a privilege of being a homeowner, where much thought, time, planning, patience and, yes, money have gone into making the garden a natural extension or showpiece of the house. And indeed, this is very true for most homeowners who take pride in their homes and enjoy surrounding themselves with external indicators of this pride. But gardens are not only limited to private homes, and increasing numbers of office parks, hospitality establishments (hotels, restaurants, wine farms, B&Bs, etc.) and open parks are being given makeovers as far as the garden areas are concerned.
Gardens are evolving with our climatic conditions
One might ask why this is happening, but the answer is right there in plain sight. A well-tended and colourful garden is a sheer delight to see, just as a more restrained water-wise garden which takes into account the uncertainties of our water supplies. Many water-wise gardens are planted with indigenous plants which belong naturally in that geographical area and are therefore more suited to eco-friendly survival rates. A growing trend in areas which have recently gone through unprecedented draught conditions, such as the Western Cape, is turning gardens over mainly to succulents, which are suited to very dry conditions and hot sun. To many, succulent gardening is the way of the future; they can be colourful, are slow-growing generally, require little maintenance in the way of water and fertilizers, and can be contained quite comfortably in containers without becoming root-bound within a couple of years. To others, the choice of indigenous gardens which include many natural tall grass species, localized plants, shrubs and trees, paving and stones is the natural response to help in the conservation of available water supplies.
Got the time, energy and money? Go traditional …
Then there are the traditional gardeners who prefer green grass bordered by colourful planting, lush trees and shrubs, pergolas and arbours for climbing plants. Whilst these gardens are the most lavish and inviting, they do take a lot of upkeep in terms of time, effort, and cost, but the rewards are great.
Call in the gardener when you cannot cope yourself
Whatever type of garden you prefer, it must be properly maintained in order to look good. If you cannot spare the time to do this yourself, you need a gardener who can assist with the grass cutting and trimming, weeding, leaf-drop clearing and regular watering. Shrubs are wonderful additions to any garden, but they need regular maintenance and trimming in order to be kept under control. They need to be cut back regularly to avoid becoming straggly and ‘leggy’, ultimately leading to dead spots in the centre where the sun cannot reach properly and there is no further room for growth. Even the universally popular bougainvilleas, which often lose their greenery in an abundant and spectacular display of colour during the summer months, still need to be trimmed properly. There are areas in South Africa, such as Grahamstown, where the summer displays of bougainvilleas are little short of breathtaking.
Is your gardener knowledgeable and independent?
You need to prepare yourself for a lot of patience, time and hard labour in order to keep your garden looking at its best in all seasons, but if you are like most people, you simply do not have the time necessary to put in the effort, no matter how much you may wish to do so. The answer is to employ a regular gardener or a less-frequent full garden service to assist you. Garden labour is not particularly cheap, especially if you are employing a gardener with experience and knowledge of plants, and who clearly knows the difference between a weed (some of which can be extremely pretty) and a garden plant. Leaving an enthusiastic but untrained gardener alone in your garden without supervision could well be a recipe for disaster. Even on the smallest level, errors such as cutting the grass too short and not leaving the required one-third of growth above ground could well result in your lawn dying. It is heartbreaking to see a once-lush green swathe of lawn reduced to a brown and dying mat because it was cut too short to survive. It could possibly still be saved with plenty of water, lawn-dressing and fertilizer, but it will take a long time to fully recover to its original beauty. Imagine returning home to find all your violas or ground cover dug up because the gardener, in all innocence, thought that they were weeds! It happens!
Get rid of those pesky weeds quickly
Like anything worthwhile and beautiful in life, gardens need to be nourished and well-tended, no matter what sort of garden planting you have. Weeds are not picky – they will thrive almost anywhere unless they are removed before they set seed. And they are greedy, happily taking over a garden bed or lawn and sending out thick roots which draw much of the goodness and water from the rest of your garden. It’s an uneven fight, and given time, the weeds will definitely be the winners, so spend the money, take the time and be vigilant in keeping your garden looking terrific year-round.
