Hibernating in a hive of activity

With the garden completely slowing down and the plants going into hibernation, it seems like the humans at Towerwater have had to increase their activity levels.

With a more planned and focused approach to the pruning of the herbaceous borders, orchard, rosarium, vines and herbs, we could clean the garden the way we prefer.

The orchard

All the fruit trees were pruned to bear lower for easy picking. The rosarium was completely restored and deeper mulch applied. All the perennial herbs were pruned smaller and remaining autumn leaves removed from all beds and plants. I moved the Clivias to a shadier spot in the garden where they will hopefully thrive.

All the hydrangeas are likewise pruned and ready for spring. The vegetable beds are mostly empty. This is the legacy of accommodating water restrictions in my planning of the winter garden. The elderflower tree was sawed down to allow for more sun on the quinces and herbs. However, in true Elderflower style, it has already pushed up a thicket of new shoots. I decided to cultivate it as an Elderflower shrub to make it easier to reach and pick the flowers.

It is an exciting time in the garden. Winter presents the opportunity to correct everything that did not work well in the previous seasons. The garden is renewed and there is an excitement to see what will transpire in spring. Winter allows a gardener to reflect, dream, correct and to look forward to a better year.

The vegetable garden still produces beets and carrots for meals and the peas are in full flower. There are still enough herbs, rocket and spring onions to add flavour to stews and salads. The time will come when I will have to clean the herb beds to prepare for summer sowing and planting.

I am looking forward to spring. I plan a completely fresh herb and vegetable garden for summer. With better prospects of water going into the growing season, I feel more confident about planting a larger variety of vegetables and herbs.

After an intense week of activity in the garden, we can slow down again and join the plants in their season of rest.

Rejuvenating the Rosarium

The third week of July was an intense time of activity in the Towerwater garden. We could approach the pruning of the roses in a much more relaxed way than last year. Mother Nature gave us a dry and balmy week in which to prune and that made a world of difference to our physical comfort.

The Monday to Friday pruning and preparation of the garden for spring took five people contributing a total equivalent of 21 working days. These are the logistics it requires to prepare the garden. The required ingredients involved collecting 2,5 tons of horse manure from near the town of McGregor 42 kilometres from Towerwater.  To feed the garden, 600dm³ of compost from the local hardware store in addition to tons of mulch from Swellendam, a town about 50 kilometres from Towerwater, Bonnievale, in the opposite direction.

We removed nine one-ton bakkie loads of garden refuse that could not fit into the compost bins. We replaced seven rose bushes that were not performing well. That part of the exercise meant removing about four bags (or 200kg) of soil per rose, sterilising the open hole and replacing the soil with the same quantity of freshly prepared soil. This step ensures that the new roses survive their transition into the rosarium. Soil from the vegetable garden was fed and enhanced to replace the soil removed from the rosarium. We decided to replace the seven roses with open root roses from the Ashton Nursery in Ashton, a town about 16 kilometres from Bonnievale.

Some of the compost and horse manure

By the end of the week, the rosarium had been pruned and sprayed with lime sulphur. The old mulch was raked aside, the soil loosened and after the horse manure was spread and lightly worked, the old mulch was raked back into place and refreshed with an overlay of new mulch.

The logistics of maintaining the rosarium seem overwhelming. But, a passionate hobby requires dedication and commitment. We have learnt that what we put into life we also get back. This is equally true of the rosarium. The roses will give us months of pleasure with their beauty and fragrance dominating an entire boundary of the garden.

In retrospect, the rosarium is a celebration of the best ingredients of the Breede River Valley and Overberg. In the 23 years of the existance of the rosarium we have learnt so much. We find that we are still learning.

Our hope is that passers-by will enjoy the visual spectacle as much as we do. The raised terrace of the rosarium means that we effectively spend our days below the roses. Rejuvenating the rosarium also means that we are rejuvenating ourselves with new experiences and possibilities for the future.

Home is where the heart is

With our trip to Europe in June and July 2017 but a memory, we busy ourselves with the tasks at hand. We have decided to forgo any oversees traveling in order to dedicate our leave time to work on the gardens at Towerwater and Melbourne Terrace.

This year, we plan to complete projects and have a less frantic pruning season than last year. Hopefully, everything will happen in the right time. We hope to complete the rose hedges and Victorian kitchen gardens for the cottages.

The garden at Towerwater has embraced the magic of winter. On rare balmy days, when it is not raining, we can enjoy an al fresco meal in the dappled sun under the leafless oak tree. On rainy days, we enjoy the blessing of water feeding the sleepy plants.

The citrus trees are adding their oranges, yellows and greens to the fruit bowls in the house. The kumquats are exploding in tiny orange fruit in their terracotta pots in front of the house. Wayward violet seeds have found their way in between the stones of steps that lead to the rosarium. Being the eternal romantic, I found it charming and have decided to let them be. I hope I will not regret this decision later.

On the parking terrace, the narcissus are starting to flower. Softening the bed under the oak that is customarily filled with stones in summer. The potted daffodils are pushing up their little spears in preparation for spring. I was worried that they did not survive the dry summer. They are more sensitive than their robust narcissus cousins.

I read that the Hereboontjie is a perennial that can survive a couple of years in moderate climes. The plants are still happy for now. They are using the Seville orange tree to reach greater heights. But, I doubt that they will survive the cold frosty winter evenings of Towerwater.

Traveling brings with it the appreciation of new experiences. Experiences that add a richness to the fabric of life at Towerwater. However, sometimes simply standing in one spot, enjoying the moment and the uniqueness of the space, can be as enriching for one’s soul.  As the saying goes, home is where the heart is.

Tee met Betsie Rood

Jare terug, het ek die voorreg gehad om Betsie Rood te ontmoet. Ek het in daardie tyd die lesings en uitstappies vir die Volksboukundige Vereniging van Suid Afrika beplan en gereël. Alhoewel die vereniging se belangstelling in die volksboukundige argitektuur is, wou ek aspekte inbring wat moontlik die argitektuur kon beinvloed het. Ek wou die leefstyl en kultuur van die inwoners van volksboukundige wonings belig.

Ek het besluit om Betsie Rood te nader om te gesels oor haar grootword jare op hul familie plaas op die Weskus. As ‘n skrywer en navorser van kos en medisyne tradisies in Suid Afrika, was sy my keuse as spreker vir die lesing.

Hertzoggies

Na ek ‘n afspraak gemaak het, het ek haar besoek by haar woonstel in die Tuine, Kaapstad. Met die beeld van die foto op die agterkant van haar boeke in my kop het ek aan die deur geklop. Die persoon wat die deur oopgemaak het was ouer as die fotos maar beslis die elegante dame wat uit die fotos staar. Sy was statig en duidelik ‘n dogter van een van die bekendste families van die Weskus, die Laubschers.

Maria Elizabeth Petronella "Betsie" Rood - 1916 tot 2003

Die woonstel het nie vir my die vrou wat ek ontmoet het se teenwoordigheid geregverdig nie. Alhoewel keurig gemubileer met familie erfstukke het ek haar eerder gesien in ‘n groot volksboukundige huis met sy witgekalkte mure en rietdak waar sy vorstelik die swaar deur op die stoep oopmaak om jou in die koel huis in te verwelkom.

Ons het onmiddelik lekker gesels. Sy het tee en tuisgebak bedien in tradisionele blou en wit tee goed. By die geelhout tafel het sy my van haar grootword jare op die plaas Uitvlug vertel. Sy is gebore op die plaas Langlaagte op 21 Junie 1916. Maar op vyfjarige ouderdom, het hulle na die familieplaas Uitvlug getrek. Die stories was bekend, maar ek het baie nuwe insigte gekry oor die lewenstyl in ‘n volksboukundige woning. Die argitektuur kom tog tot sy reg deur die mense wat daarin woon en werk.

Sy het my vertel van die woning en buitegeboue. Die vleiskamer, werkskamer, melkkamer, waenhuise, dorsvloer, kafhok en koringmeul. Dan was daar die varkhokke, koeistalle en krale. Dit was ‘n plaas ryk aan tradisies en aktiwiteie.

Sy was inskiklik met my idee vir ‘n lesing vir die Volksboukundige Vereniging maar het versoek dat sy dit in Afrikaans wou gee. Nie omdat sy nie Engels kon praat nie. Maar sy het gevoel dat dit beter sou wees om ‘n lesing oor ‘n  oorheersende  Afrikaanse leefstyl in Afrikaans te gee. Ek het met haar saamgestem. Met woorde soos misvloer, solder, soldertrap en brandsolder, pas dit by die wit afgekalkte huise.

Nadat ek die komitee oorreed het dat ons ‘n Afrikaanse lesing aan ‘n oorheersende Engelse gehoor aanbied, was dit naelbyt om te sien hoe suksesvol dit sou wees. Die lesing was ‘n sukses en almal het dit terdee geniet.

In Julie 2002 publiseer sy die boek ‘Uit die waaisand en die kalkklippe’ waarin sy haar grootword jare op die plaas Uitvlug beskryf. Die boek bevat kosbare beskrywings van die plaas geboue en aktiwiteite van elke buitegebou ensovoorts. Ek wil graag dink dat haar lesing aan die Volksboukundige vereniging die inspirasie vir die boek was.

Na haar dood in 2003, was ek eendag in Select Books in Langstraat, Kaapstad. Hier het ek gereeld deur hul versameling gekyk en nooit sonder ‘n boek uit die winkel geloop nie. Hul Africana versamelings is seker van die beste. Ek kry die besondere dag die kookboek, Die Praktiese Kookboek vir Suid-Afrika deur S. van H. Tulleken, eerste gedruk in 1922, met ‘n voorwoord deur Isie K Smuts. Isie, was die vrou van Jan Smuts wat eerste minister van Suid Afrika was in 1919-1924 en weer in 1939-1948.

Ek het lank gesoek vir die boek. Maar wat my vonds soveel meer kosbaar gemaak het is dat die boek aan Betsie Rood behoort het. Die boek was duidelik deeglik gebruik. Daar is verskillende tipe merkies langs resepte om hul belangrikheid of gewildheid vir die gebruiker aan te dui. Dit was asof ek die geheime skrif van een van Suid Afrika se voorste koskenners en navorsers probeer ontsyfer het.

Duidelik was die boek ‘n belangrike bron vir haar en het sy dit gebruik in haar navorsing met die skryf van haar vele kookboeke. Die Towerwater biblioteek kan spog met van Betsie Rood se eg Suid Afrikaanse kookboeke. Hulle beskrywing van eg Suid Afrikaanse kos is van onskatbare waarde en het vir my ‘n verwysings bron geword.