Leisure Bay Conservancy Open Gardens: Indigenous needn’t be wild

IF you think indigenous gardens need to be wild and unstructured, you have to see the garden at ‘Kalimera’, the home of Merle and Trevor Strachan.

This garden, at 1668 Seaton Avenue, is one of four in Leisure Bay that will be open to the public during the Leisure Bay Conservancy open garden weekend, June 16 and 17, from 10am to 4pm daily.

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The others are Plumbago at 546 St Ives Avenue, 1311 Fisherman’s Drive and 1668 Seaton Avenue. They will be well signposted from the main road.

The well-designed Kalimera garden is sure to earn itself many admirers. The Strachans started it, almost from scratch, about 20 years ago and have enjoyed watching it mature into a well-established green creation that is a joy to behold.

While most of the plant material is indigenous, which might have been seen as a bit eccentric a couple of decades ago, the garden itself does not defy convention.

It is a structured garden that incorporates some formal elements and has been built around sound design principles.

A truly beautiful garden in the classical sense, Kalimera boasts sweeping lawns, generous flower beds, eye-catching and attractive focal points and intriguing ‘rooms’ that add interest to the overall garden plan.

It is hard to believe their property was almost treeless when the Strachans bought it. The magnificent groves of mature trees, beneath which shade gardens and walkways have been established, are among its most striking features. It is these groves that will dispel another fallacy about indigenous gardening.

Many people believe an indigenous garden lacks colour. Merle is a keen Plectranthus collector and has cultivated numerous species of this genus in the shady sections of her garden. In late summer and autumn these stunning plants with their pink, blue, mauve and white flowers turn her shade gardens into colourful glades.

Her Plectranthus is looking wonderful at the moment and will inspire many green fingered visitors to obtain more plants in this genus for their own gardens. Interestingly, the South Coast and its hinterland are something of a Plectranthus hot spot, with a number of species, including a few endemics, flourishing in our wild areas. This is yet another reason to acquire some of your own.

As autumn advances into winter, Merle’s many aloes and other succulent plants will take over the task of colouring her garden, their hot red and orange blooms chasing away the winter chill. Contrary to what many people believe, there is always something colourful flowering in her indigenous garden.

Another interesting point about Kalimera is that the garden is built on fairly sloping ground. While there are a number of problems associated with gardening on uneven terrain, the Strachans have managed to turn it into an advantage, cleverly using the sloping areas and different levels to add an extra dimension to the overall design. If you are struggling to cope with a sloping property, you would find it most instructive to visit Kalimera during the open gardens show.

Kalimera’s garden is such a tranquil place and this is enhanced by the fact that the Strachans have bought an adjoining property. They have left this plot of land largely undeveloped, simply maintaining the lawn and planting trees to give their home and garden a green and pleasant outlook to add to its peaceful nature.

Make sure you don’t miss your chance to see this and the other varied and interesting gardens that are going on show. Tickets, at R30, give you access to all the show gardens. The back of the tickets will feature a map giving directions to the four of them.

They will be available at the gardens on the days of the show and from selected local outlets, members of the Leisure Bay Conservancy and the participating gardeners. All profits go to the Leisure Bay Conservancy.

For information, contact Libby at 082 561 6993, Mark at 082 4282087, Stephanie at 083 3029382 or Merle at 083 4075219.

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