The concept of a no-lawn garden is an idea that has been gaining more support over recent years. Keeping a lawn well maintained is not cheap. It costs a lot in terms of time and resources. Bringing a drought-damaged lawn back to life would cost even more. So the idea of not having any lawn began to look even more appealing. This article is about how I put my landscaping skills to use and made the change to a no-lawn…
The journey of the garden makeover continues. The drought had played a pivotal role in our decision to redesign our garden to include hard landscaping. In Part 1 of the story I shared details about the design and preparation work done thus far. The excitement was in the air on that November morning because it was the day that the exposed aggregate would be exposed. The retarding solution sprayed onto the cement had prevented the top layer from drying overnight….
We were in the grips of the worst drought Cape Town had experienced in a hundred years. Stringent water restrictions had been in place for more than a year and Day Zero was predicted for early the following year if it didn’t rain. We don’t have a borehole so our garden, as with many others, was left to its own devices. We decided that a drastic garden makeover was needed and hard landscaping would be the answer. This is Part…
Making DIY arts and crafts for the garden is a very trendy hobby. One of the popular mediums to use is cement. It is durable and pretty easy to work with and can be moulded into such a variety of shapes. I love the rustic look of cement objects. The decorative cement spirals featured in last week’s blog about creating a contemplative garden are from a DIY project in a gardening magazine. You can use these to add a personal…
Everyone needs a spot sheltered from the hustle and bustle of daily life. A peaceful area where you can sit and relax. A secluded place to listen to the sounds of nature while quietly meditating or just day dreaming. Garden project #2 shows how I transformed an unused and rather neglected part of the garden into a space for peaceful reflection – a contemplative garden. This project was done a few years ago. It was during the time I was…
Are you looking for a splash of colour in a dull corner? Want to add some interest and height in a flower bed? Yes? Then read on because this is one of those easy DIY garden projects that everyone can enjoy. I just love how flowers have the ability to brighten one’s mood. If you have an area that could do with a little brightening up then why not give this project a try? What you’ll need It is not…
As you can see from the photos below the front garden was in rather a miserable state and in desperate need of some TLC. There was too much shade at the one end and not enough flowering plants. The lawn – if it could still be called that after a lack of water and excess of weeds – looked dismal. A rather depressing sight which I was determined to tackle and change and so the fixing of the front garden…
If you are reading this page then I am very happy that you found my blog. Welcome to Notes by Nats! That’s me in the photo above, standing in my veggie garden in the back yard. My little corner of the world is in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. We are a week away from the winter solstice so I’m growing some cool season crops at the moment. The veggies you can see growing are cauliflower, peas,…