Blog Posts under "Xeriscaping and water wise gardening"

With the revival of interest in growing succulents, there has been a flurry of magazine articles, books and TV programmes about how to go about creating a succulent garden. Innovative ideas are presented and glossy pictures illustrate stunning views of pristine gardens, rich with amazing specimens, sculptures and boulders, with spaces and pathways covered with a variety of coloured stones and gravel. The optional word here being 'rich'. Little or no attention is given to the average gardener...

Africa is growing desert like never before in recorded history, and there seems little hope that this trend will be stemmed anytime in the near future. Traditional gardening with leafy water gluttons is a thing of the past  with succulents winning increased popularity around the world.

This strange plant is called Sarcocaulon vanderietiae (or Bushman’s Candle) and belongs to the geranium family. 

We all know what a well-cared-for garden looks like: beds neatly dug, leaves banished to black bags, and large areas of  lawn with shrubbery arranged around the edges.  But times have changed. Weather conditions and increase ecological awareness have resulted in a shift in the way we garden. The good news is that an ecologically sound approach is also the road to low maintenance gardening.