With Spring arriving it’s time to get busy in the garden so it will look great during the next few months.
🌱 Prepare the Soil
First important job is to prepare the soil before any fresh planting, so clear all weeds, which will be appearing now, then add plenty of organic compost to help retain moisture, with some fertiliser like bonemeal. Fork in lightly as digging deeply can encourage dormant weeds to germinate.
🌳 Plant Trees and Shrubs
Spring is a good time to plant trees and shrubs for structure, colour, scent and to attract wildlife, bees, butterflies, birds and other beneficial insects, so the garden is alive with nature.
Indigenous plants are a wise addition to any garden as they are drought-tolerant and well-suited to the climate. Felicia Ameloides is a lovely low-maintenance indigenous plant, as are the equally attractive Strelitza, Agapanthus, Clivia, Vygies, Salvias, Aloes, Buchu, Dietes and Fynbos.
🌼 Sow Annuals and Add Perennials
Annual flower seeds sown now will provide bright colours to borders: Sunflowers, Zinnias, Cosmos and Marigolds. Add some perennials for plenty of interest, like Osteopermums, Gauras, Delphiniums, Echinaceas and Penstemons. The pollinators’ idea of heaven!
🌿 Use Groundcover Plants
Groundcover plants are fabulous for scrambling over bare soil between plants, sheltering the roots of taller plants.
🌾 Grow Herbs for Beauty and Scent
Herbs can bring an extra element to the garden border, deliciously scented, low-maintenance and very attractive to all-important pollinators. Thyme is ideal as an edging plant, Coriander, with its distinctive fragrance, beautifully scented Basil and Mint, a refreshingly scented ply plant. Bronze Fennel and Angelica are biennial herbs that will add graceful and eye-catching height, also ever-popular Chives, Wild Garlic (Tulbergia) and Parsley with flat or curly leaves.
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Village Gardens is widely recognised as one of Cape Town’s best landscaping and garden design firms. Based in the Southern Suburbs, they pair creative vision with environmental sensitivity—specialising in water-wise, indigenous, edible and wildlife-friendly gardens.
