Garden stroll

A weekend or two ago we went for a photo shoot in St Georges Park.  No, I don't mean I went to take photos in St Georges.  In February the Damselfly gave me a voucher for a couples shoot with Champayne Creations for Valentines Day and we were in St Georges to have our photos taken.  I'm not one who always like photos being taken of me, especially posed ones, but Lundi did an amazing job and the pics look stunning.  I did take my camera along to get a couple of snaps myself though.

Veggie garden at Crossroads Country Kitchen

Behind the Crossroads Country Kitchen next to the kiddies play area is a veggie garden.  Not just a veggie patch with a few things growing there but a proper dincum vegetable garden from where they get a lot of the veggies and salad used in the restaurant.  Not just is it a veggie garden, it's also the scratch patch for a couple of residents chickens.  The other thing I really liked was the fact that visitors can take a walk through the garden.  Now I want a garden like this.  If only I wasn't so allergic to gardening. 

Gone fishing at Kabega Dump

Weekends are the time to do some work in the garden.  That is when the KidZ don't have sport or parties or whatever or the Damselfly doesn't drag me to the shops.  I'm curious where Port Elizabethans go to dump their garden refuge.  With the Kragga Kamma transfer station still closed the options in our area are Walmer (now that is a dump dump), Summerstrand (a little far), Arlington tip (there I will NEVER go again) and Kabega Park.  The Kabega Park transfer station - or dump as most just call them - is found along Cape Road just before where the old Hunters Retreat shopping centre used to be.  Going to the Kabega dump is a treat every time.  Its anything but an ordinary dump and have been transferred into a garden and recycle centre where people also go and dump their garden waste.  The dump is actually properly managed and there is a system in place where everything that can be recycled is done so and the money made pays the managers and people working there.  Unlike most other tips where one is hassled by informal "helpers", this one is a pleasure to visit.  The cherry on top is the garden.  Everything that could remotely be recycled into garden ornaments have been done so.  Amongst it this dude taking a nap on an old camp chair while on a fishing trip.  Also see this article that appeared in the Herald on 27 February 2013.

Donkin aloe garden

Some people see gardening as a form of art while others just try their best to keep the weeds out.  Few people know that one of the 67 art pieces on Route 67 is a garden.  Not a pretty arty garden, but a garden of indigenous plants, mostly aloes, saved from sites being developed around Port Elizabeth.

Township vegetable garden

It’s so easy for us to go to the local supermarket or fruit and vegetable shop to buy some fresh veg for dinner, but what do you do when you don't have money to just go and buy left and right? Vegetable gardens are a fairly common sight in the townships and some people put a lot of effort into theirs. This little vegetable garden stands behind a shack in Ramaphosa Village and at first glance you can see spinach, pumpkin (or butternut) and corn.

St Georges Park Fig Tree

One of the old Wild Fig Trees in St Georges Park. The Wild Figs around St Georges are over 100 years old and with their wide branches and big trunks you just want to look around and search for fantasy characters lurking in its shadows. I was very interested to read this week that the municipality has plans to develop St Georges Park along with Settlers Park and Victoria Park into botanical gardens. It is something that is long overdue and I really think it would enhance these parks and bring more people into them.

Garden Centre

The Sherwood Garden Centre is in one of the outlying suburbs, and is a great place for the whole family. The kids adore spending time at the playground and animal touch farm, while mom and dad shop for plants etc. There are beautiful walkways, this one features a fountain which can be seen from the coffee shop.