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Do it your way

Planning a garden in order to impress your neighbours will never result in the spiritually uplifting experience it should be. You are the one who will spend time there and be rewarded with that wonderful hygge feeling of well-being.

Gather ideas from magazines and Pinterest but allow your creative side to interfere and soon your garden will take form. Decide what you want and work towards that.



Will you have a theme or not? Take the available space into consideration as well as your resources. Overcrowding a small space will achieve the opposite effect of what you had in mind. Don’t shop without prior planning – this could blow your budget and leave you frustrated, possibly shelving the project indefinitely. You might not need to shop at all. Check which items are on your to-be-discarded list. A little bit of paint and some imagination can create much satisfaction.

How about herbs as your theme? Using fresh herbs from your own soil that you have tended carefully, is a delight. Complement your herb garden with scented plants such as Lemon Verbena and Curry Bush. Try creating an informal section with herbs in pots and other plants in the soil. Nearby, place a table for two on stepping-stones, with decorative pebbles between the gaps. This can be your special nook or hyggekrog. Great to relax with a friend and enjoy refreshing herbal tea or a glass of wine.

Then again, arty could be your theme. Save items going to the dump and challenge your artistic abilities – like building a scare crow and fitting it out in clothes and costume jewellery you won’t use again. Or try your hand at mosaic designs on old pots. Design a pattern and get to work. Scatter pebbles of different textures and sizes around your pots to complete the picture. You could revamp old garden tools and add some humour. Another hygge touch would be to varnish on old garden bench, drape with textured cloth and add a cushion or two.

And wouldn’t an upcycled bicycle look great in your garden?



Maria Nel
Ferreira’s Garden Centre
Tel: 061-234900



AgriTurf: Marco de Wet:
Cell: 085 600 958