(scroll down for Afrikaans)
STELLENBOSCH is a perfect place to start an indigenous garden - fynbos likes cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers, which means you will do your bit for conserving water during summer.
Typically, a fynbos garden contains ericas, proteas, restios (reeds), buchus and geophytes (bulbs and rhizomes). Each of these groups contain a numerous range of species, some of their names which are as beautiful as their flowers. In the Cape Floristic Region alone there are more than 330 restio species.
Likewise, the number of protea species are countless, with common names such as Tolbos/cone bush, speldekussing/pincussions, silver tree, kreupelhout, kaiingbos/kayang bush, waboom/wagon tree, suikerkannetjie/compacta and many variations of the well-known sugar bush.
Like the word ‘suikerbos’ suggests, the protea flowers contain a sweet nectar, today eaten mostly by baboons but originally used to make Bossiestroop (syrup). The nectar was collected by shaking the flower heads in a container and boiled into a syrup. Bossiestroop was a popular sweetener (similar to honey or sugar), but was also used for making cough syrup and fermenting beer (read a more extensive article about bossiestroop here).
I'm not an expert on the field, but when it comes to making your own FYNBOS GARDEN, here is what most sources recommend:
- NB - Fynbos must be planted in well-drained soil. Most fynbos plants do not like clay or dark, compost-rich soil, preferring sandy soil that is relatively poor in nutrients. Protea repens, one of the more adaptable protea species, are tolerant of clayish soil, but most fynbos plants are not – find out which plants would grow well in your specific garden. One way to make sure your garden will stay well drained, is to add a layer of building rubble or rocks about half a meter deep in your garden.
- NB - Because fynbos is indigenous, your garden should use as little as possible outside chemicals. Avoid bone meal and phosphates, and rely rather on organic composting. Also avoid fertilizers that contain manure or chicken manure, as this is high in phosphates and potassium. If you want to use a fertilizer, select something with ammonia.
- NB - Fynbos (and especially proteas) can take years to establish their roots, and does not like being disturbed. Do not dig around or close to your plants when weeding, and avoid replanting proteas once they are planted.
- NB - Fynbos flourishes in direct sunlight (Proteas, pincussions and leucadendrons need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily). But unlike tropical, humid conditions, fynbos likes wind. Proteas prefer spots where air is well circulated, therefore avoid damp, dark corners next to walls.
- NB - There are different views on mulching (covering the soil around your plants), but it can be useful in your fynbos garden for various reasons – mulching keeps the soil cool and damp, prevents weeds (which makes it less necessary to disturb the roots), and can help to regulate the PH of the soil. Pine needles and pine tree bark apparently work well with fynbos because they increases the acidity of the soil. You can also use bark, hay, wood-chips or gravel. One expert recommends simply using sand as a mulch.
- NB – Don’t over water your fynbos garden! The climate of Stellenbosch will give you a good indication of how much water indigenous plants need. If your fynbos seedlings are still young, water them regularly, but in a year or two they should have built up resistance. A well established fynbos garden only needs water once a week (or less) in the heat of summer.
Ask your local nursery for more help on starting your fynbos garden!
---------------Live Stellenbosch--------------------
(Most photos taken by author)
STELLENBOSCH is die perfekte plek om ‘n fynbostuin te skep - fynbos hou van koue, nat winters en warm, droeë somers, wat beteken jy kan water spaar en so jou impak op die omgewing verminder.
Tipies bestaan 'n inheemse tuin uit die proteas, ericas, restios (grasse), boegoes en geofiete (bolplante en risome). Elk van hierdie groepe bestaan uit menigte spesies, sommige waarvan die name net so mooi is soos die blomme!. In die Kaapse Blommeryk (Cape Floristic Region) is daar meer as 330 soorte restios alleen.
Net so is daar menigte proteaspesies: Tolbos, speldekussing, kreupelhout, kaiingbos, waboom, suikerkannetjie en vele variasies op die naam suikerbos.
Soos die woord voorstel bevat die blomme van proteas 'n soet nektar wat deur bobbejane geeet word, en destyds deur die plaaslike mense gebruik is om ‘Bossiestroop’ van te maak. Die nektar is versamel deur die blomkoppe in emmers te skud en dan ‘n stroop daarvan te kook. Bessiestroop, 'n goeie plaasvervanger vir heuning of suiker, was ‘n gewilde soetigheid maar is ook gebruik in die maak van hoesstroop en van bier (lees 'n interessante artikel oor bossiestroop hier).
Ek is nie ‘n kenner op die gebied nie, maar wanneer dit kom by die skep van jou eie fynbostuin is daar sekere aanbevelings wat meeste bronne maak:
- NB - Fynbos moet in goed gedreineerde grond geplant word. Fynbos hou nie van digte klei of donker, komposryke grond nie, maar verkies sanderiger grond wat relatief arm is aan voedingswaarde. Protea repens, een van die maklikste proteas om te groei, is meer tolerant van kleierige grond, maar meeste plante hou nie daarvan nie - vind dus uit watter plante in jou tuin gaan aard. Een manier om seker te maak die dreinering van jou tuin is goed, is om klippe of bourommel ‘n halfmeter onder die grond te begrawe.
- NB - Omdat fynbos inheems is, moet jou fynbostuin so min as moontlik chemikalieë van buite kry. Vermy beenmeel en fosfate, en maak eerder staat op organiese kompos. Bly ook weg van kompos wat mis of hoendermis bevat omdat dit te hoog in fosfor en kalium (potassium) is. Indien jy kunsmis wil gebruik, kies iets wat ammonia bevat.
- NB - Fynbos floreer in direkte sonlig (proteas, speldekussings en leucadendrons het ten minste 6 ure son daagliks nodig). Maar anders as in tropiese, humiede kondisies hou fynbos ook van wind. Proteas floreer in plekke waar die lug goed gesirkuleer word - moet dus nie jou proteas in ‘n klam, donker hoek of naby 'n muur plant nie.
- NB – Daar is verskillende sieninge oor mulching (grondbedekking rondom jou plante), maar dit kan nuttig wees wanneer jy jou fynbostuin begin: mulching hou die grond klam en koel en voorkom onkruid (wat maak dat jy minder die grondstruktuur hoef te ontwrig), en dit help om die PH inhoud van die grond te reguleer. Dennenaalde en denneboombas is goeie mulch vir fynbos omdat dit die suurinhoud van die grond verhoog. Jy kan ook boombas, strooi, blare, hout-chips of klippe gebruik. Een kenners beveel aan dat jy eenvoudig sand as 'n mulch vir fynbos gebruik.
- NB - Moenie jou fynbostuin te veel water gee nie. Kyk na die klimaat van Stellenbosch, dit is ‘n goeie indikasie van hoeveel water inheemse plante nodig het. As jou fynbosplantjies jonk is moet hul gereeld water kry, maar hul weerstand bou mettertyd op en in die hitte van somer het hul slegs een keer ‘n week (of minder) water nodig.
Vra jou plaaslike kwekery vir nog raad oor hoe om ‘n fynbostuin te begin!
---------------Leef Stellenbosch--------------------