WHO LIVES HERE? Johann and Gera de Wet and their kids, Daniël and Lilya, and a host of petsWHERE De Wetshof Wine Estate, RobertsonSIZE OF GARDEN Almost half a hectareAGE OF CURRENT GARDEN 8 yearsTYPE OF SOIL Clay
The garden was so overgrown when we moved here in 2017, you couldn’t even see the vineyard that framed it,” says Gera de Wet, who has since transformed the large farm garden in Robertson into her dream garden.
“My husband’s grandmother, Dolla de Wet, started the garden in the 1950s. She planted trees, had a huge rose garden, grew hydrangeas from cuttings... Her delphiniums were glorious – up to 2m tall!”
However, Gera says her parents-in-law, Danie and Lesca, had little time for gardening in the 30 years they lived here.
“My mother-in-law is a businesswoman and worked extremely hard to expand the De Wetshof brand. When we moved in, I didn’t know much about gardening. Our previous garden was tiny in comparison to this large farm garden. I was completely overwhelmed!”
But she doesn’t shy away from a challenge and got stuck in, getting the garden cleared with the farm’s front-end loader.
She had anything she didn’t like removed and because there were too many trees, many were overgrown and needed to be cut back or felled.
“I kept the most beautiful trees and some of the shrubs, such as the hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) and ribbon bushes (Hypoestes aristata), which have been here since Ouma Dolla’s days.
“We came across lots of snakes during the clearing up operation, but there were also pleasant surprises – such as statues and a beautiful water feature in the shape of a lion’s head.”
A stroll through Gera’s garden rooms
Gera, an interior designer, approached the layout of her garden in the same way she plans the interior of a house.
“Just as a house has formal areas such as an entrance hall and living room, my garden has a formal driveway with espaliered crab apple trees, and orange trees in terracotta pots.
“An urn with star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and seasonal flowers and bulbs greet you before you walk through two white pillars. From there, a path framed by lavender leads you to the rose garden,” she explains.
“And just as you move through a house and some of the rooms become more informal, the same happens in my garden.
“Each garden room has its own character that suits its purpose.”
Italian inspiration
As part of her postgraduate studies in Renaissance Art at the University of Florence, Gera did a course on the history of Italian gardens.
“I was so inspired by the beautiful gardens we visited at the Italian villas! I decided that if I ever had a garden, it would be in this style.
“The Italians are famous for their formal beds, which they call a parterre – a bed framed by a neatly trimmed hedge. This is exactly how I approached the farm garden.”
Gera first measured the space and then began drawing up plans. She divided the garden into formal rooms, each with a specific purpose.
The hedges that frame the garden rooms are largely sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) and Australian brush cherry (Syzygium paniculatum), which she alternates as low-growing or taller hedges.
Some of the garden rooms were filled with informal plantings in an English gardening style, while others have a more tranquil look with terracotta pots and gravel surfaces.
All her plans were carried out with the help of Paulus Pieterse, who retired two years ago, and Chris Philander, who assists her these days.
For Gera and her family, their garden is a wonderful place to relax and they spend a lot of time in it.
“This garden is definitely not just for me, it’s for sharing with my family and friends. It gives me so much joy to show it to others!
“My garden is also the place where I feel closest to God. When I walk through it, He reveals His scenic beauty to me.”
The rose garden
Gera carefully selected the roses for her rose garden, which is now almost three years old, with the help of rose expert Ludwig Taschner.
“I did a lot of research and wanted to plant rose bushes that do well in our area. A rose that grows well at the nursery doesn’t necessarily do well in your garden.
“ I also asked my neighbour which roses do well in her garden, and planted some of those,” she says.
“It is important to me to have roses in colours that look good in our home.
“I love roses in white, soft pinks and apricot hues, and have planted colour blocks of those shades.
“Some of my favourites are the fragrant rose ‘Nahéma’, the apricot-coloured ‘Avril Elizabeth Home’, ‘Clocolan’ and ‘Nomzamo’, as well as the ‘Roberto Capucci’ rose with its large flower heads.”
To add height to the rose garden, Gera installed pillars and a pergola which is adorned with a white Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis ‘Alba’).
The De Wet children like setting the table under the pergola for family meals.
The waterwise garden
During a drought, Gera realised she needed to adapt her garden to be more waterwise.
“I removed sections of the garden and replaced them with plants that can cope without water for longer periods. The plants here include saltbush (Rhagodia hastata), lavender (Lavandula), Australian rosemary (Westringia fruticosa), necklace vine (Muehlenbeckia complexa) and Australian brush cherry.
“In between, gravel forms the walkways. All the topiaries are the handiwork of Chris and Paulus.
“Paulus actually trimmed the necklace vine into the shape of a wine bottle, which is very apt for our farm garden. Every time I see it, I think of him!”
The kitchen garden
It is important to Gera that the garden not only looks good but is also practical, providing food for the family.
“I’ve always dreamed of having a beautiful vegetable garden, and I was inspired by the typical French potagers, or kitchen gardens.
“The walls in the veggie garden are built of stone and we use old vineyard poles to make support structures for climbing veggies.
“I feel very strongly about reusing things that you have at your disposal rather than buying new items.”
The vegetables in the four main beds are rotated to prevent the soil from becoming depleted. In summer there are strawberries, chillies, tomatoes, beans, spanspek, watermelon and much more.
In winter, she grows beetroots, carrots, spinach, kale and Swiss chard. She has also planted rhubarb for her mother-in-law and radishes for her father-in-law.
“To prepare the soil, I use the lasagne method – this involves layering different materials. At the bottom there’s a layer of gravel, then a layer of wood.
“Old wine boxes that decompose over time are packed on top, followed by layers of straw and sandy soil that the cattle have grazed on. Finally, it gets a layer of compost-rich soil,” she explains.
“I don’t sow all my seeds on day one, but do so continuously to ensure that there is always something to harvest.”
The butterfly garden
Since the original farm garden was large and rather “flat”, Gera wanted to create height and build terraces to add dimension.
The steps leading to the slightly higher butterfly garden were built using slate from the farm.
“We created this garden during Covid and the children helped me with it, even though they were still very young at the time.
“It was a wonderful learning experience for them. They still sow seeds here when they find time in between all their school activities,” she says.
The butterfly garden which, true to its name, attracts butterflies, bees and other insects, mainly consists of white, blue and purple flowers. Iron arches add height and are adorned with star jasmine.
Inside the formal beds, she has created the feel of an English garden, with a soft, informal look.
The plants here include:
1. White foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea)
2. Chinese forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum amabile)
3. Wild carrot (Daucus carota)
4. Sages (Salvia)
5. Interesting onion bulbs (Allium) that come from France.
Favourites and plant selection
Ouma Dolla’s evergreen magnolia is Gera’s favourite tree.
“Its flowers are incredibly beautiful and they smell wonderful – even if they only last for a day in the vase. Roses are my favourite flowers.
“I really like heritage roses and Ludwig’s Panarosa roses like ‘Comtesse Panarosa’, ‘Jean Geldenhuys’ and ‘Shirley Wallington’.
“The white hydrangeas at the entrance garden are beautiful, as are the foxgloves that I grew up with and the hellebores (Helleborus), which bloom in late winter.
“I’m also obsessed with blossoms. The quince tree’s large white blossoms are gorgeous! The scent of citrus blossoms is incomparable, while cherry, peach and plum blossoms are also lovely.
“One of the reasons why I planted so many different fruit trees is because I adore their blossom-bedecked branches,” she says.
Gera’s gardening advice
Know your soil and its pH – certain plants do better in acidic soil while others prefer alkaline soil. Nurseries sell soil meters that make it easy to determine the pH of your soil. Do this before you start buying plants.
Your garden is an extension of your home so it is important to choose plants that you love.
Grow flowers that you like to pick for your home and that complement it – keep your colour scheme in mind.
If blue goes well with the interior of your home, plant flowers in shades of blue.
When you want to renovate an existing garden, first remove everything you don’t like and choose new plants carefully. Don’t just put in plants because you want to fill bare spots in your garden.
Take cuttings and collect the seeds of flowers you really like – that way you always have plenty of your favourite plants.
Be organised. Plant seeds and bulbs at the correct time and make sure the place where you keep your gardening tools is tidy.
Clean your tools as soon as you are done working and store them in the right place. This makes gardening so much easier and more enjoyable.
