74 SEPTEMBER 2019 | gardenandhome.co.za
hives produced around 40kg of honey last year. Behind the
homestead on the sunny north-facing aspect, Ann’s parents
built a greenhouse, and it’s alive and flourishing and filled
with tomatoes during summer. Parsley does well there, and
in autumn, broccoli and cauliflower. The vegetable garden
flanks the greenhouse, and as Gavin says, “We’ve made a lot
of compost, much of which is used for our organic veggies.
Happily, we very seldom need to buy any – we grow what we
eat, and pick fresh from the garden daily, even in winter.”
The garden is largely informal, never manicured even
though the front lawn is suitable for cricket, croquet or
whatever game is planned. The exuberant colour of the
spring-flowering shrubs may take your breath away, but it’s
complemented by the different tree species which populate
the grounds. The good depth of soil allows deciduous trees
to grow well, and Braemar’s include pin oaks, liquid ambers,
planes, beeches (green and copper), a tulip tree, swamp
cypress, and the massive, towering gums at the entrance gate.
Braemar has a distinct, intentional blurring of boundaries
between house and garden: “When additions were made to the
original house in 1955, my father wanted to create a feeling
of sitting in the garden,” says Ann. He certainly achieved
that, with a small front terrace to enjoy morning sun, a bigger
north-west-facing one for lunch and large picture windows in
the living area. From inside the house, the garden is always
present. Ann smiles, “It’s a very peaceful, beautiful space,
which never ceases to move anyone who visits.”THISPAGE,CLOCKWISEFROMABOVELEFT: A flowering peach
archesovertheage-wornstepsleadingtowardsthegreenhouse.
From the front veranda, a clean stretch of lawn gives
perspective to the garden,andringsideseatsforthefamily’s
lawn-friendly games. The lush, living breadbasket of Braemar.