We do love a beautiful garden… one that is steeped in history, made with love and oozes organic optimism.
For 21 years, Debbie Jones has poured her heart and soul into the manicured garden that flanks her upmarket home in Kloof. From the first cuttings of jasmine she planted all those years ago, to the little nooks and crannies she still finds time to fill with new things she’s discovered, it’s nothing short of a paradise for birdlife, butterflies and plant lovers.
For a few glorious hours every week, Debbie, a master trainer and pilates instructor for Virgin Active Kloof and Hillcrest, finds freedom in her garden, as she navigates the tranquil space she has transformed from an uninspiring backyard to an idyllic, solitary place that gets her undivided attention when it calls.
“I am a very visual person. I love the beauty of nature. My earliest memory of being in the garden was watching my mom working in it when I was a kid. I loved being outside, and my mom always said that I had green fingers like my gran. She was Irish, so perhaps I have the luck of the Irish! What I plant seems to grow and do very well … except for roses.”
When Debbie and her husband Mike first moved in to their home, the garden was neglected and without colour. They cut down several alien trees and in so doing, opened up the garden to see so much space with so many possibilities.
“Besides the large palms and tree ferns, we were virtually starting from scratch. I salvaged what I wanted to keep, and then started adding plants to the garden. One of the first things I planted was jasmine, which has grown on metal balls and spiral shapes.”
Over the years Debbie has also planted sheenas gold, agapanthus, hydrangeas, mackaya bella, giant irises, poor man’s orchids, aloes and tree aloes, glodinas, cycae, cordylines, chinese bamboo, peace lilies, cuphia, durantas and feylinias to name a few.
“The first big thing I tackled was fixing the existing water features in the garden and bringing in some new ones, as I love the sound of water. We bought a fountain with three cherubs for the Italian French-inspired garden at the back of the house. This represents my three children.
Then it was landscaping the flower beds which had been left to grow wild.
“I even did some of the paving and patio areas with the help of my gardener. We eventually had landscapers come in to redo the pathway down to our front garden, as I didn’t have enough expertise and needed some professional help.”
When friends started complimenting Debbie on her garden transformation, she was inspired to carry on, and she hasn’t stopped for over two decades. She’s always learning adding and recreating, finding inspiration from other gardens.
“I have a very special friend, Pam Evelyn, who has been instrumental in my life. We share a passion for gardening and, over the years, have shared cuttings with one another and inspired each other to keep improving our gardens.”
Pots with plants have been placed on top of old tree stumps to create areas of interest, there are a few different pathways that lead to the garden from different areas around the house, and Debbie created a Zen garden with a stone bench – a space where she often sits and enjoys the garden and feels most comfortable among the plants.
“There is another bench set further back in the garden, which faces the house and main water feature, where you can sit under the tree and admire what is in front of you. I love the view from my veranda overlooking the water feature and my Zen garden that has a special place in my heart because I spent time there with my sister shortly before she died.”
The most challenging thing about landscaping, Debbie says, is the physical element of working in the heat.
“Then there’s the cost factor. Plants are expensive when you are trying to landscape a big garden. I spent many trips in my car buying and picking up rocks, stones, pavers, pots and compost, but it has all been worth it in the long run. I love seeing a project finish and a new one start, and I get such pleasure from seeing the fruits of my labour, as well as a sense of pride.”
Not only that, but Debbie says gardening is also a form of escapism, therapy and exercise.
“There are also so many special memories that come with our garden. My kids absolutely loved being outdoors and spent many happy hours running around and playing in the vast space. We had cricket practise on the lower garden lawn, we set up badminton and played many a game of soccer. They would play and I would garden. The pool area is very pretty, and many summer days were spent around the pool. We also set up lights around the garden so that it comes to life at night. It’s very romantic! We’ve hosted many Christmas functions, which has become a highlight for me. Every year there’s a different theme with different lights set up in the garden and around the house. It really is beautiful!”
Debbie describes her garden as a traditional butterfly garden.
“It’s manicured and interesting with lots of shapes and focal points and plants of all sizes. I love colour and shape so I’ve designed the flower beds with lots of repetition so it flows around the property. Every couple of years I’ve added another colour to the garden. I started with green, white and yellow. Then I added pink, followed by blue, purple and a little bit of red. I used slips from my established plants – Johannesburg gold, spathiphyllum, mondo grass, crotons, conifers, mackaya bella, and different cordylines – to keep the theme.”
Debbie says her garden requires lots of work and effort, especially in summer, but the rotation of the seasons and the changes they bring never fail to impress and inspire her.
“The amount of birdlife popping in and out of my garden, throughout the year, has kept things real. We also have lots of caterpillars, worms other little insects, and the call of the tree frogs takes you right back into nature.” Aloes, hydrangeas, fever trees, sweet pea trees, cuphea bushes, Mexican daisies and giant iris are a playground for lots of small birds like weavers and finches, yellow fronted canaries, and starlings that feed every day or bath in the water fountains.
“We have plenty of sunbirds and robins too, and it’s always a treat to see the purple-crested loeries, hornbills and birds of prey that nest in our area. I have watched from inside and outside, and it has been a constant reminder that some things remain unchanged in the world.”
Even during the coldest part of winter, there is colour in her garden, and it’s still worth lingering in.
“My favourite time of year is October-November. It’s the wettest, so the air is clean and the garden is a lush, green and full of colour. It’s also at this time of year that my star jasmine are in flower and my leopard orchids are in bloom, and when friends comment about how beautiful they are, it makes me proud of what I have achieved.”
Having planted jasmine all around the garden – some in pots and others in the flower beds – Debbie says the rich, sweet, fruity and sensual scent it gives off is like a natural sedative that helps to alleviate stress and anxiety.
“Even when they are not in flower, jasmine make fantastic topiary plants that look incredible when manicured well.”
What Debbie enjoys most about her garden though, is sharing it with friends. A member of Chic Mamas Do Care Durban – an NGO supporting early childhood development in our local communities, and passionate about bringing people together, she often opens her home to others for dinners, lunches and teas.
“I love entertaining, especially on my veranda because it lends itself to a beautiful setting. The garden is a huge attraction for these occasions, and I get a lot of satisfaction from people walking around and enjoying what they see. As a private pilates instructor as well, I teach pilates on my veranda, and those who come to my classes often comment on how tranquil and peaceful it is to exercise in this environment.”
After two decades, do you think Debbie will ever swap the garden fork for a good book?
“Once a gardener, always a gardener! These days I spend my time on upgrading a plant bed or rearranging some of the plants around the garden. I’ve been adding more indigenous plants so that there is a good mix. I think it’s safe to say my garden is ever-evolving because of the pure joy it brings to my life. In the mornings, after a walk, I like to sit quietly on my veranda with a cup of coffee and watch the birds eat and fly around, and the bees hard at work among my plants. It’s a great feeling looking out over this blissful piece of paradise I’ve had a hand in creating.”
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