Garden Advice

Understanding your garden

Gardening on the St Francis Bay coast

Before you choose a single plant, it helps to understand where you are gardening. St Francis Bay sits in a unique coastal zone where two of South Africa's richest plant kingdoms overlap, and the conditions here, the wind, the salt, the sandy soil, shape every planting decision.

Where St Francis Bay fits: horticultural zone and vegetation

St Francis Bay falls within South Africa's Horticultural Zone 2, a coastal strip that is virtually frost-free. When frost does occur here, it is very light and short-lived. Mean minimum temperatures in the coldest months sit between about 0 and 10 degrees Celsius, and in practice our stretch of coast rarely dips below 5 or 10 degrees at night, even in July.

The natural vegetation around St Francis is classified as St Francis Fynbos/Thicket Mosaic, a vegetation type found only on sandy coastal sites between the Tsitsikamma in the west and Port Elizabeth in the east. It is a mosaic of two of South Africa's richest biomes: the Cape Fynbos biome and the Albany Thicket biome, and this overlap is what makes the local plant life so diverse.

The fynbos component favours the drier, more fire-exposed dune sites, while the thicket dominates in sheltered, moister pockets where it can grow into dense, almost forest-like cover. Between them, this small stretch of coast supports a concentration of plant species found nowhere else on earth.

This vegetation is classified as Critically Endangered under national legislation. As gardeners, we can help by choosing indigenous and water-wise plants wherever possible, removing alien invasives from our properties, and supporting the natural character of this stretch of coast.

What the coast throws at your garden

If you are new to gardening here, or coming from an inland garden, these are the main things to get your head around:

Wind. This is the biggest single factor. The prevailing summer south-easterlies blow hard and dry off the ocean, and in winter the pattern shifts to north-westerly berg winds ahead of cold fronts, followed by strong south-westerlies as the fronts push through. Wind dries plants out faster than heat does, rocks newly planted trees loose in the sand, and carries salt deep into the garden. Choosing wind-tolerant species, staking well, and using windbreaks and hedges to create sheltered pockets is how good coastal gardens are made.

Salt air and salt spray. Close to the sea, salt coats the leaves, especially after strong onshore winds. Some plants shrug it off; others burn. Washing salt-sensitive foliage with fresh water after a big blow helps, but the simplest strategy is to plant salt-tolerant species in the front line and keep the more delicate plants in sheltered spots behind.

Sandy, alkaline soil. The soils around St Francis Bay are coastal sands, lime-rich and alkaline, meaning they drain very quickly and hold very little in the way of nutrients or moisture. This is great for fynbos and succulents, which have evolved for exactly these conditions, but most garden plants need help. The single best thing you can do is add compost, and keep adding it. A generous layer worked into the planting hole and spread as a mulch over the bed builds up the organic content over time, improves moisture retention and feeds the soil life that makes everything grow better.

Rainfall. St Francis Bay receives about 600 mm of rain a year, spread fairly evenly across the seasons rather than falling in a single wet or dry season. It can rain any time of year, though late summer and autumn fronts often deliver the most useful soaks for the garden. The rain is not reliable enough to skip watering newly planted stock, but established, well-chosen plants cope well between falls.

Sun and UV. Summer sun is strong, and the UV is intense. Many plants that tolerate full sun inland may burn here unless given a little afternoon shade, especially in exposed, north-facing beds. Morning sun and dappled light are your friends for anything not fully adapted to coastal exposure.

What this means for choosing plants

The practical takeaway is to lean towards plants that are built for these conditions: plants that handle wind and salt air, such as coastal fynbos species, aloes, succulents, spekboom, and tough ornamental shrubs bred for exposed conditions. Plants that cope with sandy, well-drained soil rather than needing heavy clay or rich loam. Water-wise and drought-tolerant species that do not depend on constant irrigation, particularly important for holiday homes that stand empty for stretches at a time. And indigenous plants from the local thicket and fynbos biomes, which are naturally adapted to the soil, rainfall and coastal conditions right here.

That is exactly what we help people with at the nursery: matching the right plant to the right spot in your garden, with our local conditions in mind.

What do these words mean?

New to coastal gardening? Here are a few terms you will see on this page and across our garden advice.

• Fynbos – A type of shrubby vegetation unique to the southern tip of Africa. The name is Afrikaans for "fine bush". It is made up of low-growing, hard-leafed plants, heaths, restios and proteas that thrive in poor, sandy soil and need fire to regenerate.
• Thicket (Albany Thicket) – Dense, tangled, evergreen bush found in the Eastern Cape and parts of the southern Cape. It is made up of shrubs, small trees and scrambling plants that form an almost impenetrable cover. Spekboom is one of its most well-known species.
• Biome – A large natural region defined by its climate and the type of vegetation that grows there. South Africa has nine biomes, and St Francis Bay sits where two of them, Fynbos and Albany Thicket, overlap.
• Indigenous – A plant that occurs naturally in South Africa. In general garden use it means a South African native rather than an imported species.
• Alien invasive – A plant introduced from another country that spreads aggressively and displaces indigenous species. Common examples around St Francis include rooikrans and Port Jackson willow. Landowners are legally required to control listed invasive species on their properties.
• Water-wise – A plant that, once established, survives on natural rainfall and little or no irrigation. Not the same as "needs no water at all"; newly planted water-wise stock still needs watering until its roots are settled.
• Mulch – A layer of organic material (bark chips, compost, straw or leaf litter) spread over the soil surface. It holds moisture, keeps roots cool, suppresses weeds and feeds the soil as it breaks down.
• Compost – Decomposed organic matter worked into or spread over the soil to add nutrients and improve its structure. In sandy coastal soil like ours, compost is what turns fast-draining sand into something that can actually hold water and feed a plant.
• Berg wind – A hot, dry wind that blows from the interior (usually north-west) ahead of a cold front. Berg winds can arrive suddenly, raise the temperature by 10 degrees or more in a few hours, and dry the garden out fast.
• Salt spray – Airborne salt carried inland by onshore winds. It settles on leaves and can burn sensitive foliage. Plants described as "salt-tolerant" can handle regular exposure; others need shelter or a rinse with fresh water after a blow.
• Alkaline soil – Soil with a pH above 7, which is common in lime-rich coastal sand. Adding compost gradually improves the soil regardless of pH.
• Deadheading – Removing spent flowers before they set seed, which encourages the plant to produce more blooms rather than putting energy into seeds.
• Staking – Tying a newly planted tree or tall shrub to a sturdy support so the wind cannot rock it loose before the roots have anchored. Essential on this coast.