Photographs Francois Oberholster
Just three years ago, Una Nieuwoudt’s garden was – in her own words – “disgraceful”. She knew
she desperately needed to do something to improve it. However, there were two vital factors that
counted against her: she had never gardened in her life, and her house is by the sea where the
West Coast winds and salt spray are a huge problem – even for expert gardeners.
This Yzerfontein fitness instructor and freelance journalist says the trees and lawn in her previous garden in Cape Town had all but looked after themselves. “Plants were scarce in my world!” But when you walk through her front gate now, it’s hard to believe that she was such a novice gardener, as you are greeted by a multitude of healthy, thriving plants in a variety of pots.