When the month of the year is celebrated by which plants are flowering at that time, your days are sure to be beautiful no matter the season in your life.
And so it is for 88-year-old Alta van der Merwe. The gracious and gentle lady has been a long-time resident of Lily Kirchmann retirement village in Berea, East London, where she is appreciated and admired by the community for her gardening expertise.
Alta has been living at the centre for 21 years. She had left behind a beautiful big garden around her home in Adcockvale, Gqeberha, before moving to Lily Kirchmann in 2005.
So, it took no time for her to set about the task of establishing a garden to make her new cottage a home.
I’m told there was no garden at the establishment for the elderly to speak of at all when she bought her cottage but when they learnt of her interest, they quickly called on her to lend a hand.
What influenced Alta’s passion for gardening?
“She grew up on a farm in the Alexandria area so she is a farm girl at heart and loves being close to nature,” her daughter and gardening buddy, Mariana Esterhuizen, said.
Alta has nine grandchildren and most surfaces in her home are covered with pictures of the “flowers of her life” (her children and grandchildren).
December is referenced for Alta by her amaryllis. She proudly shows off their pictures in her photograph album.
“There were 11 huge double white flowers blooming on a single plant this year,” she said.
And 15 other pots of colour which put on a gorgeous show of amaryllis in reds, pinks and greens at the same time.
This month, the seasoned gardener is waiting to plant her bush sweet pea seeds.
Alta’s advice: “Cut off the first sweet pea flowers as they appear which assures you of a big crop of flowers in the following months.”
In the garden, Alta points out a mounded poinsettia shrub which was a gift from a family member.
Its bracts are slightly reddish probably with the promise they will turn red in winter.
This is near the time Alta is called upon to help prune the roses in the community garden.
Then there is a patch which is dedicated to pink daisy cuttings which Alta plans to share or fill in gaps around the garden in Spring.
Alta’s favourite flowers are amaryllis and roses.
“But I’ve not had much success with growing roses lately.”
What is Alta’s secret for a successful garden?
“My faith. I pray for the plants and, when possible, water regularly.
“I begin with fixing the soil with a good mix which I source from a farm then decide which growing conditions each plant needs, whether it’s sun or shade and group like plants together.”
When gardening, Alta enjoys that she is getting exercise doing what she loves and relaxing and having the added advantage of topping up on Vitamin D.
She regularly takes cuttings to increase her plant stock and to share.
Advice on taking cuttings: This is best done in the early morning as the plant is refreshed and full of moisture.
Choose a healthy, pest-free plant.
Cut off a stem of 5 to 10cm just below a leaf node. It should have just a few leaves on it.
Remove the lower leaves to make planting easier and to prevent root rot.
Wet the tips (this makes the rooting hormone adhere to the end of the cutting), poke them into the rooting hormone powder (Alta uses Dynaroot), then make holes in the soil with the back of a wooden spoon or pencil.
Insert the cutting into the hole, fill in with enriched soil and then water it.
Or, if you wish, place the stems in water on a sheltered (not too sunny) kitchen windowsill.
Here is what Alta does.
Select a bottle of a suitable size. Fill it with water.
Cover the opening with tin foil. (This is a clever idea for making sure the cuttings stand upright in the water as you poke a hole in the foil through which you insert the cutting.)
Wait for the roots to grow, then plant the new plants.
Alta is wont to take an early morning prowl around the garden to seek out the baddies in her garden when all around her are still asleep.
(She has been spotted at this early hour by residents living in upper storeys of the complex).
This way she can treat pests in the garden immediately before they can do too much damage.
She removes the ailing plant completely if the infestation is bad or sprays on Rosecare 3.
How do you combat moles?
“I flatten the mound completely. Then poke a stick in the mole hole when I identify it. Then pour paraffin down the hole.
“This banishes them quickly as they don’t like the smell of paraffin.”
For her immediate community of the frail elderly at Lily Kirchmann, Alta sees to it that they enjoy the garden too.
Just this last week, ever the farm girl, Alta gave two huge pawpaws from the trees in her back garden to the community kitchen so they could be used for the residents’ fruit salad.
Determined to make their outing more worthwhile, Alta stops those carers in their path who are taking residents in their wheelchairs through the gardens.
“I tell them about the flowers and make sure they have the opportunity to smell their fragrance too.”
To coin a cliché: Caring is sharing. Especially for gardeners.
Resident Alta van der Merwe (Supplied) 
Happy entrance garden at Lily Kirchman frail care residence (Supplied) 
Alta’s white amaryllis (Supplied)
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