In her childhood, Susie Harris-Leblond and her sisters were forever being told to mind their mother’s flowers. Then she grew up, became a mum, avid gardener and started telling her own girls to mind the flowers. Life has come full circle.
Susie’s journey in gardening started later in life after she moved abroad for a gap year. While living in London, Susie started growing plants in her tiny garden and that’s where the ‘bug bit.’
Soon, she was enrolled to study horticulture and garden design. After completing her course, she worked as as the head gardener of two estate gardens in Kent.
From there this mother of two got her hands dirty learning pruning, how to propagate plants and more, equipping her to be a custodian of this family Eden.
We joined her at her family’s legacy garden in Constantia. The estate belongs to her husband’s family and has a phenomenal history. Today, Susie has the privilege of continuing the legacy of the farm.
Having worked with plants suited to a British climate, Susie had to adapt to South African conditions. On our tour of the estate, we got to see Susie’s cut flower garden.
Although previously a vegetable garden, as a result of the heavy soil, Susie saw that the vegetables did not thrive. That’s when she decided to start growing cut flowers in the space. So, for beginners or novice plant lovers – does she have some universal, failsafe advice?