New Landscaper gives the Granny Mouse Gardens a passionate grooming!

Sonja Van Der Merwe is a passionate landscaper and gardener born and bred in Johannesburg who was recently appointed as the Landscaper for Granny Mouse Country House and Spa.

Van Der Merwe, who has a rich history of experience behind her, including 10 years of Hospitality, having worked for the likes of Sani Pass, 12 Apostles, Umngazi River Bungalows and Spa as well as Camps Bay Luxury Suites, to name a few. After her time spent in Hospitality, Van Der Merwe decided that her passion for gardening and landscaping was worth pursuing as a career.

This passion led to her opening her own Landscaping business and nursery, which dealt with cultivating and selling exotic vegetables including that of purple beans, purple kohlrabi, micro greens and the likes, however after a few years she closed the business due to a better job prospect at Kwakuhle Nursery before taking up a more challenging position at Granny Mouse Country House and Spa, where she has been settled since January this year.

Van Der Merwe says that her single most favourite thing about gardening is propagating seeds and seeing something grow from them.

“I love what I do. It is so rewarding when I look at the gardens and see how my care has helped them flourish. It also gives me such joy, seeing guest’s faces when they walk through the gardens admiring the beauty,” she adds.

Her tips for planting in winter include feeding your winter veggies, but ensuring that the beds are damp before you do so. She suggests that Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger is a safe liquid fertilizer.

“If pansy leaves have become very thick and leathery, feed them with the trace element, Boron. Some sources include Trelmix, Nitrosol, and MultiFeed and also, before putting away your lawn mower for winter give it a thorough clean and take it off to the lawnmower specialists for a general overhaul and to have the blades sharpened. Ask them to sharpen your secateurs, long handled loppers and hedge clippers as well,” she advises.

You will find this passionate gardener in the gardens every minute of the day, pruning the bushes, planting new seeds and up keeping what is already growing beautifully.