When we bought the townhouse on the Rossmund golf course in Swakopmund in October 2021, we also got a small garden. The owners at the time were German and the garden was planted accordingly. On one side, geraniums grew – or at least they tried to. On the other side there was a shrub daisy, which didn’t fare much better. Both plants are not native to Namibia and need a lot of water – something that is scarcer in Namibia than in Europe.

The first thing Brigitta did after taking over the house was to remove these plants and replace them with ones that feel at home in Namibia. These are mainly succulents. However, a small corner is also reserved for chives, rosemary and basil. And on the terrace, in large pots, verbena and peppermint grow, from which we make delicious tea when we are not drinking Rooibos from South Africa for once.

The showpiece in our garden, however, is a bird of paradise bush, which is currently blooming as if there were no tomorrow. We love it. And so do the birds and bees that search for nectar. (We see plenty of geraniums on the balconies of the farmhouses in the Bernese Oberland – and that’s where they belong!)

PS: If you want to know more about this beautiful bush, read here.