Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i SA Garden and Home

Isn’t it lovely, and just a little strange, to think that this is our first decent shot at a festive holiday post-pandemic? Some were eternally optimistic, others were not so sure things would change just yet. But here we are, PHEW! We made it, we grieved along the way, confronted creative depletion and simply got fed up every time it just didn’t work out as we planned. As with anything, there is the flip side: the far brighter and truly eternal sunshine of Africa. The beauty of the human spirit is to find inspiration in shadowy moments and try again. To create beautiful memories of a different kind and celebrate the lives of those we lost as they would have wanted us to… in style and with gratitude. As with…

About the Blck Pen Night Serving Bowl: A must-have for any entertainer. This dish is perfect for salad, shared dishes, or as a fruit bowl. Made from stoneware, it features a fresh take on a classic floral design, with delicate ink drawings and lush water colours. A stunning statement piece, it makes a fantastic gift idea. About Parakore: Parakore Olives is passionate about producing ethically produced olive products of exceptional quality that’s affordable for everyone. They have Mission, Frantoio, Kalamata, Manzanilla and Nocellara trees producing olive oil and table olives. They use innovative methods to create unique products fit for every occasion. Get in touch with them and find your next gift.…

HOT TOPIC KEEP IT SIMPLE It's most important to be fully present for the moments that matter. A few quick tips: - Capture candid moments; don’t focus on perfectly styled shots, instead let joy guide you. Polaroids and Nifty250 prints are a great way to decorate future table settings too. - Think out of the box: Are you always behind on using your herbs and flowers before the sun zaps them? Harvest and use them to decorate or tuck into your wreath. - Afraid of your furniture being ruined with more people in and out? Invest in a few slip covers or a few seasonal throws. Whatever you do, find a way to think lessand soak the moment up so much more!…

With today’s renewed emphasis on simplicity, durability and authenticity, Kristen McClarty’s eco-printing practice and products are as on point as you could find. Kristen got to this by taking the long route. No art school or decades on a design team feature on her bio, but what does is a robust childhood in South Africa’s rural KwaZulu-Natal (1 800 km and an entire ecosystem away from where she now lives), which taught her, among several other countrygirl skills, to sew and to identify the plants and trees that grew abundantly around her. In contrast, this was followed by a high-powered 13-year stint in corporate law. While she was super-fluent about fabric and flora from the get-go, where Kristen is now as a surface designer is as much a science as…

What You'll Need: Board 12-16 cm wide and 3-4 cm thick Rope Ceramic cups or pots with drainage holes Gravel Drill Potted succulents and cacti STEPS 1 | Find suitable cups or pots and choose the size of the hole according to their diameter and board dimensions. They should be smaller at the base than at the top to allow the cups to rest inside the holes. Cut into equal parts, square or rectangular. 2 | Drill a hole for the pots in the centre and holes for string on the sides. You can make two holes (like we did) or, for better stability, one in each corner. 3 | Sand the boards, or paint them with a matte colourless varnish or white paint to let the plants stand out.…

It has become fairly normal to be interested in the origins of a textile and a particular technique. Since the age of discovery in the 15th century, goods have been carried across lands to trade with. Artefacts, spices, textiles and stories were viewed as a great source - and show - of riches and culture. For Haseena Dadabhay, her gorgeous store Wanderlust is not simply a home for travel treasures. Journey with us as she shares the threads that bind her lifelong curiosity and love for travel together with sensory delights in a space that is more than just a well-styled trading post. The Heart of Wanderlust My dad bought us a globe when I was a child, and I would turn it round and round trying to calculate how…

‘Tis the season of eating, drinking and general overindulgence! While this isn't great for us (pace yourself!), this can be even worse for pets who are used to getting scraps from the table (or taking them when your back is turned!). Here are some of the seasonal snacks that you should avoid giving to your pets. Bones Both raw and cooked, exercise caution and supervise your pet if you give them bones to eat. They can splinter once ingested and cause obstructions or puncture their organs. Chocolate An ingredient in chocolate called theobromine can be toxic to pets. Dark chocolate and ones with a high cocoa content pose the most risk and should be stored out of reach. Stone Fruit Fresh fruit is a great summertime snack, but stone fruit,…

This year, Monkeybiz is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and sharing its stories of success and hope for the future. The nonprofit income-generating bead project was started in January 2000 by ceramic artists Barbara Jackson and Mathapelo Ngaka. Through creating sustainable employment, the NPO focuses on Black women's economic empowerment in the most economically under-resourced areas of South Africa. In its two decades, Monkeybiz has established a vibrant community of more than 300 bead artists, many of whom are the sole breadwinners within their households. It has transformed the beaded arts market in South Africa: departing from the culture of mass-produced curio craft, each artwork is unique, using the traditional method of beading with needle and thread. Every piece is signed by the artist, ensuring that individual artists receive recognition for…

Many of us have fallen prey to giving in to buying that chaotic bag of plastic animals for our kids. Why not use these fascinating little creatures in a fun DIY project for yourself or to give as a festive gift? Trinket Saucers Spray-paint the animal in a colour of your choice and leave it to dry. Paint the tail, hooves, nose and eyes (or any part you want to accent) with metallic paint. Once dry, super-glue the feet to a plate of your choice. Animal Hooks Cut each plastic animal in half with a saw. Spray-paint the front halves and leave them to dry. Paint accents using metallic paint. Measure and cut a piece of wood to your desired length and superglue the animal halves to the wood. Screw…

Sow bush and runner beans, Swiss chard, cucumbers, sweetcorn, and squashes. Unfortunately it’s a little late for tomatoes, except for the Western Cape where there is time for a last batch. It is also a little late for brinjals and peppers. Plant out herbs like parsley, basil and rocket. Continue to sow carrots and radishes for a continuous supply. Harvest beans regularly before the pods start to swell. They taste better when they are younger. Pick Swiss chard and spinach leaves regularly to ensure an ongoing supply, and feed all leaf crops monthly with a high nitrogen liquid fertiliser such as Seagro®. Avoid blight on tomatoes and fungal disease on cucumbers and squashes by watering via a drip system, rather than getting their leaves wet. Give citrus trees a midseason…

Fresh herbs are quite easy to grow. Even if you don’t have a vegetable garden, most herbs happily grow in pots. All they need is welldrained soil, water and sunshine and they'll reward you by providing a fresh taste to summer dining. MINT Growing mint is easy preventing it from taking over your garden is the hardest part! Plant in pots or, if you want it as part of your herb garden, bury bottomless pots in the ground to prevent it from invading. Using Afresh and versatile herb, it doesn’t retain its flavour well if cooked too long. It pairs well with strong, meaty dishes and adds a bright note to salad dressings and desserts such as granitas. Chop it into yoghurt or relish to balance curries or mix with…

STYLE MAKER Unlike many in the gardening industry (and I am sure many reading this magazine), gardening was not a big part of my childhood. I didn't take much interest in plants and thought of gardening as a somewhat dull hobby adults partake in on weekends. That was my reality until I left the leafy, nature-filled suburb I grew up in and moved to a concrete city apartment with no garden. Removed from my previously forest-like environment, I realised how much of an impact nature had on my mental health and well-being. Without plants, everything had a tinge of grey and a lack of life that I felt the urge to rectify. So, I walked into my local garden centre and searched for my first houseplant. As any cash-strapped teen…

OUT AND ABOUT A quick treat… Sonny and Irene is new from the Kove Collection. An expected little pastry bar on Kloof Road, Sea Point offers a variety of delicious bread and sweet pastries. And if you have time, the main restaurant makes a delicious brew and wonderful drinks for when wine o'clock hits - a convenient quick stop-off with a friend to grab a cute drink when you're around, or simply a loaf of sourdough. We loved: The Margarita. The presentation is lovely; instead of a frozen consistency, it features a lime sorbet ball. Inspired by The Sonny&Irene Pastry Bar: Sourdough makes an oozy, crunchy toasted cheese for a cosy craving or lunch for the kids. A sunny afternoon… The Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg Wine Farm has been recently…

Green living begins at home, and recycling is easier than you may think - it’s all about doing what you can with what you have! There is no act too small to make a difference, and people generally underestimate how impactful recycling from home can really be. Reducing carbon emissions and keeping an eye on the use of materials such as plastic are two things that come to mind when considering the value of recycling. However, consumers typically don't give food waste much thought, despite the fact that it significantly adds to total pollution and can raise carbon emissions dramatically. More than 30% of all waste is organic (this includes primarily discarded food and yard trimmings) -a percentage that can be reduced with a few simple actions. No one wastes…

AT THE TABLE Less Ordinary, More Wow! Add the wow factor to your otherwise ordinary space. Plenty of seating, and lots of visual and textured elements in the form of fabrics, plants and surfaces will make everyone feel at home. All you need to do is add friends, food and fun! Nature Setting Combine different textures in neutral colourways for a relaxed yet considered place setting. A single paddle and a dried grass element are fun decorative touches. Make each plate a little different to personalise. Just be sure to deprickle your paddle first! Guests can even take their paddle home to grow more. Living Wall Art The cactus paddle is so easy to grow, even for the most amateur of gardeners. So whether you’ve got these from your local…

In an area of 1 million hectares are 13 protected areas clustered together to form the famous Cape Floral Kingdom. Out of the six floral kingdoms in the world, this is by far the smallest, but also the most diverse. It is often referred to as one of the ‘hottest hotspots’ because of the sheer number of endemic plants - you won’t find them anyhere else on the planet. It is estimated that there are around 7000 species of fynbos vegetation, with 80% of them confined to that small area in the Cape. The actual numbers are unknown because of some very narrow distribution ranges for some of the species, requiring more decades of study. Even though these species are confined to protected areas, they are still considered threatened for…

Not all local trees are suitable for small urban gardens, but we are lucky that there is such a wide selection of species which are wonderful for small to medium gardens, and will attract loads of pollinators and other wildlife. These are a few absolute must-haves: Dais cotinifolia Pompom Tree The pompom tree is one of the most well-loved South African trees. It is tough enough to be used as a street tree and yet small enough to fit into a small garden. Its tiny pink flowers attract bees and butterflies and last a long time on the tree. Dais cotinifolia is fast-growing, tough, drought-resistant and frost-hardy, making it a top pick for a suburban garden. Kiggelaria africana Wild Peach This magnificent semideciduous tree grows to between 8-10 meters tall…

CROWD PLEASER Waste-Free Tinsel If you’re someone who loves to cover their home in tinsel, whether it be colourful red and green to embrace the season, or classy silver and gold to match your interior decor, you should know there’s a way to do it that doesn't leave tons of waste in your trash. It also stops those annoying pieces of plastic tinsel from flying off and covering your home long after the festive season is over. Go for a natural tinsel option by drying out leaves from the garden, attaching them to malleable wire and wrapping them anywhere you would normally lay your tinsel. Choose leaves with a low moisture content that will dry quickly when hung upside down. Woody herbs such as thyme and rosemary are great options…