Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i The Gardener Magazine

Once in a blue moon The Gardener team comes across a garden that simply blows the mind! These once-in-a-lifetime finds are normally hidden away under the radar, and yet are packed full of the most wonderful ideas and ‘out-of-thebox’ thinking. Kevin found one such garden in Bonnie Doon, East London, and folks, you are in for a treat! Thanks to Wessel Strydom for allowing us into his secret paradise – you truly are a talented gardener! All of you are going to love this creative garden, so turn to page 8 for a quick sneak peek. Gerald takes us on a journey of small foliage plants with BIG impact, and I know that his words will persuade you to add a few of these to this month’s garden centre shopping…

Wall art The theme of the show was ‘Nature’s Bounty, and this wall feature (pictured opposite) showed the diversity that nature has to offer, while creating a textural, tactile and colourful element for the garden. Recycled chic Books have been written about upcycling or recycling wooden pallets, and the ideas keep coming. The addition of castor wheels on this table (pictured right), which has been stained dark, adds to its appeal. Contained design These concrete balls have been treated in two very different ways, to complement differently styled sections of the garden while still integrating the whole scheme. Fire pits This simple firepit cleverly matches the wall art. Playtime Working with WATER Large rectangles of water flowing between different levels are used effectively in formal gardens to create the shapes…

You will need: 15 stems each of two types of pink roses (30 stems in total). Choose a cerise one and a two-tone one in a lighter shade of pink. 3 different miniature succulents, including one desert rose, in pots. 5 stems of Geraldton wax 3 stems of pink pompom chrysanthemum 1 block of florist’s foam A handful of moss The colours of this design were inspired by those of the desert rose – take a close look at one and you will notice shades of pink, purple and cerise in this wonderful little succulent. When I found an oval, shiny, grape-coloured ceramic container, I knew it would be perfect for this mix. WHAT TO DO 1. Cut the florist’s foam to fit your container, but with enough space so…

GET THE LOOK The floribunda rose ‘Johannesburg Garden Club’ has proved its worth as a garden rose, growing into a neat shrub with soft, single blooms that look like butterflies. How well it complements the other soft plantings in this garden: the silvery foliage and tiny white lobelia in front, and purple cranesbill geranium with red valerian standing out against a backdrop of shrubs and the climbing ‘Eden’ rose. Other similar roses with single or semi-double blooms that have the same charm include ‘Butterfly Kisses’, ‘Duncan’s Rose’, ‘Knock Out’, ‘Pixie Hat’, ‘Single White’ and ‘Simply Charming’. February is always a month of extremes, either hot and wet or hot and dry, and both scenarios have their challenges for the rose garden. For the gardener, the main task is to keep…

Lush, leafy Swiss chard Swiss chard is nature’s gift to food gardeners because it is such an easy, rewarding vegetable to grow, especially for beginners. In moderate to mild climates it can be grown year round, it doesn’t seem troubled by pests, it keeps on producing and always looks lush, and even colourful. It is nutritious as well, being a good source of vitamin A, calcium, iron and fibre. Not everyone likes the taste of Swiss chard, but that may be because of the way it is prepared. Don’t boil the life out of it, but rather cook the leaves quickly in very salty water with the lid off so that the sulphur can escape, or stir-fry the shredded leaves in olive oil with a dollop of butter. Types to…

Good to know To protect tender, leafy salad greens, use 60% shade cloth, while 30% shade cloth should be adequate for more heat-tolerant plants like beans, brinjals, tomatoes and squashes. Make sure that the shade cloth doesn’t restrict air circulation and is secured so that it won’t fall and damage the plants if the wind blows. Ways to tackle the heat Step-by-step: Make a soaker hose Soaker hoses are an alternative to drip irrigation (with no risk of clogged nozzles) and they can be laid underneath the mulch so that the water drips directly onto the soil and doesn’t evaporate, even if watering is done during the day. Use black irrigation pipe (the better option) or an old hose if you have one lying around, or one that already leaks.…

These easy-to-make little plantscapes in delicate glass are ideal for greening an office desk, coffee table or sideboard. And because terrariums are humid, closed ecosystems, they function as self-sufficient art forms. Ready... There are many containers to choose from – glass or clear plastic, open or closed, and in all kinds of shapes – but smooth glass will offer the best view of the plants inside. Once you’ve chosen your container you can select your plants. Closed containers hold more humidity and create more of a jungle atmosphere, limiting the choice of plants to those that you would find in the indoor section of the garden centre. Open containers are ideal for succulent-type plants that prefer less humidity. Whatever your choice, select plants with a mix of textures, colours and…

In late-summer hot weather, food edibles grow and ripen quickly. While in small gardens, produce is picked as needed, even daily; the' harvest' days detailed below are noted according to the save-and-store principle, and usually for an entire crop of specific varieties. When fruit and vegetables are picked on these days, rotting, bruising and spoilage is minimised. However for the best tasting and juicy pieces (enjoyed within a few days), pick on days marked semi-fertile or fertile, and better nearing the full moon.…

Compiling a wedding guest list is comparable to drawing up a professional garden design plan. One has to think with the same precision, and the pitfalls and restrictions are equally daunting! I doubt that the above comparison has ever entered the mind of any professional landscaper, but since I have been around the block a couple of times with both garden design and to a lesser extent wedding planning, I think I know what I am talking about. This time I’m dealing with the most difficult ‘clients’ I have ever had – a bridal couple. The other thing I have just realised (with a huge shock now that I am putting my reservations and thoughts into words) is that I am at the paying end of this ‘project’! Just as…

Trees with sweetly scented blossoms are very sought after as garden plants. Not only do they offer shade, shelter, protection and privacy, but they also have the additional allure of lending a heady fragrance to the air when in flower. Many of these trees are cultivated extensively around the globe, from the tropics through to the colder temperate climates. Here are three different fragrant, evergreen trees that grow in many parts of South Africa. Magnolia grandiflora (bull bay) produces huge (up to 25 cm across), waxy, white or ivory-coloured flowers from summer through to autumn. Large, glossy green leaves (sometimes with a velvet-brown underside) are the perfect background for the impressive blooms. In their natural habitat trees in excess of 30 m tall exist, although garden specimens locally seldom…

IDEA ONE: PRETTY IN PINK • When planning your design, pick plants that have similar growth (light and water) requirements. We used a miniature Phalaenopsis orchid in flower, a maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) for a dash of greenery, and a very colourful Peperomia caperata hybrid. • For this pot-et-fleur, a wooden box lined with plastic and with a layer of drainage stones in the bottom worked perfectly. • The pot plants were left in their original pots, which fitted snugly into the box. ADDING THE FLOWERS To keep cut flowers fresh for as long as possible, use small containers filled with wet floral foam. Two small plastic containers filled with floral foam were pushed into the corners of the box where we wanted the short-stemmed, pink and white chrysanthemum flowers…

BEAT THE HEAT ON THE NOSE Replant large containers with no-fuss characters that love being out in the midday sun and have staying power as strong focal plants. Here’s a short list of what to plant and fall in love with: Agave geminifolia (twin flower agave) is a single-stemmed dwarf agave that forms a dense, symmetrical rosette with narrow, sharp-tipped, dark green leaves. Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’ (devil’s tongue) produces very elegant clusters of succulent ‘tongues’ that have lateral grey and green stripes and a prominent cream-to-yellow margin. Aloe barberae (tree aloe) is a single-stemmed aloe that can grow up to 20 m tall in open ground, but will be less vigorous if kept prisoner in a pot. It will branch out high and wide, with large…

Cooling lemon herbs Plunge your nose into a handful of freshly picked lemon balm or lemon verbena – the clean, refreshing fragrance will lift the spirits. It’s probably the soft scent of lemon overlaid with a comforting herby earthiness that does the trick. Lemony herbs do not have as sharp or as strong a flavour as lemon itself, but they do add their own distinctive taste to salads, salad dressings, herbal teas, refreshing drinks and in fish, chicken and egg dishes. They also complement the use of lemons in cooking. Here are some lemony herbs that are worth growing: Lemon verbena has the strongest lemon taste of the herbs. The leaves make a fragrant herbal tea and are also delicious in salads and as a stuffing ingredient for chicken. It…

IN BRIEF Location: Bonnie Doon, East London Climate: Subtropical Size: 2000 m2 Soil: Quartz-derived Aspect: North-west Age: 2 years Designer: Wessel Strydom Photographed: October Every now and then I have the privilege of visiting a garden that makes me ponder why we create gardens in the first place. There are at least as many answers to this question as there are gardeners, of course. Some of us make gardens to grow food, some simply to add beauty to our lives with flowers. And these are entirely valid reasons. But there are only a few gardeners who answer the question in an intensely personal way, and their gardens become singular landscapes, living records of their life’s journey. Wessel Strydom is one such gardener…

Garden sizes are shrinking around the world, changing the dynamics and composition of modern suburban landscapes. The cost and scarcity of water is also influencing plant selection and garden trends, something we are currently very aware of locally. This has made tough, long-lasting plants that make an enduring impact in the garden, but don’t get too big, invaluable. Add colourful foliage and you have a select group of extremely handy plants. Compact, low-growing foliage plants are being used extensively in smaller gardens to create a permanent foundation to work around. Striking contrasts can be created by juxtaposing different coloured and textured leaves. Foliage in shades of red, grey, silver, yellow and gold, along with many variegated leaf forms, are the primary plant components in such planting combinations. These unusual colours…

Hydro zoning is the practice of grouping plants to accommodate their water requirements. Plants can be grouped into three different sections namely high, medium and low water usage with the objective to minimise the overall water consumption of the garden and reduce wastage. Hydro zoning can be applied to both new and existing gardens. Any garden size or property can be zoned but differs with size and shape. Why Hydro zone your garden? 2015 has been the hottest year ever recorded in the country’s history with some of the provinces already declared disaster areas. Fresh water is a limited resource in a country like South Africa which receives less rainfall (approximately 497mm compared with the world average rainfall of 900mm). While gardens flourish with regular watering in dry, hot conditions…

Cactus/Succulent 7.5cm Perfect for water-efficient gardening, cactuses will flourish in even the hottest, driest weather. R18 ea (165120) Garden Master potting soil 30 DM Give your container plants the best start possible with a balanced, top-quality potting soil. R24 ea (516961) Palm Peat 1DM3 Stark Ayres palm peat is a high-quality growing medium that promotes vigorous root, plant and flower development. R30 ea (66612) Alnet 80% shade cloth Alnet 80% shade cloth supplies dense shade for shade plants such as orchids and ferns. R78 p/m (573097 & 573100) Stockosorb 250g Improve the water-holding capacity of your soil by adding Stockosorb, and beat the heat this summer. R96 ea (37315) Prices valid from 01/02/16-31/03/16. T&Cs apply…

1 GWANO PELLETS All-new Gwano Pellets from Protek are a 100% organic, carbon-enriched fertiliser made from composted poultry manure, and contain both micro and macro nutrients. This balanced general fertiliser is suitable for your entire garden, and is ideal for everything from lawns to trees, shrubs, fruit trees, roses, vegetables, herbs and flowering and fruit-bearing plants. See www.proteksa.co.za for more information. 2 PROTEK KEMPRIN Protek Kemprin is a high-concentration contact insecticide, packaged in 50 ml and 200 ml bottles. Kemprin controls a broad spectrum of garden insects, including bollworms, aphids, army worms, codling moth, cutworms, stalk borers, fruit fly, weevils, false codling moth, lawn caterpillars, lucerne caterpillars, bugs, thrips, crickets, harvester termites, mealy bugs, flower beetles, lily borers and whitefly. See www.proteksa.co.za for more information. 3 KETER DYNAMIC COMPOSTER The…

Moonlight Calendar includes: a photo of the daily moon shape. the exact times of the four main moon phases. the exact times that the moon changes zodiac signs. colour coding showing the “fertility” rating of every day. void-of-course times (the no-action periods) before a zodiac sign changes. a brief description for gardening activities for each zodiac sign in both the waxing and waning phases. the mood-energy of the moon in each zodiac sign Moonlight 2016 Calendar poster is available to The Gardener/Die Tuinier readers for x 1@ R130, or SPECIAL OFFER of x 3 @ R235 - Price includes registered mail postage. Email order to info@thegardener.co.za - with TG Jan in the subject line. Message must include: Name & delivery address. Quantity, email address and mobile number. Track number will…