Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i The Gardener Magazine

It’s fascinating to watch garden fashions and trends come and go over the years, and how some linger long after they should have disappeared. I find it interesting how many people still have concrete balls balanced somewhere in their gardens, a trend of a number of years ago. Then there are the kidney-shaped asbestos fishponds, and I guarantee that there are countless gardeners in the suburbs who are still holding onto them. Another trend that has seen its day but somehow lingers on is the arrangement of pots, one standing up and the other lying down next to it, spewing forth pebbles. Then there are the new trends, some of which we are really excited about. I love the way that people are using grasses in landscapes, for example. And…

Last month we brought you Jane Troughton and Greg Courtney’s beautiful, sustainable, diverse garden in Durban. This month we delve a little deeper, peeking behind the spectacular facade to see how this was created and how it works. More importantly, we see what we can take from this garden and apply to our own. Going vertical The most arresting element of the Troughton’s property is their vertical garden, created by the talented James Hallé of Durban. The unique requirements of a vertical garden create challenges for the gardener, which is the main reason why Jane went to a professional for help. James uses a hydrophilic (easily wetted) material that looks like a dog blanket, on a PVC backing that is attached to a stainless steel frame, to keep moisture off…

If you’re hoping for a stunning show that changes with the seasons, indigenous bulbs are a great choice. We already know how striking clivias can be in spring, but what can you use as a follow-up? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing: Haemanthus albiflos : There’s always something interesting going on when you choose these evergreen bulbous plants. The oblong leaves are intriguing, the paintbrush-like white blooms tipped with yellow stamens are magnificent, and the shiny red seeds are pretty too. These adaptable plants are happy in light or deep shade and will tolerate some sun at any time of the day. The flowering time ranges from April to July. Scadoxus puniceus : Also known as the blood paintbrush, this species has similar flowers to those…

The tart, acidic fruit of the lemon tree, with its innumerable uses around the house, makes it one of the most popular fruit trees for home gardens. So it’s no wonder that advice about ailing lemon trees is one of the things we are asked for most often. Hopefully this information will help you to grow better lemon trees no matter where in the country you live. Growing • Full-sun with good air movement. • Well-drained loamy or sandy soil. • Keep the entire drip-line area clear of competing vegetation, including lawn grass. • Mulch the drip-line area. Planting Prepare a square hole at least 600mm wide and as deep. Add fertiliser that promotes root growth (superphosphate or bonemeal) at the recommended rate. A liberal quantity of well-rotted compost helps…

HYACINTHS INDOORS Hyacinths are great indoor bulbs planted in pots or in a glass bowl filled with pebbles. (Make sure that only the roots get water as the bulb will rot if it is in constant contact with water.) They have a very sweet scent and come in a variety of beautiful colours. BULBS IN CONTAINERS Bulbs planted in containers can be planted close together and not as deep as you would in the garden. However, they must not touch the sides of the container. Plant bulbs in containers in a mixture of › potting soil and › compost. The most important thing is drainage, so make sure the bottom of the pot is covered with a good layer of coarse drainage material. Watering is tricky, as the bulb roots…

This is an island-style dish with mild curry spices and cool lettuce as the base. 300g pork fillet, cut into small cubes2 tablespoons self-raising flour2 tablespoons cornflourSparkling waterSalt and pepperVegetable oil for deep-frying For the pineapple chutney 450-500g fresh pineapple, cut into chunks (you can also use canned pineapple, but then reduce the amount of sugar)1 large onion, chopped100g sugar1 teaspoon garam masalaJuice and zest of 2 limes½ teaspoon salt6-8 curry leaves(This amount makes more than is needed for the recipe. Store in sterilised jars in the fridge for use with curries or simply with bread and cheese.) To serve 3-4 lettuce leaves2 medium carrots, julienned2 stalks celery, thinly sliced atan angle1 spring onion, finely choppedA handful of fresh mint leaves½ cup toasted peanuts For the pineapple chutney, combine all…

Plant herbs that thrive in the cooler weather like chervil, rocket, and winter savory. Lift, divide and replant chives. Trim and shape lavender in preparation for spring flowering. Use the trimmings to make cuttings. Also take stem cuttings of rosemary, thyme and lemon balm, and root cuttings of comfrey. Mulch beds in frosty areas to protect the roots of herbs. Keep watering and feeding perennial herbs. Use a diluted liquid fertiliser once a month for herbs in the ground and twice a month for herbs in pots. Herbs supplied in pots from herb stands in garden centres can be planted out or repotted virtually year round. Why not put together a collection of hardy herbs that can treat winter ailments? Thyme helps relieve chest infections, coughs and colds; sage can…

The first weekend in April is ideally suited for last harvest, clearing beds and general yard cleaning. If you missed the last month's Best Days for planting cool season vegetables, do note the few best lunar days to plant out nursery seedlings. The best day for brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower is on the 1st; and then there's a long wait until semi-fertile and fertile days around the full moon phase from 19th - 24th. Note the leaf days for veg like kale and spinach varieties - these are best planted just after the New Moon. BEST DAYS FOR APRIL…

At some point or another when we were younger we all loved seeing and playing with a miniature version of the world we live in. Girls played with doll houses, and boys played with train sets and dinky cars. Today the world has changed, but small-scale joy is still seen in villages built out of Lego and fairies joining dinosaurs in the playground. Miniature gardening is the latest gardening trend, taking the world by storm one tiny step at a time. It suits both young and old, and is a great weekend project to divert young minds away from screens and towards nature. Even if you’re not an expert gardener, miniatures always seem to turn out cute – finding your creative spirit is what it’s all about! And there’s no…

This beautiful flowering plant with daisy flowers in a spectacular range of bright colours is still affectionately called cineraria by gardeners around the globe, despite the botanical name having changed a number of times. Cineraria cruentus became Senecio cruentus and then Pericallis cruenta, and now Pericallis x hybrida is the preferred name for the plant commonly known as florists’ cineraria. Both dwarf and tall-growing hybrids are cultivated today, with the more compact forms seemingly the most popular. This is due to the fact that they maintain their shape and form, unlike their lanky relatives that tend to flop open as the flowers develop. Generally the F1 hybrid compact forms are available as seedlings, while the taller cinerarias are available in seed packets. Florists’ cinerarias are considered to be perennials but…

Annual herbs are coming to the end of their season, so it’s time to harvest and preserve for winter. Winter veggies will benefit from companion planting and there are cool-season herbs that thrive if planted now. Finally, pamper your perennial herbs with a boost of fertiliser, trim them into shape and mulch – they will be set up for winter. Try these three German chamomile is a frost-hardy annual growing 60cm high with a spread of 40cm. It grows in full sun to semi-shade and does best in well-drained, composted soil. Known as the plant doctor, it stimulates the growth of those plants nearest to it. In the case of brassicas, it also attracts beneficial insects like ladybirds, hoverflies, wasps and lacewings, which prey on aphids and whiteflies – the…

AUTUMN ACTION To make space for winter crops, pull out summer vegetables that are over, diseased, or barely productive. Water in the morning so that the leaves are dry by evening. Feed all brassicas with a nitrogen-rich organic fertiliser (Vita Nitro Boost 8:1:1 or Vita Green 5:1:5), or a manure tea. Food gardeners who are not strictly organic can feed with one tablespoon of LAN dissolved in five litres of water per metre row, but water well before and afterwards to prevent burning. There is still time to plant out seedlings of Asian greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, lettuce and spinach. In frost-free areas, protect tomato seedlings against blight by spraying regularly with Biogrow Cueve Copper Soap or Kirchhoffs Copper Count-N. Cover leafy vegetables and seedlings with bird netting.…

The phone woke me a couple of days back, and on the other end was a lady (who I suspect is a widow) telling me that her Aloe ferox has totally outperformed her expectations. (Even though I’m quite hard of hearing these days, I could hear in the background her neighbour shouting, “That thing must die, no matter what she tells you!”). The lady then told me that she had got the plant when it was a baby. As it was just a little succulent, she planted it next to her driveway just a metre or so from the front door of her small townhouse. The problem is that it has now grown into a threatening ‘monster’, hooking her into its thorny embrace every time she tries to enter or…

BACKGROUND Location: Pennington, KwaZulu-Natal Climate: Subtropical Soil: Sandy Age: 4 years Photographed: November 2015 February 2016 Designer: Heather Beckerling Dragons, hobbits, pixies and dwarves. Elves, fairies, unicorns and wizards. Little Bo-Peep, Humpty Dumpty, Cinderella and the three little pigs. These aren’t the characters you’d expect to find in the pages of a respected gardening magazine. They’re not the characters you’d expect to find in a garden, come to that. But Heather Beckerling has embraced the fantastical in creating a magical, mythical, miniature world in her front garden on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. “It all started when I turned 50,” laughs Heather. “I organised a fairy birthday party, hoping that everyone would come dressed up. No one dressed up, but almost everyone gave me some sort of fairy ornament as…

The cool, shady corners of your garden are at their most tempting in February and March, both as areas to relax in and to garden in. From your patio to garden beds under shady trees, indigenous plants are a great solution for brightening up shady corners. But before you choose plants, you need to consider exactly what kind of shade you have, and understand a few basics that make shade gardening unique. Light shade versus deep shade Light shade and deep shade call for different plant selections. Deep shade is trickiest: many plants that thrive in ordinary light shade don’t like the deepest, darkest shade areas, and the other way around. Clivias are a great example. In deep shade the foliage is a lovely dark-green colour, but in lighter shade…

GET THE LOOK A formal rose bed is always appealing. The neat, well-clipped hedges and straight lines satisfy our desire for order, while the abundant, informal planting of roses brings the garden to life. In this garden, landscaper Shirley Wallington uses mainly pastel-coloured roses like ‘Tawny Profusion’ and ‘University of Pretoria Centenary’ (in front) and pale roses, with just hints of stronger colours (red and pink) for contrast. It’s a harmonious arrangement that relies on the repetition of different shades of pink, with ‘Tawny Profusion’ as an edging to tie everything together. This is the last month to fertilise with Vigorosa, except in cold areas (Eastern Free State, parts of Gauteng and the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands), where fertilising should have stopped last month. However, continue fertilising in the Lowveld and subtropical…

Lettuce and other salad greens Lettuce is one of those crops that we try to grow all year round, but it only really thrives in autumn or spring. Crisp, sunny days produce crisp, sweet leaves, and plants are less likely to bolt or wilt from the heat. Being a salad crop, lettuce doesn’t have a long shelf life and can’t be frozen or preserved in any other way. Succession sowing or staggered planting of different varieties is important if you don’t want a glut, especially of crisp head or butter lettuce. Cut-and-come-again loose-leaf lettuce has a longer picking life, and there is a nice variety available as seedlings from garden centres. Get the basics right and you can’t go wrong with lettuce at this time of year: Lettuce needs very…

Jill Manson owns and runs the Jill Manson Flower School, where she teaches the art of floristry on all levels from beginner to advanced. She also facilitates flower healing workshops called Flowerscape and delights in the floral styling and supply of fresh flowers for events and weddings. Jill Manson 079 873 5002, info@jillmanson.co.za , www.jillmanson.co.za WHAT TO DO 1. Cut the foam to the width of the narrowest part of the container (here it is the base of the wooden trough). Place the foam into the cellophane, to keep the water from leaking into the container, and then pop it into the container. Trim away the excess cellophane. 2. Remove the leaves of the proteas. I always measure the correct length of the stem outside…