Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i The Gardener Magazine

Feb is already underway and I’m still not sure I’m used to writing 2018 instead of 2017! I really have to concentrate to get it right! If you, like me, feel that you’re stuck in 2017 and aren’t quite ready to accept that 2018 is here, then take a look at what we’ve got lined up for you. One way of getting into the 2018 groove is to see what will be ‘trending’ this year. Anna tackled an article on this interesting subject, and I’m delighted to read that some of what I personally love is on trend! One of my most most most favourite (can you see that I am excited about this?) trends is ‘The Social Networking of Plants’, the idea of communities of plants growing together in…

The name ‘Skelmkloof’ sounds as though it comes from a novel, evoking a sense of intrigue and romance. And driving towards it along long, dusty gravel roads, the mountains rising around you, you can’t help but wonder what waits at the end of the journey. When you finally arrive a rusted Morris Minor welcomes you, a huge agave peeking through the windscreen and a rusted sign proclaiming ‘Life is a journey’. The message on that sign has become Hilda and husband Francois’s mantra as they go about life at Skelmkloof. Their gardening journey started with them trying to establish a traditional English garden here in the middle of the Karoo, but after 30 years of battling Hilda has had to give in to nature’s demands and plot another course. Putting…

The name ‘phormium’ is derived from the Greek word phormos, which alludes to basket making. The strong fibres in the flax leaves were used by the Maoris for centuries for just that purpose, and flax fibres were one of the first exports from New Zealand, also for the manufacture of rope. Phormiums were cultivated for the supply of fibres right here in parts of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands during the last century Today, though, New Zealand flaxes are grown more for their ornamental horticulture value. The long, leathery, sword-shaped leaves that are held in fans emerging from fleshy rhizomatous roots make a bold statement in the garden, and they form small to large clumps of attractive foliage in a wide array of colours and variegations. Older cultivated ornamental flax Garden phormiums…

STIHL HSA 25 cordless shrub shears, with a choice of shrub cutter and grass trimmer attachments, weigh just 0.6kg and are ideal for trimming ornamental shrubs and small hedges and keeping lawn edges tidy. The HSA 25 shears feature a 10.8V lithium-ion battery, which guarantees complete mobility and a running time that’s suitable for neatening up a smaller suburban garden. Simply click in the cutting head and you’re ready to start. They boast an ergonomic design with a rubberised handle for user comfort and a secure grip. The laser-hardened, diamond-finished blades can cut twigs and branches with a diameter of up to 8mm. In addition, the two reciprocating blades, which lie on top of each other, are doubly effective and therefore much more powerful. With 2 000 double strokes per…

We South Africans really are spoilt for choice when it comes to indigenous ornamentals that look gorgeous in gardens. Every shape, size, texture and, of course, colour seems to be available to us. Interestingly, green is the most common flower colour in all the world, but with a few exceptions it’s not really a colour that stands out. Let’s take a closer look at some of our showiest indigenous flowering plants by flower colour to help you build up an indigenous palette for your garden. Yellow for cheer There are so many yellow-flowering plants that we might tend to get a bit blasé about the colour, but sunshine-yellow is always a cheerful addition to the garden. Consider these pretty, yellow-flowering plants for your garden. Euryops: There are several euryops species…

Lemon trees attract a wide variety of pests and diseases, many of which can quickly spread across the tree and onto neighbouring trees if not dealt with promptly. Fortunately most can be treated with easily obtainable treatments. Citrus canker Of all the diseases afflicting lemon trees, citrus canker is possibly the most serious. It’s caused by a bacterial infection that results in yellowish, halo-like scabs on the fruits, leaves and twigs. The bacteria is spread by wind, insects, birds, garden implements and anyone who brushes up against the tree. If left unchecked, the disease spreads quickly and can result in blemished fruit, fruit drop, leaf loss and even death of the tree. Treatment is prevention rather than cure, with a liquid copper fungicide. If the tree becomes infected there is…

What you do 1. The buckets need to have drainage holes in the bottom. Make them by placing a piece of wood beneath the pot and drilling holes into the bottom of the bucket. The wood will prevent the metal from buckling. 2. Add a layer of stones to the bottom of the bucket to help with drainage. 3. Make a soil mix by combining 2 cups of coconut palm peat (reconstituted in water) with 1 cup of potting soil and adding a handful of bonemeal and a handful of organic fertiliser pellets. Mix this all together and fill the bucket ¾ full. 4. Position the plants and fill in with the soil mix. Press down and water well. 5. Hang the buckets using galvanised chain or place them on…

This lovely bird feeder will be a feature in any beautiful tree. This is the tenth in our Working with Wood series presented by Greg de Villiers. Throughout the series we will introduce you to some amazing new tools on the market that take the ‘work’ out of woodwork. WHAT YOU NEED Cutting list 2 x 140mm x 305mm x 19mm (base)2 x 140mm x 270mm x 19mm (sides)1 x 140mm x 343mm x 19mm (roof – long)1 x 140mm x 324mm x 19mm (roof – short)2 x 38mm x 280mm x 19mm (short edge)2 x 38mm x 343mm x 19mm (long edge) 2 x 140mm x 270mm perspex 32mm pocket hole screwsWood glueCord Tools Festool track saw, Triton drill and driver, Festool jigsaw, Kreg clamps, pencil, square, tape measure…

Hot, dry banks are an integral part of modern suburban developments. They are often retained using specially designed concrete block structures, or they can be left as an earth bank. Either way they need to be softened with greenery, preferably plants that also have a root system that can grow into the soil and help with stabilisation. Here are three indigenous succulent plants that perform this role with great success. They’re neat and tidy and easy to grow, and establish even in relatively poor soils. Always remember that the better prepared the soil is the quicker the groundcovers will accomplish full coverage. Ruschia lineolata (rankvygie) This is a wide-spreading creeping plant that forms a tight, carpet-like network of thin, wiry stems. New growth stems are a mauvish-pink colour that turns…

What is a harmonious colour scheme? Colours that are positioned alongside one another on the colour wheel are known as harmonious colours. Colours ranging from red through mauve, violet, blue-violet, blue and blue-green have a blue undertone while yellow-green, yellow, yellow-orange, orange and red-orange have a yellow undertone. Red and green can each exhibit a leaning towards a blue or yellow undertone and care must be taken, with red especially, to ensure that the undertone matches other red-flowering plants to enhance the colour scheme. The psychological effects of colour As mentioned in the previous article, bright colours with a yellow undertone will naturally warm and add energy to a space, while those with a blue undertone have a cooling and calming effect. It’s interesting to hear gardeners expressing an aversion…

Help your roses to keep their cool • Hot nights bother the roses more than the heat during the day. Cool them down by watering in the early evening. The heat quickly dries off the leaves, so they won’t get fungal diseases, and there is less evaporation than watering during the day. • A thick mulch covering the soil in a rose bed is essential when there is insufficient water, but don’t pile the leaves up against the stems. The area around the stems should be open for the water to penetrate, otherwise it is just the mulch that gets wet. • Keep as many leaves on the bush as possible, and just break off the head of the dead roses. Check for red spider and spray as soon as…

W hen we think of herbs, several worthy plants spring to mind, but few of them are indigenous. Could it be possible that our indigenous plants also offer culinary delights and potential medicinal benefits? The latter topic is controversial. Most herbal remedies have not been thoroughly studied, and so-called ‘complementary medicines’ should not be considered as a replacement for well-researched, proven cures when one is seriously ill. Nevertheless, our unbelievably rich biodiversity has led to a great deal of interest in our indigenous herbs within the research community. After all, most medicines we use today have at least some relation to the plant-based medicines of yesteryear. Let’s begin by looking at some of the indigenous plants you can add to your culinary repertoire before taking a brief look at common…

Veggies for the balcony Start with herbs: They are easy to grow, and if bought in a large enough pot can be used immediately without transplanting. Make sure they get enough sun. Rosemary prefers drier soil and fewer nutrients, while basil needs more fertiliser and watering. Grow spring onions and chives as cut-and-comeagain crops. Go green: Leafy greens and salad leaves can be grown throughout the season. Compared to other veggies, they need less light to grow. Sow seed into pots or fast-track your harvest with the ready-to-use ‘Simply Salad’ range that has six different mixes. Plants can be harvested every three weeks by cutting back to 5cm, after which the plants will regrow. The leafy mixes include red and green lettuce, rocket, endive, radicchio, Asian greens and kale. Microgreens…

What you need • Masonite board (5mm) – we used an offcut, but it needs to be about 30cm square to fit the heart base • Pine dowels – 2 of each of 5 sizes (19mm x 180mm, 16mm x 180mm, 12mm x 180mm, 10 mmx 180mm, 8mm x 180mm) • Plastic pot (75mm) • Potting soil • A selection of small succulents Tools needed: Glue gun and glue sticks, jigsaw, pencil, saw What to do 1. Draw out half a heart (about 14cm wide) on a piece of paper and cut it out. Trace the shape onto the masonite then flip it, to create a whole heart. Cut it out with a jigsaw. 2. Cut all the dowels into 68 – 72mm lengths. The idea is to make them…

1 ROMANCING THE PATIO AND BALCONY It’s love month, but why settle for one short-lived, long-stemmed red rose (at a dear price!) when you could rather go for intense gardening pleasure in a small space filled with potted roses, at a nominal cost? Miniature rose varieties, collectively known as ‘patio roses’, are freely available in summer. They flower profusely if kept in a sunny spot for a few hours a day and are protected at root level with a layer of organic mulch to keep their roots cool and moist. 2 FEED THESE Feed and regularly water helleborus, camellias and azaleas (to prevent bud drop), and mulch afterwards with pine needles. Also feed deciduous fruit trees like apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and quinces with a general fertiliser,…

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I looked deep into your green eyes and saw your lenses slowly focusing. You kept blinking and I thought for a minute that you had forgotten me, since we had been separated for so long. You started smiling, opened your arms, and I had to stop myself from jumping onto your bed to get closer to you. I touched your cheeks and they were as soft as always. You smelled nice, and then I remembered the familiar aromas of your home too – a mixture of coffee, Marmite, bacon, oxtail, pumpkin pie, boerewors, red wine, cigar smoke, clean linen and perfume. When we used to have heated political debates (and we had many!) you called me a ‘bloody boer’, and I called you a ‘blêrrie rooinek’. We sometimes took our…