Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i The Gardener Magazine

Not only is autumn weather stable and pleasantly mild in most parts of the country, the garden is all abloom as well. Little wonder, then, that this time of the year is regarded as the second spring. While winter is fast approaching, many plants are emblazoned in a final flush of blooms before dormancy sets in. These are some of the plants to consider for turning your garden into an autumn floral spectacle. Annuals Many summer-flowering annuals bloom through into autumn, making a vivid display of every possible hue. As winter approaches most of these plants are replaced with winter- and spring-flowering alternatives. The lesson is to allow summer flowers to last as long as possible and not be tempted to remove and replace them too early in the cool…

• Soften the lines of a dry-packed stone wall with a dark green low hedge at its base. • Plant a low hedge on top of a low wall as an extra barrier. • Low hedges can be used to define the borders of terraces against a gentle slope. • Low hedges can be planted at the top of cement-block retaining walls. • A low hedge doesn’t have to be a solid row of plants bordering something else. You can create green art by using shorter lengths of hedging spaced behind each other, creating a type of domino effect against a gently sloped lawn – a wild idea, but certainly worth trying! • You can build a labyrinth, maze or even a simple spiral garden by using low-growing hedge plants.…

In bygone days the ordinary Cordyline australis, a palm-like plant with narrow, lance-shaped leaves arranged in a large rosette, would have been one of the first plants recommended to gardeners looking for a dramatic accent plant – it’s tough enough to cope in almost any climate! Later Cordyline australis ‘Red Sensation’ became available, with its broad, maroon leaves. Many older urban gardens still boast either C. australis or ‘Red Sensation’, if not both. These old toughies, which can grow to a height of about 5m, survived drought, floods, bitter cold and frost. Disease and pests never really affected them, and when cats used them as a scratching post they simply responded by sprouting new lateral branches from the wounded areas. (To persuade their cordylines to produce side branches, wily gardeners…

The old-fashioned hanging basket was probably the first step to full-on vertical gardening, which is so on trend today. To spend a few leisurely hours creating decorative hanging baskets is one of the pure joys of gardening, and that’s no lie! But you have to know a trick or two about proper soil preparation before you start planting. Good tip After taking the plant out of its nursery container, check its roots. If they have formed a thick mat at the bottom, tear some loose and discard them. This will encourage the remaining roots to anchor better and faster into the soil. Notes • The coconut peat is sold in a compressed brick form. Soak it in five litres of water first to loosen the husk. • The EXL Gel…

No winter herb garden should be without rosemary. Besides its culinary qualities, rosemary is good for the soul! Its magnificent fragrance lifts the spirits, and helps relieve mild depression and stress, especially after flu or other winter ailments. Add it to bathwater for a reviving soak, hang up bunches to freshen the home, sow it into herb pillows, or make a tonic in the form of a rosemary tincture. Take 2ml twice a day in water. When roasting chicken, lamb or pork, lay a few sprigs on the bottom of the roasting pan. As you baste, the pan juices mixed with rosemary will give the meat a delicious flavour. Also add a sprig or two to oven-roasted vegetables, roasted potatoes or baby potatoes.…

• Expect frost this month, check weather reports and have frost cloth available. • Fertilise brassicas to ensure strong, rapid growth. • Keep lettuce moist and sweet with regular watering. • Rake up leaves and add to the compost, along with grass cuttings. • Move wormeries into a sheltered, warm area. • Sow green manures in beds that will be fallow during winter. 5 minutes to spare Make a manure tea by putting a big handful of manure (or worm castings) in a bucket and adding water until it is ¾ full. Leave for a day or two or until it is the colour of strong tea. Dilute 50:50 with water and use as a soil drench for brassicas. Kid-sized peas ’Tom Thumb’ garden pea from RAW seeds can be…

What you need 1500mm x 110mm PVC pipe cut to the following lengths: 1 x 600mm 1 x 500mm 1 x 400mm 3 x 60cm light chains 6 x small screw-link carabiners or shackles Rust-oleum spray paint 100-grit sandpaper A variety of airplants Tools Drill, 32mm hole saw and 6mm drill bit What you do 1 Drill 32mm holes randomly around each of the PVC pipes. Drill two 6mm holes at one end of each pipe, opposite each other and about 15mm from the end. 2 Sand the outside of all three pipes to remove any burrs from drilling, and to give better adhesion when you paint. 3 Spray the pipes with Rust-oleum spray paint for plastic. We used black, but choose any colour that will suit your garden or…

Winter care for your orchids During the cooler months there are a few important things to do in your orchid collection to ensure they thrive and flower well. • Phalaenopsis or moth orchids must be protected from cold weather. Ideally, temperatures should not go below 15˚C. Keep indoors, and in very cold weather and refrain from watering them. • Cymbidiums are either in flower now or the buds are busy developing. Make sure your plants get enough water to support the buds and flowers for a longer flowering period. Although tough plants, in very cold areas cymbidiums in bud or flowering should be taken indoors to prevent the buds or flowers from dropping. • Quite a few orchids go dormant during the winter months and drop their leaves. These should…

Colourful autumn leaves are an integral part of the natural cycle of the change of seasons in temperate climates. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the colder climates of South Africa, and less so in the warmer sub-tropical regions. Nevertheless, these are three trees that make a huge impact in gardens with climatic conditions conducive to producing attractive autumn foliage. Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) Japanese maples are mostly small trees or large shrubs, although mature trees can reach reasonable proportions (5 – 8m tall, and almost as wide). They are deciduous, with many branches and small to medium-sized palmate (fingered) leaves. Many leaf variations and colours are found among the numerous hybrids and varieties that are cultivated. It does best in cold climates, although some are found growing in slightly…

Bird watching is a popular hobby and can be extended from the wilds right into the heart of suburbia. People are planning and grooming their gardens to accommodate our feathered friends in no small way, and this has become a seriously big business both in terms of selling supplementary feeds and suitable feeders to growing plants with bird-attracting properties that range from providing food to nests and shelter. Birds spend their time engrossed in four basic activities – feeding, drinking, nesting and resting. In order to make them feel comfortable and safe in your garden, these elements need to be taken care of and offered to the birds in a practical and meaningful manner. Feeding Many gardeners put out food for birds. This may include various types of seeds and…

What about spacing? How far apart the plants should be planted for a clipped hedge depends on the plant choice, and the patience and budget of the gardener. A general guide would be to space them about a quarter of their fully-grown width apart. Do the trench • If you’re planning to go straight and formal, use wooden pegs or steel droppers (two markers at each corner) and two lines of string to mark out your trench. • If luscious curves are what you envisage, use a hosepipe (especially one that has been lying in the sun for a while to make it pliable) to define the lines that can then be marked out before digging with baking flour, river sand or mealie meal. • Dig to the depth of…

GET THE LOOK White always energises a flowerbed, and in this garden a sprinkling of white carries your eye all the way down a narrow bed bordering the driveway. What better white to use than ‘Iceberg’ roses, interplanted here with perennial statice and a low-clipped hedge of Abelia grandiflora ‘Lemon and Lime’. Fast-growing Syzygium paniculatum has been clipped into square lollipops, adding to the formality of the bed. When pruning in July, make sure the ‘Iceberg’ roses are above the statice so that they get enough sun. If the performance of the roses drops off in summer, check for root competition and remove any statice that is growing too close to the roses. Also check that the water is reaching the roots of the roses and not being guzzled up…

These are called ‘robust’ herbs because their flavour develops and mellows with long, slow cooking. Bay, oregano and thyme are all frost-hardy perennial herbs and work well together, despite having distinctive flavours. Bay and oregano combine for tomato-based dishes while bay and thyme, together with parsley, make up the traditional bouquet garni that’s added to stews, soups and casseroles. Bay leaf Bay leaf adds a deep, spicy note to slow-simmered red-meat dishes (with lots of red wine added), and soup too. Our own bobotie and classic French dishes like Boeuf à la bourguignonne and pâtés are flavoured by bay leaf. A bonus is that bay leaves stimulate the secretion of digestive juices, which aids digestion, helping to breakdown heavy food, especially meat. Bay leaves can be used fresh or dried,…

What you need 12mm shutterply cut to the following dimensions: 2 x 700mm x 500mm 4 x 320mm x 150mm (box back and front) 4 x 175mm x 150mm (box sides) 2 x 175mm x 344mm (box base) 24 x 35mm wire nails 8 x 25mm x 4mm full-thread cut screws Undercoat paint Brilliant white gloss paint 1m binding wire 4 x 16mm x 4mm full-thread cut screws Tools Hammer, tape measure, cordless drill and screwdriver bit, pencil, two paintbrushes, 140-grit sandpaper What you do 1 Assemble the boxes. To do this, tap wire nails into the two end pieces, two in each of the 150mm sides, so that they just protrude. Apply wood glue to the 150mm ends of the side pieces and secure the end pieces to them…

Firstly, when you enquire about the possibility of visiting a family member or friend in Cape Town, don’t feel insulted if the response is negative or quite cold. You have to remember that their love level is now measured in litres. If you come along, it means they will have to pay, plan and queue for an extra 25 litres of water for every day of your stay – it’s a stressful exercise! How to identify a typical Capetonian (in order not to stand out!): This might sound strange, as your loved ones are still the same folks, but there are now subtle differences in their general appearance. Their clothes will look a little scruffier and worse for wear, and there will be a little whiff of mothballs or something…

A hedge is a row of dense vegetation planted for specific reasons, such as creating a boundary between properties or an enclosure for privacy, or for screening off different parts of a garden. Large formal hedges consisting of only one plant type are also used in classical and formal garden styles, where they are a very strong element in the overall design. Large, informal hedges consisting of different mixed plantings and even small trees are often used to create a more relaxed barrier for security purposes, to attract wildlife, to curb suburban noise or as a background scene for other plantings. But if you create low hedging, a whole new world of designing possibilities opens up. Edging perennial and shrub beds Even the most beautiful and artfully combined border of…

One of the very first things a bonsai novice learns is that there are five main bonsai styles. The term ‘style’ is a bit misleading, however, so rather consider them to be growth patterns. They are Formal Upright, Informal Upright, Slanting, Semi-Cascade and Cascade. So, how do we make sure our precious little tree falls into one of these styles? Well, they all do! The above growth patterns cover virtually all the ways a tree can grow, and refer mostly to the direction the lower trunk grows in. Formal Upright trees grow straight up without any bends or curves, ramrod straight like a soldier at attention on parade. Formal Upright trees are fairly rare just because it is unusual for a tree to grow straight up without any deviation in…

In May the herb garden undergoes a change in character. The focus is more on health and the menu switches from carefree summer salads to nurturing comfort food. But there is still room for a light touch: decorative frilly greens that tingle the taste buds and pair perfectly with edible winter flowers. 3 must-have healing herbs Plant thyme, parsley and calendula and you’ll have a winter pharmacy at your fingertips. Between them they support the immune system, act as a tonic, and help to clear chest and throat infections so prevalent in winter. Common thyme and lemon thyme have strong antiseptic and tonic properties, making them a useful tonic for the immune system as well as a remedy for chest and throat infections. How to use Make a tea using…

Imagine a winter veggie garden as full of flowers as it is of vegetables? Broccoli mixed with calendulas, violas bordering the lettuce bed, nasturtiums hugging the base of broad beans, and petunias rubbing shoulders with purple cauliflower. What a picture, and it is all possible! Beauty aside, winter flower companions provide food for hard-pressed pollinators and other insects, repel nasties like aphids that prey on brassicas, and can have a good effect on the soil, especially lavender and feverfew. Besides the usual suspects (calendula, pansies, nasturtiums and violas), there are other flower companions that are worth adding to the vegetable garden. To grow Like their companion veggies, calendula needs full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. They are compact growers and easy to manage when planted alongside the vegetables. Calendula Calendula…

1 TIE A KNOT – MOTHER’S DAY Mothers’ Day is on Sunday 13 May. As moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) are always available in bloom and stay that way for months on end, why not spoil your mom or grandma with a beautiful specimen to keep her company with its floral elegance throughout winter? You will find the widest variety and healthiest specimens at your nearest garden centre or home store. They will also have smart cover pots in stock to display it in. 2 PLANT A WINTER QUEEN Just as the rose is the queen of summer, the japonica (Camellia japonica) is the queen of winter! This is a large evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy, dark green leaves. It is suitable for shade or sun (not baking hot!), and…