Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i The Gardener Magazine

“When I have nothing to do, I propagate echeverias, as it is always time well spent.”– Pieter van der Walt Echeveria is a large genus of succulents belonging to the Crassulaceae family, which is native to the semi-desert areas of central America, the North Western regions of South America and Mexico. The genus is named after the Mexican botanical artist Atanasio Echeveria Y Godoy. Attempting to make sense out of the names of the species and many hybrids of this popular super-genus seems to be an exercise in futility – there are so many variations, so many ‘nicknames’, and in some cases quite a resemblance to other genera in the family like Graptopetalum (leatherpetal) and Sempervivum (houseleek), which does not make it any easier. A very general description is the…

BEAN THERE Germinating beans with cotton wool, water and a bit of sunshine is a classic project for budding horticulturalists. It’s an especially appealing activity for younger children thanks to how quickly the bean grows. You will need Dried beans (broad beans, sugar beans and butter beans will all work well) Cotton wool A glass container A sunny windowsill Instructions Place a layer of cotton wool in the bottom of a small Mason jar or other clear glass container such as an old jam or mustard jar. Slip your dried beans in on the sides so that kids can have a clear view of the day-to-day changes. Place another thin layer of cotton wool on top of the beans and gently press down. Wet – but do not soak –…

15ml olive oil1 onion, finely chopped1 clove garlic, crushed2 celery stalks, finely chopped4 carrots, peeled and grated6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped250ml pearl barley, washed1250ml vegetable stockFresh spring each of thyme and Italian parsley, chopped Herb salt and ground black pepper Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, tomato, barley, vegetable stock and chopped herbs. Stir together and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until the barley is soft. Add more liquid if required. Season. Serve hot and enjoy! Christine Phillips is a Health Coach and Wellness Chef from Health Yourself. For more information visit www.healthyourself.co.za…

GAUTENG Sunday 12 August and Sunday 19 August Organic vegetable growing courses Learn every aspect of growing vegetables organically, from mastering soil preparation to coping with water restrictions, companion planting, organic pest control and crop rotation. The courses are presented by Linda Galvad of Sought After Seedlings, who also presents the Gardening 101 series on DSTV. Venue: Inner City Farm, Sandown, Johannesburg Time: 08:30 – 16:30 Enquiries: 082 365 0050, www.soughtafterseedlings.co.za Saturday 25 August – Sunday 26 August Clivia Show, Plant Market and Bonsai Show Come and appreciate the many varieties of clivias, get advice from top clivia breeders, and enjoy a wonderful bonsai show. Orchids, succulents and other rare plants will also be on sale. Venue: Laerskool Rooihuiskraal, c/o Panorama and Maraboe Streets, Rooihuiskraal, Centurion Time: 08:00 – 17:00…

The lightest heavyweight in its class The MS 462 is the hot-off-the-press new chainsaw from STIHL, the global leader in chainsaw technology. This 70cc professional-grade model has an economical 2-MIX engine and is lightweight without compromising on delivery. It is the lightest high-performance chainsaw in the 70cm³ cubic capacity class, weighing in at 7.4kg with a 20-inch guidebar and chain – ideal for an powerful all-day, every-day performance. Designed for multiple forestry applications, the award-winning MS 462 easily copes with felling, pruning, cutting up and harvesting big timber. It is also suitable for demanding cutting jobs in agriculture, landscaping and gardening. www.stihl.co.za The Automower really works! There is a Husqvarna Automower® model for every type of lawn, from smaller, straightforward lawns to really complex gardens with steep hills and narrow…

Succulent plants are important elements of the modern garden, requiring minimal water and thriving during prolonged periods of dry weather. Larger shrubs make an impact in the landscape, especially when they’re in bloom, although some have attractive foliage to ensure year-round good looks. Crassula ovata is an indigenous succulent that can grow in excess of 1m tall, with stout stems and branches, and many different forms and hybrids of this lovely plant are commercially available. Here are three different jades – their common name. Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’ (Gollum jade) This hybrid version of the jade plant has strangely shaped leaves, each leaf looking like a shiny green tube with a red or brown margin on the blunt end. It seems to grow relatively slowly and to a lesser stature than…

GET THE LOOK August is the month to trim and train climbing roses. It is an effort to do this well, but what a reward, as these two climbers demonstrate. Only two climbers completely transform this small home, smothering the front window with blooms. For a similar effect I would recommend ‘Apéritif’, ‘Cherry Garland’, ‘Blossom Magic’, ‘Eden Rose’, ‘Guelilah’ and ‘Wedding Garland’. Pruning climbing roses involves getting onto a ladder, cutting off the old ties, spreading the stems and branches, and cutting out obvious old woody stems that don’t resprout well. Once that is done, spiral or espalier the remaining stems and long canes into positions where you want them to flower. Since not all stems are cut back, delaying the task into August means they will still flower in…

Snails can become pests in the garden, especially when they eat all the lettuce leaving little for the human family. Here are some ideas to control then the environmentally friendly way. 1. Use copper earthing wire (available from the hardware store) to make a border around your plants. Make sure the wire is secure to the ground with no gaps. For large areas roll the earthing wire around dowels secured into the ground. Snails will not move over copper. 2. Crush eggshells and scatter them around you plants. Snails hate the sharp edges of eggshells, and an added benefit is that when they break down they improve the soil health. 3. Use diatomaceous earth around your plants. The fossilised remains of the diatoms that make up diatomaceous earth are like…

Boxing clever in the veggie garden Want to make your veggie garden more productive? Raised beds provide better drainage (which veggies love) and a friable mix that makes it easier for the roots to draw up water, oxygen and nutrients, especially in gardens with clay, sand or very stony soil. In areas where it is hard to garden, a raised bed can be made on top of hard surfaces (even paving) where it is impossible to dig, or in small gardens where there is not enough space for conventional veggie beds. It is also a solution for sloping areas. The greatest appeal of raised beds is that soil quality can be controlled, and weeds kept out if weed-free soil is used. Raised beds also allow for a longer growing season…

What you need Treated timber in the following dimensions: 7 x 900mm x 100mm x 18mm8 x 525mm x 100mm x 18mm3 x 350mm x 38mm x 38mm2 x 310mm x 38mm x 38mm3 x 260mm x 38mm x 38mm 2 x window frames (535mm x 435mm) * Note: We had these window frames lying around and built the box to fit them. You can easily adjust the measurements for a different window frame, or make a frame to fit. 100 full-thread cut screws (3.5mm x 30mm) Tools Cordless drill and screwdriver bit, wood saw/cut-off saw, ruler, pencil, jigsaw What you do 1. Cut the timber to length. 2. Make one side by screwing four 525mm planks to a 350mm cleat, a 310mm cleat and a 260mm cleat. Repeat to…

The parents of my three young grandsons suffer from ‘wanderlust’ in winter every year, which means leaving me in charge of their household for a while. The first few days of babysitting passed without drama, apart from me getting the TV settings all mixed up – I only wanted to watch my ‘soapies’ like I do at home. My eldest grandson (the seven-year old) managed to fix it, but first I had to promise to only watch Mr. Bean, very dodgy kiddie DIYs involving messy (and dangerous!) ideas, and the YouTube music offerings of either Snotkop or Katy Perry, which he relays from his laptop onto the TV screen. The little bugger didn’t want to teach me how to use the remote correctly and I was left helpless. After been…

Herbs have a long history of healing, and the family herb patch, filled with common herbs like lavender, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, and thyme, can play a very important role in maintaining health and overall wellness. When a child is over-tired and anxious, lavender added to the bathwater calms them down. The jelly-like sap of bulbinella takes the sting out of insect bites and sunburn. A poultice of comfrey heals cuts, and chewing the leaf of Viola odoratahelps cure a headache. Such are the simple herbal remedies that help heal the myriad of daily mishaps. They don’t replace a visit to the doctor, but they do support the systems of the body, and work to restore balance and ultimately health. Three reasons to start your own medicinal herb garden Easy,…

The presence of micro- and macro-organisms (arthropods) in the soil contributes to its friability, which is the ease with which a large solid substance can be reduced to smaller pieces (such as crumbling between your fingers). As these organisms work their way through the soil, large clumps are broken down and fertilised with waste products. This not only adds to the fertility of the soil, but also enhances its drainage and water-retention properties. The organisms’ tunnelling also assists aeration and better water movement, both of which go to creating an improved environment for root growth. The waste products released by soil organisms are rich in nutrients and work like tiny time capsules, releasing these nutrients back into the soil over a period of time. This gives the soil fertility and…

1 SHADES OF SHADY ORANGE If you could choose only one fantastic plant that flowers in early spring, make it a clivia. When the breathtaking orange flowers burst forth after winter they instantly banish any lingering traces of the winter blues. They are also easy to grow, evergreen, perennial and have lovely dark-green leaves that are long and strap-like. The trumpet-shaped, brightly coloured flowers are arranged together in sturdy flower heads attached to fleshy stems. They last for several weeks and then give way to fleshy round berries that remain on the plant for months. Good for dry shade gardens. Pretty in pots too. 2 TIME FOR SUMMER BULBS Buy summer bulbs like amaryllis, different coloured arum lilies, gladiolus and dahlias as soon as they’re available. Store the bulbs in…