Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i The Gardener Magazine

It’s a magnificent spring in Maasström Farm garden after a very cold winter and good rains. The word ‘green’ gets a new meaning in this lush garden, which teems with birds. Current owners Pete and Doreen Freese bought the farm almost five years ago from George and Charlotte van der Watt, who established the main part of the garden during their 25 years on the farm. “We have slowly extended and changed parts of the garden, keeping the formal garden but extending it with more relaxed, informal planting around the edges,” says Doreen. A magnificent cedar tree, which is thought to be over 150 years old, welcomes visitors to the garden. Pathways connect the various rooms of the garden, with benches placed along them for quiet contemplation. The first garden…

Last month we discussed the Tillandsia genus – what it consists of, where the plants are from and how they grow, dispelling a few misconceptions in the process. In this article we get more specific, introducing particular species and hybrids that are brilliant for the home gardener. The well-known Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), often called old man’s beard, is probably the species of air plant most gardeners are familiar with, and the one most often seen. It is a fast grower, eventually forming long strings or bunches that are a collection of hundreds or even thousands of little plants. The tiny flowers are not easy to see and are often overlooked, but if you look closely you may sometimes be able to see the green flowers between the grey plants.…

There should be a ‘thriller’ The thriller is usually a tall, eye-catching specimen plant that is placed in the centre of the container. In this recipe we used a Cordyline banksii ‘Electric Pink’. This evergreen shrub is clump forming and boasts dazzling maroon leaves with hot-pink margins. The colour of the leaves intensifies closer to the base. ‘Electric Pink’ grows in full sun to semi-shade and reaches a height of approximately 1,2m. There should be a ‘filler’ The fillers are usually seasonal flowering plants that are planted around the centre specimen. We chose these sun-loving fillers: Argyranthemum Madeira ‘Crested Yellow’ is a compact and dense variety with fresh-green ferny foliage and lemon-yellow daisies. All of the plants in the Madeira range of daisy bushes are very floriferous and easy to…

GROWTH SPURTS Let children observe the magic of a how a cutting grows its roots – a quick way to propagate plants for free and a valuable lesson in appreciating just how awesome nature really is. You will need A sterilised medium-sized glass bottle Cuttings from healthy plants that will root easily without nursery-bought rooting hormones. Try species such as African violet, geranium, mint, wandering Jew, impatiens, philodendron and spekboom (indigenous to South Africa). Instructions Help your kids cut a 3 to 6-inch section of stem from a healthy-looking plant by making a clean, angled snip above a leaf node. Let them remove leaves from the bottom third or half of the cutting soyouareleftwith a bare stalk and a few leaves on the top section. Put the cutting in the…

I tend to live a relatively slow life. Unnecessary haste and impulsive decisions are not part of my make-up anymore. I eat slowly, read slowly, drive slowly, and seldom find a reason to leave our small town unless I have to. When I’m not working I seem to enjoy my stoep and garden much more than going to the new mall, or going anywhere else for that matter. I’ve said goodbye to low flying in small aeroplanes, to fast cars, flashy houses, halter-neck sundresses, and my previous hectic lifestyle and working life. I have toned down and tuned out of stuff that is just not necessary. But we recently got the opportunity to go away on a five-day trip to the Growcery Camp on the banks of the Orange River…

Flowering perennials lend a welcome splash of colour to the summer garden, and the blooming period often extends through autumn to the onset of winter. Select from a wide range of these rewarding plants to ensure a flower-packed display for months on end. The benefit of perennials is that they last for years and can be relied upon to produce their summer and autumn display time and again. More and more gardeners are planting reliable perennials to reduce the workload and save costs. Here are three top performers that grow well in most parts of the country. Echinacea purpurea (coneflower) Basal clumps of rough-textured leaves form the backbone from which flower stems are produced. These stout stems carry large daisy flowers with a prominent central cone and colourful ray florets…

Christmas is a time to go all out with decorating our homes, and the finishing touch is definitely amaryllis in full flower. The season for amaryllis bulbs begins in November and peaks just in time for Christmas, with large blooms that finish off the décor beautifully. They also make perfect gifts. Bulbs will be available in stores and online from around August, but to get them to flower exactly on time takes a little bit of knowhow. Here are some tips. Once the bulbs are planted they will take 5 – 6 weeks to bloom, so around 10 November is the time for planting. If you buy your bulbs earlier, just pack them in a paper bag and put them in the fridge to fool them into believing it’s still…

Thrifty gardeners like to use every part of the vegetable. Why throw away luscious beetroot tops, colourful Swiss chard stems or crunchy broccoli stalks? If you use what everyone else tosses away, then you are a ‘root-to-stem’ gardener. This is the latest trend in a world that’s conscious of waste and the rising cost of food. Creative gardeners/cooks are taking this trend even further with recipes for carrot-top pesto, radish greens chimichurri and roasted cauliflower steaks. It has also been discovered that the parts we throw away (hopefully on the compost heap) are just as rich in nutrients, if not richer, than the parts we eat, such as broccoli stems, beetroot leaves and more. There are plenty of summer veggies that can be eaten root-to-stem. Here are our suggestions: Beetroot:…

1 ON TREND – CONTAINER GARDENING Container gardening is gaining in popularity by the day, and what’s not to love about it? You can garden in small spaces and even indoors; You can take your garden with you if you move home; You can change your garden according to the seasons or if you get bored with it; You have total control over the soil. Garden centres are now stocked to the rafters with everything you need to really get stuck into containers – you will find top-quality soil mediums, a wide range of pots, drainage chips, a variety of suitable plants (very few plants are not conducive to growing in pots!), suitable fertilisers, water-retention products and very decorative mulches. 2 SUPER BERRIES They say that the blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)…

The expected rise in temperatures during Spring and Summer may cause some flowering plants to use more water and this can cause the plants to dry out quickly. It is always important to plan your garden so that it is adaptable to unexpected and adverse weather conditions. In order to successfully implement a Water Wise garden that can withstand different climatic conditions year-round, think carefully of what you do this Spring. Here are some tips to creating a resilient and beautiful Water Wise garden: Plant selection Select plants that can be grouped according to their hydrozone. Composting Applying organic compost to your garden is beneficial in aiding with water retention. Compost also creates beneficial soil structure, and supplements nutrients for plant uptake. Tips for watering It is advisable to re-look…

Hebes (formerly part of the Veronica family) are low to medium sized evergreen shrubs that originate predominantly from New Zealand. They’re cold hardy and bloom in spring with spikes of tiny bell-shaped flowers produced in the leaf axils of the new growth. Many have white flowers, although most of the newly developed hybrids have pink, mauve or purple blooms. Always fresh and sprightly in the garden, they will grow in sun or dappled shade. Cultivation These no-fuss, easy-to-grow plants will make do with almost any type of soil in terms of quality and structure, as long as it is well drained. Make sure that the individual plants have space to grow and develop as they lose condition rapidly if they’re choked by surrounding or competing plants. In other words, they…

Hello again. As I was wandering around my tree collection recently I realised that there are a few things that I do almost unconsciously that make quite a big difference to my plants. Since they are seldom mentioned in books or magazines I thought I should share them with you. Plants are incredible things, and a bonsai grower needs to connect with his or her plants on a regular, almost daily basis. Much is made of the fact that you can just plant a seed or a seedling, give it water, and nature does the rest. This is true on a very basic level, but without regular attention from the grower they will just grow in a haphazard way and it will be a bit of a lottery as to…

Slugs and snails are the bane of the gardener, and also wreak havoc on a host of agricultural and horticultural crops. These common pests are classed as gastropods in the mollusca (mollusc) phylum that also includes squid, cuttlefish and octopuses, as well as others. The only difference between a slug and a snail is that the snail has a spiral shell into which it retreats. Other than the presence of chewed plants, one of the tell-tail signs that slugs and snails have been marauding in your garden is the silvery mucus trail they leave behind. The mucus is secreted by the muscular foot, to aid its movement. Slugs and snails are hermaphrodites; that is they have both male and female sex organs, so anyone individual you may find has the…

GAUTENG Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 November Gardens of the Golden CityMaatje and Hendrik Barnard, 166 Oak Ave, Ferndale The owners started developing this peaceful oasis in 2007 by planting over 100 indigenous trees on the property, which have grown to big specimens, including a lane of tree aloes. There are several flowerbeds with a backdrop of colourful shrubs, as well as an excellent mix of coloured foliage, both exotic and indigenous. Delene and Martin Loubser, 206 Wilson Street, Fairland Due to popular demand one of our most admired gardens will be open again, and it is a joy to visit. Beautifully tended flowers and foliage fill the flowing beds and border the verdant lawns, while beyond the lawn flows the Fairland Spruit. This is a garden of exceptional quality…