Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i The Gardener Magazine

What turns a house into a home? It may start with a house and a dream, but so much has to happen before you can call your house a home. I realised this after visiting the House de Bruyn in Brackenridge, Plettenberg Bay. With nearly 360° vistas, my breath was taken away by the contemporary design of the home and the clever use of space, incorporating the surrounding landscape in every area of the garden. The garden really begins with the beautifully planted verge, followed by soft perennials that greeted us as we entered the driveway, a mass of pelargonium tumbling over the retaining wall, interplanted with groundcovers and spots of colour. As an architect with a vision, and who has an expert understanding of space and nature, Stephen Westraadt…

These days rose bushes are often incorporated into flower borders alongside an array of different companion plants that share the same growing conditions. This is in complete contrast to many traditional rose gardens of yesteryear where roses grew in beds all on their lonesome. By creating an integrated rose garden with various other plants, the lean periods when roses are not in bloom are not nearly as noticeable. The companion plants enhance the roses when they are performing and compensate when they aren’t, a winning formula for year-round good looks. Obviously all companion plants must be able to cope with the same growing conditions that roses require. Full-day sunshine and plenty of water are the key growing factors for good roses, but selecting other plants to combine with them goes…

Summer gardens throughout most of the country are luxuriant with trees and shrubs in full growth. Many produce an abundance of blooms during the heart of the growing season, adding to the allure of these warm months. The flowers are offset by a background of greenery that is often in stark contrast to winter and spring, when so many blooms appear before the new spring leaves. Shrubs perform many important functions in the garden, including creating a permanent foundation to give the landscape shape and form. Flowering shrubs add a little extra to the entire garden when they’re in full bloom. Brunfelsia undulata (white yesterday, today, tomorrow) This is a most handsome evergreen shrub that grows best in dappled shade. Of upright habit and clothed in simple glossy green leaves,…

Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’ Common name: Red rooster sedge Growth size: 60cm x 60cm Flowers: Insignificant blooms in summer and late summer. It prefers full sun, but can be grown in partial shade. Plant in moist, well-draining soil. Needs a medium amount of water and should not be overwatered. Because of the bronze to red colour, it combines well with other annuals and perennials. Disease and pest-resistant, hardy and low maintenance. Pelargonium peltatum Common name: Ivy-leaved pelargonium Growth size: It can reach a height of 2m or more. Flowers: Modern varieties flower repeatedly throughout the year. The most prolific flowering occurs in spring and again in autumn. One of the hardiest pelargoniums available, it has a spreading habit that makes it ideal as a groundcover and for hanging baskets. They…

Moonlight calendar The Moonlight Calendar is an informative visual guide to South African Lunar Phases, the Lunar Zodiac and to Gardening by the Moon. This annual, poster-size calendar is produced by Ilona Thorndike, who compiles The Lunar Gardening Guide for The Gardener and Die Tuinier magazines. It is the primary reference point for learning how to keep in tune with the moon’s cycles – either by phase, sign or fertility mode, on any day of the year. It is particularly useful for gardeners, farmers, fishermen, planners, photographers and naturalists. The Moonlight Calendar features: The shape of the daily moon; The exact times of the four main moon phases; The exact times the moon changes zodiac signs; A colour-coded chart showing the fertility rating of every day; A brief gardening-by-the-moon guide…

ROMANTIC FEAST Food that would suit this lavish setting would be something along the lines of a traditional Roman feast, such as oysters, boiled eggs (to soak up the wine), olives and goat’s cheese as a starter, meat roasts (especially suckling pig!), ham with figs, venison and game birds cooked with spices and herbs for main. Accompaniments to this could include fennel salad, mushrooms, leeks and carrots, and for dessert, honey and nuts with fruit and pastries. COUNTRY GARDEN TREASURES FROM THE TROPICS Tip A gold pen and a few leaves make great nametags. BO-HO CHIC MOSSY FOREST…

Apricot roses are a favourite with gardeners who want the best of both worlds – soft pastel colours that also have an intensity of colour that stands up to our long, sunny days. British gardener Monty Don regards apricot as an elusive colour, and he is right. At the lighter end of the spectrum, apricot mixed with cream and pink produce dreamy specimens like ‘Moonlight Panarosa’, ‘Amarula Profusion’ and the climber ‘Crepuscule’. At the other end of the spectrum, deeper-toned apricot roses edge towards bronze, like ‘Marjorie Chase’, or the ‘Easy Does It’ melange of orange, peach, pink and apricot, while the large blooms of ‘Helpmekaar Roos’ take on shades of apricot-cherry brandy. Even the classic ‘Just Joey’ changes with the weather, gaining intensity in cooler weather and autumn days.…

diy quick To make the container you will need Timber (shutterboard or any scrap wood) cut to: 2 x 400mm x 150mm x 18mm for the sides 2 x 150mm x 135mm x 18mm for the ends 1 x 400mm x 175mm x 18mm for the base 12 x 35mm x 4mm full-thread cut screws Spray-paint A selection of woodland materials like bark, moss, dried leaves and lichen. Potting soil (mix 4 parts potting soil with a part palm coir) Coarse gravel A selection of low-light plants like ferns and African violets. Tools Cordless drill, 4mm drill bit, 10mm drill bit, screwdriver bit, glue gun, tape measure and pencil…

1 GO EASY ON YOUR WATER BILL! Our choice of water-wise plants for December can actually be planted together as a tough combo. Use Euphorbia milii as a background row. Fill in with Helichrysum petiolare and finish off with a border of Euphorbia hypericifolia ‘Diamond Frost’ – a great combination for a sunny, hot spot that will give you pleasure for years to come! Crown of thorns (E. millii) is a shrub with prickly stems and bright green leaves. Vivid red bracts surrounding tiny flowers are produced throughout the year, meaning that you will always have a splash of colour in your garden. You can also find them in yellow or pink. It is an excellent barrier plant and is very pretty when planted en masse. Silver bush everlasting or…

Aries (21 March – 19 April) An Aries is passionate and always on the run, but does not plan well. Therefore they sometimes need the skill of others to do things for them, like creating a new garden – in which case they will start interfering immediately, finish the job themselves and take all the credit afterwards. They are inherently stingy and price conscious. Arians love: Thorn trees, red roses, chillies, mint and Barberton daisies. Taurus (20 April – 20 May) Don’t be fooled by a Taurus’s love of soft pastel colours. Soft hearted and tender souls they might be, but beware! If at any sale you should dare to grab the last item or an unusual plant that the Taurus has had their eye on all morning, she will…