Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i The Gardener Magazine

Some say that the first sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome – and that’s the case with gardening as well! So if you have tried your hand at growing clivias from seed or taking cuttings, or even set yourself the goal of keeping your lawn looking great all year round and didn’t get it right in the past, then fear not because you are already half way there by simply reading this! Our 12-month action plan has now become a firm favourite with our readers, and I hope that you will cut it out and keep it handy as a gentle reminder or a hard nudge to keep you on the right track. Either way we hope you enjoy…

For successful germination you have to sow the seed when it is still fresh. Pick the berries when they have turned red and remove the pulp and membranes covering the large seeds, which will have a pearly sheen. Wash the seeds with a soluble fungicide or a weak solution of dishwasher liquid and water. Do this • Fill a deep seedling tray with washed, coarse river sand that is still moist, but not sopping wet. • Press the seeds into the river sand, ensuring that 50% of the surface of the seed is below the sand and the rest sticking out above. If you notice a dark spot on the seeds, plant them with this spot facing upwards. Give it just a light sprinkling of water to settle. • Cover…

Tip 1: Never put a R100 plant into a R2 hole! Preparing the perfect planting hole for a new shrub or tree that you have so proudly brought home is probably the most important action in successful gardening. Keep in mind that you will only have one opportunity, unless you want to tackle the big job of replanting a mature shrub or tree a few years later! One of the most common garden questions we are asked hinges on problems caused by the hole in the ground, which has not been prepared with care or has been dug in the wrong place. Tip 2: Digging the hole When planting a shrub, make the planting hole at least twice the size of the nursery container. If you are planting a young…

A good-looking lawn can be a drain on your energy and resources, as it is actually made up of thousands of small plantlets all screaming for attention. Here are some tips on dealing with your living garden carpet: Aeration curbs compaction Spiking a lawn is normally one of the spring scarifying actions done when a winter-dormant lawn once again wakes up. Spiking can, however, be beneficial at other times of year and on lawn types for which harsh spring scarifying is not recommended. If you are not happy with the state of your lawn and you feel that the water and lawn fertiliser you have applied are not doing the job, it might be that the soil beneath the grass has become too compacted and needs aeration. Do this by…

The advantage of vegetative propagation (cuttings) versus growing plants from seeds is that the new plants will look exactly the same as the mother plant – with no genetic deviation! Growing plants from cuttings is also much faster than sowing seed. Plants that are easy to grow from soft tip cuttings without the need for a temperature-controlled hothouse or other technical propagation equipment include fuchsias, lavenders, daisy bushes, pelargoniums, perennial salvias, penstemons, perennial vygies, succulents and herbs such as rosemary, mint, perennial basil and thyme. You need youcanuseacommercial seedling mix, which is available at nurseries and home stores, or make your own by mixing 3 parts washed river sand and 1 part commercial potting soil. To this you can also mix some fine, composted bark. The medium must be…

The Cape hollyhock or Kaapse stokroos is a large, ornamental shrub in the mallow family Malvaceae, which includes other South African members like the cross-berry (Grewia occidentalis) and the coast hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus). Named after the Swedish botanist Anders Sparrman (1748 – 1820), there are seven species of Sparrmannia, of which two occur in southern Africa. S. africana is the most well known, while the other is S. ricinocarpa, which is of smaller stature and has a much wider distribution, from the Eastern Cape to Tropical Africa. S. africana is endemic to the southern parts of the Western and Eastern Cape, from Riversdale in the west to Port Elizabeth in the east, and is found in moist, lightly shaded valleys, on hillsides, and along streams and forest margins. It forms…

Use quality potting soil Digging up any old soil from the garden is not going to bring success in container gardening, so don’t do it. Commercially produced potting soil has been carefully screened for weed seeds and soil-borne diseases, plus it contains fine bark, organic material and sharp river sand, which will help with drainage but will retain enough water to keep the roots consistently moist. Specialised potting soils are also formulated for specific plant needs such as bonsai mixes, succulent mixes and acidic mixes. Amend your potting soil It’s always a good idea to mix a handful of organic bonemeal into the potting medium – it encourages strong root growth and won’t burn plant roots. Slow-release granular fertilisers are also beneficial if mixed into the potting soil – especially…

What you need SawDrill with 5mm – 7mm wood drill bitBinding wirePliersSegments of branches about 20cm longKnee-high stockings cut into stripsSecateurs Things to consider plantintopiecesthatare too small, as the plant’s recovery will be much slower. withadilutedliquidplant food once it is attached to the wood. Do this regularly. rootswouldhaveattachedto the bark and the stocking can be removed, if desired, although it is recommend that the stocking be left on the plant as it will stretch as the plant grows, causing no harm, and will in time decay and fall off.…

The most popular display area in any garden centre is probably the seedling tables filled with baby plants that a gardener can take home to plant in the hope of seeing swathes of seasonal garden annuals in flower, or flourishing edibles turning into a full-on harvest in a very short space of time. Making use of this convenience requires only a few simple gardening skills. At the nursery Choose trays of seedlings with uniform top growth and without chew marks or yellowing or wilting leaves. If the seedlings are still very small and not bushy enough to fill up their cells in the tray, it might be a case of leaving the hothouse too soon. This means you will have to ‘harden’ them off in a shady and protected place…

Buying cut flowers Commercial cut flowers are dear, and since you can’t ask them when they were picked, check out the following before you pay: The base of a rose bud should feel firm and not soft. Make sure that the outer petals have not been pulled off – a sure sign that they are not fresh anymore. Tight buds on cut flowers should show colour or they will not develop any further. Flower stems should not have a bleak, washed-out colour, feel slimy, or give off a bad odour. Check out the petals of flowers for signs that they might be old. Carnations will have brown tips when over and the petals of lilies will have a transparent, papery feel. The petals of bulb flowers like tulips, gladioluses and…

Evergreen shrubs like eugenias, buxus, Searsia crenata (dune crow-berry), myrtles, Duranta ‘Sheena’s Gold’, Australian rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) and even trees like Buddleja saligna (false olive) are suitable to prune into all kinds of topiary shapes. Easy shapes If you are a beginner in the art of topiary it is best to start with a simple shape such as a cone, pyramid, square or ball. You can buy ready-made steel topiary frames from a garden centre or use chicken wire and wooden stakes to fashion a frame that is placed over the plant. As it grows, use pruning shears to cut off all the shoots that grow through the mesh. In time the plant will take on the dense shape that you want. Lollipops or standards Choose a tall, bushy plant…

Artichokes – The artichoke, with its huge silvery leaves and thistle-like mauve blue flowers, is so pretty that you don’t really feel the urge to eat any part of it. But the closed flower is a culinary delight. Cut off the scaly, fleshy flower heads with a sharp knife about 2.5cm below the head, just when the outside scales of the buds are starting to open. Eat straight from the plant. Asparagus – Spring is harvesting time for asparagus shoots, as long as the plants have had a few years of growing on. When they are about 10 – 15cm long, cut them by inserting a knife 5cm below the soil’s surface. Cut through the stem, and don’t thrash around or you may damage spears that have not yet emerged.…

The general feeling is that trees and shrubs (including roses) should be pruned in late winter when they are mostly resting or dormant and the sap flow is at a low ebb. This is a basic guideline: Prune deciduous shrubs when they have stopped flowering. Prune evergreen shrubs when they start growing actively again. As pruning stimulates new growth when temperatures start rising after winter, be careful not to prune too early if there is still a chance of late frost, as this can damage soft new growth. Prune shrubs that are going to flower in high summer just before growth starts up again. Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they have flowered. Prune deciduous trees in early spring, with the exception of birches and maples, which should have all their leaves…

Handle the muddy bits first Pull out the plant or remove it from the container in which it was planted. Hose off the knot of roots so that you can clearly see where a new shoot has formed on the rhizome (underground root). Use a bread knife to divide the woody rhizome into pieces, each containing a shoot. Remember, the divisions must retain a sturdy piece of the original rhizome and have some roots intact so that they can grow quickly. Cut off all the old leaves from the rhizomes. Get ready to plant Before the divided water lilies can be planted a soil mixture has to be prepared. This recipe is suitable for all water plants: mix 70% loamy soil, 15% compost and 15% heavy clay soil together. You…

Appearances can be deceptive, even in the veggie garden. Did you know there are some ‘veggies’ that lead a double life? They can go undercover as carbs, masquerade as something meaty or look slinky in salads. Vegetarians have always known how to fill the meat gap, but it took the low-carb revolution to use veggies in a totally new way. Enter cauli-rice, zucchini pasta and eggplant wraps, to name a few. It’s all good news, because the more veggies we eat the better – for our health, weight and nutrition. It’s good for the planet too. Beetroot Beetroot, but not as we know it. Enter two glamorous varieties that know how to turn heads. ‘Chioggia’ is an Italian heirloom with psychedelic pink and white stripes, while ‘Red and Gold’ is…