Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i The Gardener Magazine

(Japanese maple) Japanese maples are outstanding small trees or large shrubs cultivated in most temperate regions around the world. Revered for their colourful autumn foliage along with fresh new spring growth, they are highly ornamental through much of the year. Numerous hybrids, clones and selections abound offering a wide variety to choose from. Acer palmatum cultivars have become highly collectible in recent times. Description The species form of Acer palmatum has 5 – 7-lobed leaves of a bright green hue. Trees grow into neat single- or multi-stemmed specimens with a rounded shape. Bark is grey to brown in most cases, although a few cultivars are grown for their colourful winter bark that can be orange or red. Many hybrids or clones have coloured foliage – red, maroon, burgundy, gold, silver…

Within South Africa an annual subscription (12 issues) costs only R385 and a renewal R375. Pensioners pay R340. Please allow time for processing. All local prices include VAT. An annual subscription for overseas subscribers costs R685. 6 MONTHS ONLY R200 12 MONTHS ONLY R385 ONLINE SAVE 34% OFF THE COVER PRICE when you subscribe to our digital version on Magzter! Scan this QR code to subscribe or visit www.magzter.com SUBSCRIBING IS EASY Call Noks on 031 003 0940 today Email subs@thegardener.co.za with your details Subscribe online at thegardener.co.za Click ‘shop’ For all queries call 031 003 0940 or email subs@thegardener.co.za GIFTS Postal subscribers get 2 free gifts every year…

“In terms of design, there are no strict gardening rules” 1. Decorate your outdoor spaces as you would indoors Although the typical garden saying is ‘bring the outdoors in’, the reverse can also be true. Using indoor design elements like tiles, soft furnishings and furniture in outdoor spaces can create a harmony and flow between the two areas while creating the illusion of a bigger living space. If you’re after the idea of living in nature, combining plants indoors and furnishings outdoors provides the perfect balance. 2. Make your garden melodious The occasional sounds of birds and a rustle of leaves can cause an instant sigh of relief and relaxation. You can make this feeling a permanent feature in your garden by adding running water. Instead of the typical water…

There are not many annuals that bloom through cold weather, and that bloom better the colder it gets. Cineraria (Senecio cruentus) is one of these, and although it is a short-lived annual it delivers spectacular flowers during the coldest months in winter, then has the good sense to die off so that you can plant new annuals for spring. The flowers resemble daisies, and the petals often have a white inner ring that contrasts with the outer blue, magenta, pink, rose, burgundy or violet petals. They flower so densely that it is almost impossible to count the number of flowers that are carried, bouquet like, above the large, dark green leaves. This has earned it the name ‘florist’s cineraria’. Where to use cineraria Plants are low growing, 20 – 25cm…

The splendid pagoda (Mimetes splendidus)is a beautiful, silvery evergreen shrub in the protea family (Proteaceae). It was described more than two centuries ago in 1809, by the British horticulturist Joseph Knight, who became an expert on the cultivation and propagation of Proteaceae in England while working as head gardener to the British merchant and amateur botanist George Hibbert. There are 13 other members of the genus Mimetes, of which four (other than M. splendidus) have silvery leaves (M. arboreus, M. argenteus, M. hottentoticusand M. stokoei). The green-leaved, widely distributed common mimetes (Mimetes cucullatus) is probably the most well known species. M. splendidus is native to the Langeberg, Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains of the southern Cape, occurring as single plants or in small groups in thick fynbos vegetation on cool, moist,…

Highveld and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands SOW: Broad beans, kohlrabi, radishes Middleveld (Tshwane and other less frosty areas) SOW: Broad beans, garden peas, lettuce Eastern Cape and Little Karoo SOW: Broad beans, garden peas, onions, radishes Western Cape and Southern Coast SOW: Broad beans, celery, garden peas, lettuce, leeks, onions, radishes, spinach, turnips Northern Cape and Great Karoo SOW: Broad beans, onions, spinach, turnips Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal Coast SOW: Broad beans, bush and runner beans, beetroot, brinjals, cabbage, capsicums (sweet peppers and chillies), carrots, cucumber, garden peas, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, pumpkins and Hubbard squashes, radishes, rhubarb, spinach and Swiss chard, bush and trailing squashes, tomatoes, turnips Veggie garden tasks Water once a week or as needed so that the soil does not dry out completely. If you live in a frosty…

WHAT YOU NEED Cement River sand Small gravel Water Plastic bucket Three pick handles, cut to 600mm long Releasing agent/cooking oil Tools Spade WHAT YOU DO 1 Mix concrete with a ratio of 1 part small stone, 3 parts river sand and 1 part cement, with enough water for a thick porridge consistency. The concrete needs to be quite thick, as you don’t want the legs to push through it all the way. 2 Mark the bucket at the correct depth for the thickness of the concrete top you want to make (about 100mm from the bottom of the bucket). 3 Spray or paint the inside of the bucket with the releasing agent or cooking oil. (Releasing agent does give a smoother result.) 4 Fill the bottom of the bucket…

1 Trending: Your own coffee tree indoors! The coffee plant (or rather tree), botanically known as Coffea arabica, can earn you cudos from coffee snobs if you can manage to grow it successfully in your sitting room as an indoor plant. Why should you try it? It is a very ornamental novelty plant with dark, shiny leaves and fragrant white flowers. If all goes well it can quickly become a large plant, but it can luckily be pruned into a manageable level, which is what commercial coffee growers do. If you want to try your hand with this pretty plant simply for bragging purposes (you will only get a harvest of beans after a number of years), plant it in a good-sized pot in slightly acidic soil that drains very…

Trachelospermum asiaticum ‘Summer Sunset’ This is a slow-growing climber with wiry stems adorned with golden foliage with dark green margins. The new growth emerges in rich orange or bronze hues, hence the name ‘Summer Sunset’. As the leaves develop and mature their colour changes to the typical variegated form. Flowers are seldom produced, but if they appear they are small and pale creamy yellow, and arrive in late spring. Like the flowers of all trachelospermums they are fragrant and add to the atmosphere of the garden. This is a good container plant for sun or shade and is useful for cascading over walls and down banks. It is hardy to moderate frost in winter. Trachelospermum jasminoides The common star jasmine is cultivated throughout the country. Lush leathery green leaves on…

All your fundamental questions answered Daffodils are synonymous with spring, joy and (luckily for gardeners) hardiness. These beautiful bulbs can be planted in so many ways, with so many varieties, that it can be difficult to know where to start. These five fundamental questions kickstart your journey to an animated, sprightly spring garden: Why? The best spring welcoming you can hope for is an array of cheerful flowers, and daffodils fit this criterion flawlessly. The whimsical flowers have a range of colours from bright white to blush to the classic yellow, and make a statement while maintaining delicacy. For the up-to-date garden designer yellow is also trending colour great for 2019 gardens. These flowers aren’t just for looks either – the colour yellow is said to evoke feelings of happiness,…

GET THE LOOK When roses surround an outdoor seating area you will always be looking for an excuse to sit out there, whether it is for an early morning cup of coffee or to unwind at the end of the day. Using medium- to tall-growing roses like ‘Linda Anne’, an Antico Moderno rose, as well as deep-pink ‘Electron’ and light-pink ‘Tourmaline’ roses, makes the space more intimate, screening it from the rest of the garden. The tumbling ‘Amarula Profusion’ acts as a low-growing border. To surround the area with full-petalled, old-fashioned fragrant roses consider ‘Addictive Lure’, ‘Fragonard’, ‘Free and Loyal’, ‘Kovsie Roos’, ‘Perfume Passion’, ‘Purple Fragrancia’ and ‘Rosemary Ladlau’ – all Antico Moderno roses. Rose care for May The rose season is starting to wind down. Roses that have been…

A few of the flowering annuals that can be sown now are forget-me-nots, Virginia stocks, African daisies, bokbaaivygies, Shirley poppies, candytuft, California poppies, cornflowers, love-in-a-mist, nemesias, linarias and godetias (satin flowers). Get the soil ready Irrigate the area with a fine sprayer the day before you are planning to sow so that it is moist but not drenched, or you will battle. Dig over the patch you want to sow in after adding ample compost and spreading about 60g/m2 of general fertiliser. Remove all stones and old plant roots and rake the soil as smooth and as fine as possible. Get sowing If the seeds are fine, mix them with river sand, palm peat or coarse maize meal, which will act as a spreader preventing the seeds from falling in…

Although planting tough, cold-hardy plants is the most important step to success in difficult climates, good garden management plays an important role too. Protect the defenceless Use frost cover (also called horticultural fleece) to protect young trees and shrubs that are still to become established. The cloth, which is available from nurseries and home stores, can be left on the plants as it allows air, light and water through but protects against icy winds. Many newly planted plants in cold areas need this protection for at least 3 – 4 years before you can relax. Keep plants healthy Preventative and timely treatment against pests and disease will keep your plants healthy and stress free, with a better chance of surviving winter. So if you see any infestations of insects or…

Tork Craft™ Power Tool Accessories TorkCraft 12V Mini Sander This compact sander from TorkCraft is just the thing for sanding in hard-to-reach spots and for getting into the corners. It features a long-life lithium-ion battery, a fast charger and a removable dust collector that helps to keep your work area clean, while a battery power indicator makes sure you keep it charged for when you need it. It comes complete with three sandpaper pads, and is small enough for one-handed operation. WHAT YOU NEED • 20mm pine cut to the following dimensions: 1 x 490mm x 320mm (back) 2 x 490mm x 235mm (shelves) 2 x 320mm x 255mm (sides) 4 x 235mm x 75mm (dividers) 4 x 235mm x 55mm (divider bottoms) 2 x 235mm x 20mm (outer bottoms)…

Gardening by the moon is an extra gardening tool that suggests the best days for specific garden activities, according to the moon's phase and sign in relation to the sun season. This month favours the planting of flowering and fragrant annuals, and indigenous or exotic shrubs and bulbs. Also to sow, plant or transplant flowering veg annuals, fruit trees and conifers. Note the "mulch" days to protect delicate roots of flower-perennials from cold. In dry regions, note "irrigate• days especially for spring bulbs to flower. BEST DAYS FOR MAY…

When I walked through the bright yellow front door I immediately noticed that something had changed with the normal ‘Feng Shui’ of the room. Not that you generally experience a sense of order and serenity when you enter this open-plan household with its eclectic decor anyway. When you walk in you usually trip over some schoolbags, a fat bulldog, Lily the Yorkie (who will always leave a booby trap to step in, too), rollerblades and the odd remote-controlled car. It definitely has quite a homely and ‘lived in’ atmosphere. Sometimes there is also a brand-new, new-born baby rocking gently in a baby-swing. The parents of three very active young sons living in the household are also foster parents who care for abandoned babies, so meeting another, temporary ‘grandchild’ in this…