Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i The Gardener Magazine

It may still be a little chilly but we know that spring has arrived! Oh yes, the first signs are here and you can smell it! Probably the most well-known and iconic symbol of spring is the much-loved white jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum). This vigorous creeper has found a home in many of your gardens, and deservedly so. Simply out of nowhere, this jasmine starts creating clusters of reddish to bright pink clusters of buds, which explode overnight into white blossoms! What a sight and delight; who would have thought that such a ‘plane Jane’ plant could bring such joy to so many of us. If you don’t have one in your garden you are missing out (unless you can still enjoy at least half of the joy because your neighbour…

There is no better way for your garden to scream ‘spring’ than with salvias. The many varieties of salvias check all the essential boxes – they have a long flowering period, thrive in a range of conditions and are adored by butterflies and birds. There are over 900 species, but our September favourite is Salvia ‘Salmia’ (try saying that three times fast), a hardy perennial with vibrant colour and a good branching habit. The tremendous trio In South Africa there are three varieties available. Salvia ‘Salmia Pink’ has delicate blush flowers with fuchsia bases and stems that make the perfect addition to a wholesome, pretty-in-pink spring garden. Its darker, more gothic cousin is Salvia ‘Salmia Dark’ that features splashes of deep purple and vivid red, and the blazing Salvia ‘Salmia…

The genus Passiflora translates literally to ‘passion flower’. These climbers produce some of the most intricate and amazing flowers in an array of different colours, and some species are known for their lovely edible fruit – the passion fruit or granadilla. With more than 550 species, which originate from the New World, this is a pretty large and diverse group of creepers. Some produce thin, twine-like stems with tiny leaves and flowers, while others can be very robust with really big flowers and fruit the size of a gourd. Not all the fruit are edible; in fact many species produce dry fruit without the much-loved pulp we use in so many desserts. Many of these plants are grown for their flowers rather than their fruit. The flowers of some species…

1 Spring’s best bloomers Argyranthemum (daisy bushes) are enjoyed for the profusion of flowers on evergreen shrubs. In our glorious climate they are at their best, and are in bloom with repeated flower flushes from early spring until late autumn if regularly pruned and fed. The Argyranthemum ‘Madeira’ range of daisy bushes has proved its mettle over the last few years, and will really excite you if you are also daisy crazy. These plants do not grow bigger than 50 x 50cm and form flower-smothered mounds that are perfect for mass or container planting. Colours range from white to dark pink, purplish pink with bright yellow eyes, red and yellow. Flowers can be single, double or densely crested. There are many ranges that have been bred from our indigenous Cape…

New products from Protek Protek is proud to introduce new product ranges including the Scatterkill range, the Spray-Kill range and the Aerosol range. The Scatterkill range is an old stalwart that has been rejuvenated by Protek. The range consists of four products: Scatterkill for Insects, Scatterkill for Fleas, Scatterkill for Snails and Scatterkill for Weeds. All four of these products are packed in two different size shakers, are very easy to apply and are ready to use. Scatterkill for Insects and Scatterkill for Fleas are made from a granular insecticide and control a broad spectrum of insects. Scatterkill for Snails is made from a unique bran bait that is very palatable to snails. It also features a unique pet repellent. Scatterkill for Weeds is a selective granular herbicide that controls…

Prairie or meadow gardens are enjoyed for their natural style of planting that creates a long season of interest. Bold and colourful swathes of colour form the backbone of this type of design, and you will find that most of the flowering perennials, annuals and grasses are drought tolerant, low maintenance, great for cut flowers and magnets for bees and butterflies. The three ‘pinks’ here are tall and colourful to stand out in a crowd. Gaura lindheimeri For a soft pretty pink plant that is ideal for a meadow garden, you can’t go wrong with gauras. Lots of pretty flowers appear on free-flowing stems that dance in the breeze like butterflies from early summer into autumn. They are sun lovers but can be planted in semi-shade. They are heat and…

You don’t have to go as far as pub crawling in England to enjoy the floral beauty of a well-planted hanging basket… If we dissect the contents of the magnificent spring hanging baskets photographed by our editor, Tanya, in London a while ago, we will find a limited selection of champion plants used repeatedly to great success. All of them are freely available in our country, and some of the pretty hybrids used, like pelargoniums and bacopas, actually have South African origins. Since it is already September and early spring has arrived, why not try your hand at planting some hanging baskets of your own? You needn’t have started your baskets ages ago for this spring look – it is quite possible to get the look in a very short…

The fast-filling bedding Impatiens walleriana, which all but vanished from summer shade gardens, is back, and without the risk of dying from downy mildew. Intensive breeding efforts and collaboration between international seed breeders has produced two new varieties that are highly resistant to downy mildew. Like the original busy Lizzies, they flower from spring into winter, need no special care, and provide a swathe of colour in shady beds. The new varieties are ‘Beacon’ and ‘Imara’. Both have gone through extensive trials overseas as well as in South Africa. ‘Beacon’ has so far proved to be the more resistant variety. During plant trials in October last year, Ball Straathof planted ‘Beacon’ and ‘Imara’ between the susceptible ‘Super Elfin’ varieties. By January the ‘Super Elfin’ varieties had downy mildew and by…

Give more water Roses grow faster in September than at any other time, and for that they need deep watering. Water availability at root level, especially now, determines the length of the stems and the size of leaves and flowers. It also develops a strong bush with new basal stems and strong roots, making it more resilient to adverse conditions. Water twice a week and mulch the surface of the soil to keep it cool and moist. If the soil is compact or was not improved after pruning, dig in organics (including compost) to a depth of 30cm. This allows water to easily reach the roots. Drench after digging. Extend the flowering by finger pruning Remove a third of all new shoots just before the shoots form a flower bud.…

WHAT YOU NEED 32mm pine cut to the following dimensions: 2 x 800mm x 100mm x 32mm (uprights)1 x 160mm x 100mm x 32mm (crossmember)1 x 363mm x 100mm x 32mm (top)1 x 435mm x 100mm x 32mm (bottom) 8 x 340mm x 16mm dowels Wood glueWood primerPaint8 x 50mm Kreg screws Tools Kreg Jig K4 Master System, Festool cordless drill driver, Festool jigsaw, Tork Craft cordless mouse sander, paintbrush, 16mm spade bit, bucket lid, pencil, tape measure, combination square WHAT YOU DO 1 Using something big and circular, like a bucket lid, mark curves on the top, as per the diagram, and then cut it out using the Festool jigsaw. 2 Mark all pieces that need to be drilled in the Kreg jig, as per the diagram. Then, using…

Watch garden TUBE for more Spring pot recipes www.thegardener.co.za/gardentube Pelargoniums first! Pelargoniums (geraniums) are flowering now and are so hard to resist. Fill up your containers with their bright blooms and balance the pops of colour with the soft textures of grasses and the contrasting colours of typical summer annuals like petunias, Supertunias and calibrachoas. Pots like these will supply lasting beauty right through spring. Watch garden TUBE to learn more about pelargonium care www.thegardener.co.za/gardentube Exuberant spring pots The whole purpose of these pot recipes is to plant as many flowering annuals and perennials together as possible, to create mini gardens depicting the beauty of spring. With pot ideas like these even balcony gardening can produce that uplifting sense of spring. All of these plants should be available in full…

Watch garden TUBE to make a gorgeous forest indoor planter www.thegardener.co.za/gardentube While rose stems outdoors are just starting to sprout, without a flower in sight, it is possible to have roses indoors. Roses double up as living bouquets and indoor decor plants. Each pot contains 3 – 4 mini-roses, which is why a single pot is so full of buds and blooms. Requirements: For long-lasting indoor flowers display the roses close to a windowsill or on the patio where they get good light but not direct sunlight. Cut off the stems to 5cm above the ground when the flowers are over, and feed with a liquid fertiliser like Multifeed, Seagro or Kelpak when new shoots are visible. The roses will flower again in two months.  Long-term care: The roses will…

Hello sunshine! That’s the cheerful greeting you get from marigolds, and what better tonic is there than a bed, border or container filled with these cheerful flowers. Marigolds are fuss-free, quick-growing, and cope with the heat even during the hottest time of the year. They are relatively drought tolerant, needing regular but not excessive watering. The flowers are edible, the leaves can be used in insect-repelling sprays, and the roots produce a substance (alpha-terphenyl) that suppresses the growth of plant-parasitic nematodes and other organisms such as fungi, bacteria, insects and some viruses. A good, all-round garden citizen, then. There are two types of marigolds, and each has their charm and use in the garden. African marigolds (Tagetes erecta) have large double flowerheads that are ball shaped. Most varieties are 30…

Reading the daily newspapers is becoming quite a challenging and scary pastime. Out there in the ‘wilds’ of Mother Nature’s gardens armed and dangerous poachers are ruthlessly killing off our most precious animal species. Not even plants seem to be safe anymore. It is therefore no surprise that a lion will escape from its reserve to go and live in a cold town like Sutherland, even though he landed up in a police cell. Recently, a baby leopard from Benoni (nogals!) was found hiding behind a washing machine in the suburbs. It is said that another, less timid leopard is under suspicion of chewing up a wood-gathering human on the outskirts of busy Stellenbosch – a well-known ecologist was called in for some forensic advice regarding this strange ‘murder’. All…