Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i The Gardener Magazine

Lobularia, scabiosa and siphilitica are not the names of sexually transmitted diseases, brain disorders or bacterial infections. No, these are the botanical names of some of our most beloved plants! (I’ll forgive you if you raised your eyebrows as you read the names, though!) Of course, there are the funny ones as well, especially in the common names of plants: Kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos), motherin-law’s tongue or elephant’s toothpicks (Sansevieria) and my all-time favourite, the delicious monster (Monstera deliciosa). This month Madison Moulton takes us on the amazing journey of plant names, also known as ‘Botanical Nomenclature’ – yip, another tongue twister. Usually these botanical names are really difficult to remember and pronounce, and if you ever wondered why on earth a plant was given a certain name, then look no…

There are not many annuals that bloom through cold weather, especially those that actually 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 autumn as well as the coldest months of winter. 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. As garden plants, cinerarias need light, bright shade, even some morning sun, and fertile soil that drains well. Plants are low growing, 20 – 25cm high and wide, forming mounds…

The evergreen ribbon bush, a compact shrub with dull-green leaves and abundant spikes of two-lipped deep purple flowers with darker purple spots, is a selection derived from Hypoestes aristata and was developed at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical garden. It carries the apt varietal name of ‘Purple Haze’ and is widely cultivated in gardens all over the country. If ever there was a tough plant that proves that a winter garden can be alive with colour and natural wild life, it is the ribbon bush! It flowers from March to August, has a compact but billowing growth habit up to 1m high and wide, is quite frost hardy, and is even drought tolerant. It attracts a lot of pollinating insects, which in turn attract insect-eating birds, and best of all,…

Pelargoniums have had a whole season’s growth, producing enough plant material for you to take a few cuttings to propagate more plants. This is also a way to prune your plants to rejuvenate them and encourage new growth. Easy steps Notes: Rooting should take 6 – 8 weeks. You can place your cuttings in a cool home propagator or cover them with a large, clear plastic bag which should not touch them. Check that there is no moisture build-up, which can cause rot. This is not entirely necessary as pelargoniums root very easily. As soon as you feel a slight resistance when gently tugging on a cutting, rooting has probably taken place. Give them a dose of a water-soluble growth stimulant such as Kelpak, and repot into individual pots when…

Highveld and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Broad beans, beetroot, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsnips, radishes, spinach and Swiss chard, turnips Middleveld (Tshwane and other less frosty areas) Broad beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, parsnips, garden peas, spinach and Swiss chard, turnips Eastern Cape and Little Karoo Broad beans, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, radishes, Swiss chard Western Cape (and Southern Coast) Broad beans, beetroot, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, garden peas, radishes, spinach and Swiss chard, turnips Northern Cape and Great Karoo Broad beans, beetroot, Chinese cabbage, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, parsnips, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnips Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal coast Broad beans, bush beans, runner beans, beetroot, brinjals, cabbage, capsicums (sweet peppers and chillies),…

It can be a challenge to keep succulents happy indoors as they generally need at least four hours of sunlight every day, although there are exceptions. But if you understand the conditions in a plant’s natural habitat, and know what is meant by the terms ‘bright’, ‘indirect or ‘low’ light, you will soon figure out where to keep them. A happy thought, however, is that plants can be very adaptable and there are those that are quite willing to exchange the habitat of Mother Nature for one preferred by homo sapiens… African spear This native of Angola, which is sometimes called the elephant’s toothpick, spreads horizontally via an underground rhizome sprouting long and thick cylindrical leaves with very sharp points – the perfect plant for a very tall and narrow…

✔ Remember to order tulip bulbs now: temperature-manipulated tulip bulbs are available from Hadeco, who will send them to you during May for immediate planting. ✔ Keep taking soft cuttings of pelargoniums, salvias, lavenders, fuchsias, daisy bushes, penstemons, rosemary, arctotis, osteospermums and trailing gazanias. ✔ Lift, divide and replant Japanese anemones, irises, arum lilies, Michaelmas daisies, campanulas, Shasta daisies, echinacea, gaillardias, bergamot, daylilies, dietes, agapanthus, lilyturf and sweet Williams. You have two opportunities to do intensive division: autumn (ideal for most temperate climates) and spring (for very cold frosty climes). ✔ Rake up autumn leaves and layer them as a light mulch around plants. Also pack some into black plastic bags to allow them to rot down into leaf mould. ✔ Collect the seeds of spent annuals and perennials by…

Taking stock of life as it is now, we realised that there is no way that we can deal with the limited amount of television-based entertainment offered via our usual DSTV bouquet. It is not so much a decision that I made, but rather one that my housemate made… When we were still free agents with separate and communally quite busy social lives, I used to be fairly happy with just my KykNET soaps, the 7 o’clock news and the late-night political commentary programs. If I missed anything during the week, I simply binge-watched on a Saturday afternoon due to the many repeats, provided that there was no intelligent rugby commentary on the radio, of course. In our ‘social-mingling’ days, the old man did not want to cough up for…

Tecomaria capensis ‘Orange’ Honeybees, butterflies and sunbirds will eagerly visit a flowering Cape honeysuckle for its sweet nectar, while insectivorous birds will fly in to feast on the pollinators, so there is always a show of garden wildlife in the vicinity of this large and sprawling indigenous shrub (3m x 3m). It is evergreen, wind resistant and will tolerate long periods of drought once established, but is unfortunately sensitive to heavy frost. Cape honeysuckle, which is available in yellow, apricot, red and salmon forms too, is fast-growing with glossy and neat dark green foliage and produces hearty flower spikes of tubular flowers at its stem tips, peaking in autumn and in spring. It is highly recommended as a hedging plant and responds very well to formal pruning, which can cause…

Bulbs are weird little structures that look like they’ll never amount to anything when you’re holding one in your hand. But as soon as their internal clocks start ticking and they hit some soil and water, they produce the most colourful blooms on cool days, when their humans are still bundled up in beanies and scarves! From now until the end of May is the time to plant all the wonderful late-winter- and spring-flowering bulbs – the easiest way to get flowers for very little care. Here are some ideas to get the bulbs rolling: For patio pots plant sunny yellow dwarf daffodils closely together – great for indoor pot culture too. Along a pathway, go for indigenous freesias with sweetly scented flowers in mixed or single colours. Plant them…

Veggie checklist for April As soon as summer vegetables come to an end, pull them out and prepare the soil for planting autumn and winter seedlings. Build up the compost heap with fallen leaves, lawn clippings and veggie garden waste. Discard diseased plants in the dustbin. Keep picking runner beans to prevent a decline in their yield. Cut down asparagus foliage and add it to the compost heap. To get better flavour and colour from lettuce, feed with EcoBuz Multigro or Starke Ayres Sea Secret or Nutrifeed. Use organic snail bait to protect newly planted seedlings, and bird netting to keep out hungry birds. Keep the soil moist with regular watering, carried out as early as possible during the day. Two weeks after transplanting, fertilise brassicas and leafy greens with…

The sweet pea trench Unlike the direct sowing of other latewinter and spring annuals into a tilled seedbed, sweet peas need a dug-out trench filled with enriched and well-draining soil to germinate and grow well in. Pick a sunny spot for the plants to grow, and water the area to be cultivated a day before you start to make the digging easier. Dig out and prepare a trench at least 50cm deep in which you are going to plant your seeds. Mix the excavated soil with ample quantities of compost, old kraal manure and bonemeal before backfilling the trench. A place to climb on A sunny spot along a wire fence, to act as a support structure for the tiny tendrils the climbing varieties produce, can be ideal and is…

Michael Hogan, retired interior designer, artist and potter, first moved into this northern Jo’burg property 30 years ago. He set about creating an acclaimed English-inspired garden filled with roses, pastel annuals and pretty perennials. However, about 10 years ago, with his roses succumbing to rose sickness, he decided that it was time for a change. “I was tired of the normal and mundane,” he explains. “South Africa has conformed to Eurocentric principles for far too long and I wanted to create something a bit offbeat, but that still had rhythm. I wasn’t looking for something peaceful and tranquil, rather a garden that filled with a restless energy; something almost unsettling that would inspire and invigorate me.” The only remnants from the original garden are the mature trees and a few…

Technically, commercial potting soil is not soil at all, but a blend of materials like composted bark, perlite, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, palm coir, river sand or fine grit and compost. The ideal potting medium is light and loose so that plants can easily root into it, and airy enough to allow enough oxygen to reach plant roots. It is odourless and has good drainage, but is also moisture retentive. It should contain some nutrient value, must be free of disease and weeds, and should not break down too fast or become compacted and difficult to rehydrate. Can you make it at home? Although it is convenient to just buy allpurpose commercial potting soil, it can become an expensive exercise if you have to fill up a lot of containers. Making…

What you will need: Large terracotta pot Potting soil Compost Organic fertiliser Water-retaining gel Stones Potting scoop Hand trowel Make a soil mixture of half potting soil, half compost, and add half a hydrated brick of palm peat. Add two handfuls of an organic slow-release fertiliser like Atlantic Bio Ocean and two scoops of HydroCache water-retaining gel. Place stones over the drainage holes. Fill the pot halfway with the soil mix. Place the plants, with the taller plants in the middle of the pot and the shorter plants closer to the rim of the pot. Fill around plants with the soil mixture and firm down with the handle of a trowel. Water well. Plants Solenostemon ‘Henna’ (coleus) Grows in full sun to semi-shade, and the colours of the leaves change…

You need: Cutting list: 3 @ 3m x 38mm x 38mm cut to: 6 x 455mm (cross pieces) 4 x 1m (uprights) 9 @ 1m x 20mm x 100mm cut to: 15 x 450mm 2 x 350mm 24 @ 5mm x 75mm cut screws 50 @ 4mm x 35mm cut screws 2 x 100mm hinges Methylated spirits 200-grit sandpaper Woodoc Water-Borne MARINE Clear Matt Woodoc Water-Borne Plus-Life PRIMER Woodoc Colours Full Moon Tools: Jigsaw, paintbrush, cordless drill, 3mm wood bit, 4mm wood bit, driver bit, tape measure, pencil, clean rag, flat spatula Steps…