Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i The Gardener Magazine

IN BRIEF: What: Farm garden Where: 7km from Howick, KZN Size: Approximately ½ acre Climate: Mistbelt in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Designer: Mike Hammersley Just over eight years ago the owner of Waterford Hall decided to give her house a facelift and knew that it was the perfect time to do the garden as well. She brought in landscaper Mike Hammersley to do the honours. The property is situated on the side of a hill, and apart from a handful of trees and shrubs it was pretty much virgin land. In the few years since the ground was first broken, Mike has managed to transform this blank canvas into something quite spectacular, so much so that it was one of the highlights of the KZN Open Gardens of 2021. Making an…

You would not normally associate a tall and formally pruned privacy hedge with a moderately sized or small suburban garden, but it is quite possible to train a row of large evergreen shrubs and even small uprightgrowing trees into a dense and enveloping screen up to 2.5m high (or as high as a regular ladder might comfortably reach) and with a width of only 1m or less. Any higher or wider can become a nuisance, as very tall hedges can cause too much shade and are normally supported by vigorous roots competing against those of other plants. Planting a row of camphor bushes (Tarchonanthus camphoratus) along the ugly wire fence of my small front yard was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The advantages: The plants were…

Google the term‘gourmet’ and the general consensus is that it refers to any food that is nicer, more unusual, of better quality or more sophisticated than its ordinary counterparts. And yes, veggies can definitely be gourmet! There are plenty of autumn and winter veggies to choose from. Think of the lime-green cauliflower ‘Romanesco’ that looks as ornate as a Papal sceptre, the jewel-like red-and-gold beetroot, the heavily veined Savoy cabbage or the crisp red-and-white leaves of radicchio. Brussels sprouts may not be on everyone’s list of gourmet vegetables, but freshly cooked spouts have the most delectable nutty flavour, especially when enhanced with a dab of butter. Kohlrabi is another unusual vegetable that is approached with caution because we never quite know what to do with it! Purple broccoli is a…

The indigenous black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) has a fairly petite size as far as creepers are concerned (only 1.5 x 1m), but it is a fast-growing evergreen plant that will soon cover ugly structures or dead tree stumps. It is also perfect for a sunny balcony or patio garden that have a space for a trellis to support this attractive screening creeper. Although its main flowering season is in summer, it will continue throughout the year in temperate climates. Frost in winter might cut it down but the plant normally sprouts out in spring again. The yellow or bright orange flowers are abundant and trumpet-shaped with a black throat. Variants with white, cream or peach-coloured flowers are sometimes also available in garden centres. The leaves produced on many twining stems…

Many deciduous shrubs and trees can be propagated from hardwood cuttings – an easy and fulfilling job to do. Which plants? Plants that can be propagated by hardwood cutting include ‘Iceberg’ roses, Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ (snowball bush or guelder rose), Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo), frangipani, wisteria, crepe myrtle, hydrangea and berberis, as well as fruit trees such as figs, pomegranates, quinces and mulberries. When to do it? • Hardwood cuttings must be mature and woody, not soft and green, and should be at least as thick as a pencil, taken from the current season’s growth. • The best time to take such cuttings is in the dormant season after the first leaf drop but before frost – normally from late autumn to early winter. • Take your cuttings early in…

The sunny yellow and orange flowers of calendula add colour to the winter garden. But not just that, the petals also have healing properties and are edible, for decorating desserts and salads. Sow now, directly into the soil or in seed trays, for flowers within just over two months (70 days). Calendula grow in ordinary garden soil enriched with compost, and in full sun as a bright border for winter veggies or other herbs. Space plants 25cm apart and water regularly. They also look good in mixed containers with Giant Red Mustard, tatsoi, Swiss chard and lettuce. For a constant supply of blooms through to early summer, pick off dead flowers and feed once a month with a liquid fertiliser specifically for flowers. How to use the petals: • As…

Juncus tenuis ‘Blue Dart’ (blue dart rush) is just what you need to smarten up a bog garden or water feature, with its linear and unique blue foliage that intensifies in winter. It will grow fine in moist soil and even in standing water in full sun or shade. Growth is upright to a height of 36 – 40cm and a width of 25 – 30cm. If you want to plant a bold patch of them near the edge of a pond, space them about 20 – 25cm apart. Looking for an interesting, grasslike houseplant? Try ‘Blue Dart’ in a pretty glazed pot without any worries about over-watering.…

‘Annique’ is a deep velvety-red picking rose that stands out for its full, old-fashioned shape. It produces single stems as well as clusters of blooms, with a white fleck on each of the outer petals. As one of the Antico Moderno roses, it combines old-world charm with modern disease resistance. It is an excellent garden rose that grows to hip height. Rose care for April • Extend the autumn rose flush by deadheading and disbudding. Remove the centre bud from a cluster to produce longer-stemmed blooms. • Watering can be reduced, except in warm sub-tropical areas, because the roses are entering their prime blooming time. • Prevent black spot and insects by spraying with a combination of Chronos and Ludwig’s Insect Spray. • For a biological solution, use Sheba for aphids…

✓ Invest in a leaf-blower to collect all the fallen autumn leaves from hard surfaces like paving and driveways. Use them as light layers of mulch around plants, to add in thin layers to your compost heap, or to make leaf mould by stacking them in plastic bags to break down. ✓ Winter care for the compost heap means covering it with canvas or plastic to prevent heat and moisture loss (or too much water in winterrainfall regions). You can add chicken or rabbit manure for heatgenerating nitrogen. Small amounts of wood ash from your fireplace will enhance the calcium, phosphorus and potassium content of finished compost. ✓ Feeding young lemon trees that are not yet established is not a critical thing in the first year or two, but older…

In places where the climate could be a challenge, like with cold winters or drying out coastal winds in summer, we can always rely on the good old glossy abelia, Abelia x grandiflora. But it is a large plant that grows into a sprawling size of 2 x 1.5m if left unchecked. Small gardens just can’t accommodate such large shrubs, especially if you would like a bit of variety along with dense and more manageable sizes. Luckily the clever hybridisers have taken all the best attributes of the old glossy abelia and developed more compact varieties with interesting foliage colours, which intensify in the winter months when the plants are not in flower. 5 of the best… ‘Francis Mason’ (golden abelia) has leaves that sometimes turn completely gold, and can…

Think dark green, slightly serrated leaves that are super fragrant when brushed against or crushed, and sturdy stalks topped with vibrant royal purple flowers also scented with that typical and intense lavender fragrance we all love so much, and French lavender comes to mind. The beauty and mind-blowing presence of Lavandula dentata var. ‘Elegans’ cannot be surpassed by any other herbaceous perennial – and that’s a fact! Statistics: • Evergreen • Frost and cold hardy • Waterwise and sun-loving • Many medicinal and culinary uses • Fabulous cut flower • 80cm x 1.5m ‘Elegans’ facts: This lavender will flower non-stop from early spring till late autumn, and is perfect to use in mass planting as a hedge around roses, in the veggie and herb garden as it repels insects with…

Months of hard rainfall alternating with baking sun can compact the soil, even though it was thoroughly composted. Digging over the soil might be back-breaking, but it is also quite satisfying. However, soil scientists now say that turning over the soil disturbs or destroys the many microorganisms in the soil that contribute to the health of the plants. The underlying principle of the‘no-dig’ philosophy is that the soil is an ecosystem that needs as much attention as the plants in it. What to do if the soil is hard and compact: • Water thoroughly to soften the soil. • Using a garden fork, spike the soil by driving the fork into the soil as deeply as possible, and wiggling it. • This is the same technique as spiking a lawn,…

Velvet-leaved daisies have leaves that are covered with a layer of thick silvery-white felt that protects the chlorophyll-rich green below. Formerly classified as a species of Senecio, this small group of closely related species has been separated into its own genus, Caputia. The name was derived from Caput bonae spei, a historical name that referred to The Cape of Good Hope, or the greater Cape area. The genus belongs to the daisy family Asteraceae, due to the typical daisy-like flowers (except for C. haworthii) that are known as a capitulum – a floral disc with ray florets all the way round. The five species are found in Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape provinces. They are relatively slow-growing plants that are easy to grow and can withstand harsh…

Popular conifers like Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Gold Crest’, C. sempervirens ‘Stricta’ and ‘Swane’s Gold’, Cupressocyparis x leylandii and Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’ are susceptible to infestations of the Italian cypress aphid in the cooler months of the year, when these plants are also in active growth. The result is often only noticed in summer when the plants turn brown and dry, often dying off altogether. Unlike ordinary aphids, which cluster around new growth, these aphids create massive, hidden colonies on main stems and are not easy to spot. They not only excrete honeydew (a black and sticky substance), which can lead to black sooty mould, but they also inject a toxin into the plants they feed on. To add insult to injury, the honeydew attracts ants that then spread the aphid eggs.…