Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i The Gardener Magazine

We often, especially during the open garden season, hear people saying things like, “Oh my, I visited such a gorgeous garden!” For me, the one downside of this is that sometimes we miss the human aspect of the garden, as in getting to know the owner, the person and the character behind the garden. But if we do make the effort to start chatting, everything about the garden often falls into place! Questions we may have had floating around in our heads, like “Why on earth did she put that ugly pot in such a prominent spot?” all make sense. The ‘ugly pot’ may have been made by a late husband or been a gift from a dear friend. You just won’t know unless you ask. When visiting a garden…

IN BRIEF WHERE: BROADACRES COUNTRY ESTATE, HOWICK SIZE: 1500M² GROUND: LOAMY AND CLAY DESIGNER: OWNER If there was ever a gardener with a zest for life, it is Carol Sacke. From running the New York Marathon in 1992 to completing two of our own Comrades Marathons as well as Iron Man and the famous Dusi Canoe Marathon, this former nurse turned landscaper does not stand back for any challenge, especially not a garden. Her energy is infectious and she leaves a blaze of colour wherever her hands have been. Carol found her haven at Broadacres Country Estate in 2014 when an estate agent showed her and husband, Kevin, properties in the area. Her neck craned as they drove past the house and the agent told her it had not been…

Everyone can grow their own edibles, even those living in the tiniest of apartments. Space isn’t the issue it used to be because gardeners have so many more options, like moveable planters, raised troughs, grow bags and vertical wall planters. It is more about finding the right spot in terms of sunlight, a good growing mix, drainage, shelter and accessibility. It’s also about planting wisely and not overdoing it. Vegetables are high maintenance plants: the more effort you put into them, the more they reward you. Less space means growing fewer vegetable, but the advantage of that is you can give them more attention; quality versus quantity.…

Plant with SA’s famous carbon buster goes well with aloes… Plants absorb carbon dioxide in their photosynthesis process and release the oxygen that we need to breathe. One of our own, Portulacaria afra, does a great job of this and has become a must-have, most fashionable plant for pots – it can even grow indoors! It is a succulent shrub or small tree (in nature) with rounded or oval fleshy leaves and reddish young stems turning to grey and becoming cork-like when mature. Dense clusters of small pink star-shaped flowers appear in late winter and spring. It will grow in full sun or light shade, poor soil and use very little water. Light frost will also be tolerated. Add more… Crassula capitella ’Campfire’ will set the winter alight with its propellor-like…

Michelia figo (port wine magnolia) is an old-fashioned large shrub or small tree that is always highly recommended as an evergreen hedge or screening plant. We see another use for it as a smart tree in a tub or large pot in a courtyard garden or as a single specimen to grace a patio. Mature size is about 3 x 1.5m in a garden, but over time as it is slow-growing. The foliage is evergreen with dark green and glossy oval leaves, and the growth habitat is upright and bushy, giving a neat look year round. Spring and summer encourage lots of cup- or tulip-shaped flowers with creamy white waxy petals dusted in light purple to dusky pink on the inside. The flowers have a pleasant banana scent that intensifies…

✓ The dry winter climate in summer-rainfall regions is the perfect time to get the best value out of petunias, as they don’t like too much rain on their pretty flowers. Take advantage of this by filling up window boxes and hanging baskets with these rewarding annuals, which will flower for you all winter long. Protect them from snails, water them when the top layer of soil feels dry, remove spent blooms to encourage more flowers, and feed them regularly with a water-soluble fertiliser. ✓ Scale, tan or brown oval insects with a hard shell, can infect the stems and undersides of the leaves of indoor plants. They are sap-sucking and can eventually kill a plant. The secretions of heavy infestations can lead to sooty mould, a black fungus. The…

1 Moveable planters like the Vegepod (in three sizes) and the modular Urban Box are both equipped with wheels for easy mobility. The Vegepod is a compact, self-contained system with water tanks that provide water to the roots through a water-wick system, and a canopy that creates a micro-climate. The Urban Box (made from recycled pallets) is not a closed system, but its modular design allows for variations in size and height. 2 Free-standing planters range from RainQueen’s lightweight corrugated steel containers to wooden planter boxes on legs (check out your farmer’s markets) and durable plastic grow tables from Elho, which you’ll find in hardware outlets. 3 Vertical planters make use of under-utilised wall space on patios, balconies or kitchen courtyards. Some are freestanding while others need to be attached…

White gardenia For an evergreen shrub or small tree 2 – 5m in height with the most glorious scented white flowers, invest in Gardenia thunbergia. Although it is slow growing, it can be used in so many ways: as a specimen plant, in a container, in a garden bed and even as a bonsai. It does best in sun or semi-shade in rich organic soil (which can be slightly acidic) with extra compost added. It needs regular deep watering. Young plants will need frost protection, but once mature will do okay in temperatures down to 0°C. The large, heavily perfumed flowers are the showpieces of the plant and will appear during spring and summer from October to March. Balloon milkweed This small shrub (up to 2m high) has the prettiest…

Why vegetables are so important in our diets We’ve all heard the phrase ‘eat your veggies’ thousands of times, whether it was when we were refusing our Brussels sprouts as kids or from our doctors as adults. Since it’s been drilled into our heads, we all know vegetables are important, but some may not know just how important they are for overall health. There are so many reasons to eat your veggies, but these science-backed benefits make the top of the list. Vitamins and minerals Vitamins and minerals are essential to all life on earth. Even plants need nutrients to grow and thrive, just like humans do. Although some may be required in small amounts and are classified as micronutrients, vitamins and minerals all perform essential roles that keep our…

This hybrid is set apart from all the others by the great numbers of large, pristine-white semi-double flowers with slightly curled petals and bold golden centres of bright stamens. It also flowers from early autumn to midwinter, beating its cousins, the japonicas, to it. Combining this flower power with dark green glossy foliage on many flowing branches, this large shrub to small tree is the perfect candidate for planting in large containers. It works well in a sunny courtyard with high walls or an old-fashioned, formally appointed veranda that receives some morning sun, as sasanquas like a little more sunshine than other camellias. It is perfect as a floral hedge plant, and equally effective to use as espalier subjects due to long and lax side branches that can be trained…

Reduce the use of mains water The bigger picture is that the cost of mains water is increasing. As taxpayers, we are paying towards the building of dams, installing pipes and water treatment plants to get water into our homes, and then paying ever-increasing sums to use that water. The fewer people that are reliant on these systems, the lower the demand placed on them and the less money they will cost. By reducing the need to use mains water, we are saving money on municipal water and we will be less affected by any water restrictions that are put in place to combat excessive use of water. Health benefits We all know that municipal water contains additives, but unless we pay a lab to test the water coming from…

A garden border wouldn’t be complete without a radiant clump of charming violas. Their vibrant ‘faces’ come in an extensive range of colours including yellows, oranges, deep blues, purples and lilacs, rich magentas and purple-pinks – many with eye-catching streaks, blotches or flecks of another colour. Violas are perfect for edging beds as well as in pots and containers, and are quite spectacular when planted in masses. They are also ideal for linking other plants in the border. Purple and blue violas look particularly striking when planted amongst yellow daffodils, for example. There they provide colour and interest before and after the daffs have flowered, ensuring a constant colour feast. As unlikely as it may sound, a single viola plant will produce in excess of 1000 flowers in a season,…

Indoor plants have added great value to our lives by beautifying our spaces and cleaning our air. They are even able to perk up our mood on a gloomy day. All they require from us is a watering every couple of days and a bit of nutrition added to their potting medium. Isn’t it time to bond a little with your plants and treat them to a spa day? Plant leaves can build up dust particles over time, and yes, not even a good dusting will be able to eliminate all the particles clogging their stomata. Washing their leaves in a tub removes all dust and it also gives you a moment to pay attention to your plants. Are there any unwanted diseases or lurking insects? Does your plant need…

Mustard greens thrive in cool growing conditions. Its bright green ruffled leaves are peppery and slightly bitter when eaten raw, but mellow with cooking. The tangy young leaves and flowers are used in salads, while the older leaves can be stir-fried or cooked like cabbage. At the end of its growing season, the seed is harvested and used as a spice. Kirchhoffs has an heirloom green mustard (Brassica nigra) that can be sown in early May, before the soil gets too cool. For germination to be successful, the soil temperature should be between 15 - 25°C. Space plants about 20cm apart. Mustard grows best in full sun, in fertile soil that should be kept consistently moist. It also grows well in containers. It is a quick crop that will have…

It’s no secret: Lobularia (sweet alyssum) flowers the best in the cooler months, and one range that cannot be beaten for breath-taking performance is the ‘Stream’ series! The plants have a floriferous ball-shaped growth habit and an incredibly long blooming time that make them ideal to plant in hanging baskets. As the honey-scented flowers don’t set seed, all energy is used by the plants to produce more and more flowers. This beautiful series of lobularia is also more heat and rain tolerant than the other varieties so you can plant them later too, but why not enjoy ‘Lavender Stream’, ‘Raspberry Stream’ and ‘White Stream’ right now?…

Very few gardeners regard slugs and snails as‘friendly’ wildlife, although birds and frogs can make a meal of them. They just do too much damage to prized annuals such as delphiniums, perennials such as hostas and vegetables such as a lush patch of lettuce. If you are tired of losing the battle but loath to use chemical products that can be harmful to curious kids or pets, try Makhro Home and Garden’s EcoBait, which is an eco-friendly granular product not harmful to other critters. As slugs and snails are active during the night and early morning, apply the pellets in the late afternoon or early evening by broadcasting them near susceptible plants. Other measures Minimise their damage further by eliminating their favourite habitats: Prune branches touching the ground; Trim grass…