Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i The Gardener Magazine

Cheers to the power of communities! It warms my heart to see people working together and building their own 'tribes'. I'm sure that you have also noticed various events, markets or just gatherings of people with similar interests, like mushrooms foraging, ferns or even frog spotting. It’s enough to give us hope that the worst of Covid is behind us and we are now able to engage with each other and be 'normal' again. Well, whatever normal is these days! It certainly isn't a R22 million flag pole! But let’s not dwell on problems and negativity! This is a gardening magazine, after all, and we pride ourselves on oozing positivity, green inspiration, love for plants and love for fellow man. I'm sure that as you leaf through this magazine, you…

It is such a delight to see flowers blooming in the garden that it is often difficult to cut them to bring indoors, and that is the beauty of a designated cutting garden. Find a sunny spot in your yard and fill it with plants that are grown specifically to be cut. Spring is the perfect time to prepare an area to begin the process of creating your cutting garden. How to get started: Prepare your site For the most prolific, healthy flowers, amend your soil to ensure the plants have the nutrients they need to grow and bloom well. Your cutting flowers will need soil that is rich in organic matter for sufficient water retention and drainage, so you will want to add in a few layers of organic…

What to do in JULY Primulas are the soul of a winter and spring garden, whether planted en masse under trees or in formal displays in pots. Dainty but generous, these flowers are some of the most popular cool-season bedding plants because of the abundance of their blooms and the ease with which they grow. There are more than 500 species in the Primula genus, but the three most popular are the fairy primula (Primula malacoides), which have feathery leaves and lacy pastel flowers, the English primrose (P. acaulis) and the German primrose (P. obconica), which have a ruched rosette of leaves and brightly coloured blooms with vivid yellow centres. Both the jewel-coloured primrose and the pastel-coloured fairy primula make a spectacular display that has gardeners coming back for more…

Most varieties of orange are ready to harvest in June and July, and depending on the variety will turn bright orange when they are ready to harvest. On average, one orange tree will produce nearly 400 oranges, and although you can leave them on the tree for a few months until you are ready to use them, that is still a lot of oranges. Let’s explore ways to use them in the kitchen. Harvesting Pick one orange from the tree and taste it before harvesting a lot. If it is a bit tart, leave the rest to ripen on the tree – they will not continue to ripen after they have been picked. Once you have a batch of oranges, let them sit in a bowl with a solution of…

Amongst our country’s flowering shrubs that can supply deeply intensifying warm colour to a winter garden is Aulax cancellata (channel-leaf featherbush). It does this with spectacular bronze needle-like foliage followed by the most cheerful yellow feathery flowers in spring, and is a very underrated shrub that is perfect for a cut flower garden or to use as a low hedge. This evergreen with a mature size of 1.5 x 2m can withstand cold and light frost and is perfect for windy coastal gardens. It prefers acidic, sandy, rocky soil that drains very well, and has low water needs once well established, although young plants should be watered regularly for the first two years after being planted. Plants grown in pots should be watered daily in hot weather. Maintenance is low…

Some ferns can be surprisingly hardy and easy to grow if you give them the right conditions, which happily are those shady spots that are always challenging to fill. Success means picking the tougher species, but also in good preparation before planting. The right spot can have a little gentle sunlight in the morning but should be mostly shaded (although not pitch-black) and a bit protected during the day. Dig over the soil to about 30cm deep and work in lots of organic matter like leaf mould, compost, palm peat and fine bark chips, while also adding a generous dusting of bonemeal. The ideal is to create a rich but light, well-draining medium since these ferns love moist, rather than waterlogged, soil. Apart from regular (but not too heavy) watering…

In the Cape Dutch style, this patio has the iconic pergola that doubles up as a support for a climbing granadilla vine. The entertainment is focussed around the pizza oven, which produces wood-fired dishes flavoured with herbs picked fresh from the surrounding garden. The floor is right on trend with herringbone paving. This is a space you want to visit, take a seat and enjoy. PLANT LIST 1. Origanum vulgare ‘Humile’ (creeping oregano) 2. Mixed planting of: Mentha piperita ‘Chocolate Mint’, Mentha spicata (garden mint), Ocimum basilicum ‘Dark Lady’ (basil ‘Dark Lady’), Origanum vulgare, Tropaeolum majus ‘Globe of Fire’ (nasturtium), Eruca sativa (rocket), Solanum lycopersicum ‘Mars Red’ (cherry tomato), Rheum rhabarbarum (rhubarb), Beta vulgaris ‘Fordhook Giant’ (Swiss chard), and Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary) 3. Citrus jambhiri ‘Cape Rough’ (Cape rough skin…

Elegance in focus This range of Pelargonium grandiflorum (large-flowered or regal pelargonium) is highly recommended for pots and the garden. The large, spectacular and intricately patterned flowers are held on sturdy stems above the foliage, and there are a variety of lovely colours to soothe any eye and heart. The plants are bushy and compact evergreens with dark green, rippled, tooth-edged leaves. Blooming starts in early August and will keep going with repeated flower flushes throughout summer until the following autumn. The mature size is about 40cm high with a spread of 100cm. Pelargonium grandiflorum ‘Elegance’ is suitable for most climates and will tolerate cold, but is unfortunately not frost-hardy. In very frosty climes it should be treated as annual colour or over-wintered in a protected place. Plant it in…

Their looks are delicate, but these two lasting perennials are extremely hardy to cold and frost, and if combined with other shade-loving plants like hardy ferns, which also like enriched, moist soil, you can have a strongly textured winter scene with great foliage and pretty flowers. Bergenia cordifolia (heartleaf bergenia) This is a clump-forming evergreen groundcover native to Siberia and has fascinating large, deep green, somewhat puckered leaves that can turn deep bronze in autumn and winter. Red flower stalks carrying spikes of rosy-pink, bell-shaped flowers appear from late winter to spring. Although semi-shade loving (morning sun) it will also grow in full sun, reaching a mature size of about 25 x 15cm. It is the perfect choice to use as a border and is quite fast-growing with regular watering…

Bulbine frutescens A drought- and cold-hardy groundcover that forms clumps and has stalks of yellow or orange flowers, this bulbine is the more popular variety and is perfect for those areas of a garden that are often neglected. Its common names include the snake flower or stalked bulbine, and it has long cylindrical fleshy leaves with pointy tips. This is a tough plant but will do well with a mulch of compost, fairly regular watering and deadheading of the spent flowers. It can grow in full sun to semi-shade. The leaf-sap is used to treat cuts, burns, rashes, cracked lips, eczema, insect bites, coughs, colds and arthritis. Extracts of the sap are also used in certain shampoos and moisturisers. Bulbine latifolia The leaves of this bulbine look similar to those…

Staking trellis This is a ready-to-use option that comes in different shapes and sizes. This particular one is narrower at the base than it is at the top, which makes sense as plants tend to grow straight up at first before they start to bush out. Smaller staking trellises are perfect for containers planted with a climber like a jasmine or a shrub that needs support, like a bougainvillea. To use one, simply push it into the ground/potting medium and then plant your climber close to its base. A-frame trellis Here’s a very simple DIY option that you don't need any tools for and which will take just a few minutes per A-frame. These A-frame trellises are great for growing beans and other smaller climbers. To set this up, tie…

Reclaimed wood is such a win – it’s cheap, allows you to work in chunkier dimensions than you normally would, and it’s good for the planet too. We paired this chunky timber with Woodoc 30 that we tinted in Woodoc Stain Concentrates (Ebony and Teak) for a two-tone effect that emphasises the simple, but effective design of this bench and the lovely grain of the reclaimed pine. You need Reclaimed pine in the following dimensions: 2 x 1000mm x 85mm x 85mm (bench top sides)1 x 830mm x 85mm x 85mm (bench top middle)2 x 450mm x 85mm x 85mm (leg middle)4 x 365mm x 85mm x 85mm (leg sides) Wood glueWoodoc 30Woodoc Stain Concentrate (Teak)Woodoc Stain Concentrate (Ebony)Mineral turpentine10mm x 150mm coach screws Tools Sander, pencil, tape measure, paint…

Nourish Buds, Flowers and Fruit For the best possible flowers and fruit, you need a product rich in potassium. Nourish for Buds, Flowers and Fruit from Talborne Organics is just the thing to improve fruit quality and flavour for edibles, as well as ornamental flowers like orchids, aloes and roses, and plants in container gardens and hanging baskets. This 100% natural product is made from potato and sugar beet extracts, making it totally plant based, and it helps plants increase resistance to stress and pests and diseases. Dilute in water and apply every 14 days. www.talborne.co.za The new Kreg 90-degree driver This new compact drill attachment allows you to drive screws in places you couldn’t normally be able reach with your drill. The magnetic tip locks into the head of…

Join us for a weekend of incredible natural beauty as we visit four open gardens in the Upper Highway area, KwaZulu-Natal Garden 1 Karen and John Galt’s garden is at 16 – 18 Quillhall Lane off Abrey Road, Kloof. Adventure-seekers will get a kick out of this untamed natural wonderland. Guests have the opportunity to trek along garden trails and boardwalks, amongst native trees and shrubbery. The garden overlooks indigenous grasslands and on a clear day you can get great views of the Indian Ocean! With highlights like the little rock pool and waterfall across the valley, this open garden will be one for the books. Garden 2 Chris and Pamela Dalzell’s garden is at 47 Alamein Avenue in Kloof. The garden offers an adventurous outdoor experience like none other:…

Growth notes: Most varieties are cold hardy and resistant to light frost; They tolerate windy conditions in coastal gardens well; Full sun is fine but light shade in the afternoon is preferred by some varieties; Soil should be enriched with compost and should drain well; Regular watering is beneficial to keep them lush and healthy. No harm will come if the soil dries out for short periods between watering sessions; To keep them neat, simply remove old leaves on the outside of the clumps now and again. Phormiums, which are commonly known as flaxes, are old friends in the garden, always providing strong texture between other plants with their curving or upright-growing swordlike leaves. The species are native to New Zealand, where the locals put them to practical use like…

Every gardener needs a plant pal that can be touched and stroked every day, and Pelargonium tomentosum is the perfect one, with its peppermintscented leaves. It is an indigenous shrubby perennial with a spreading and relaxed growth habit with large, dull green, lobed and heart-shaped leaves covered in minute hairs that trap dew and raindrops to turn it into glittering rhinestones. The leaves are soft to the touch, like precious velvet, and emit a fresh peppermint aroma when crushed. Dainty umbels of tiny white flowers with purple markings appear in spring and summer. This special plant enjoys moist, semi-shaded areas (morning sun is fine) in well-drained soil and regular watering. As it is a culinary herb that pairs well with fish, for instance, it might be good to grow some…

From the island of Madagascar comes a succulent in the Apocynaceae family that has a quirky look and can reach a magnificent, sometimes multi-stemmed size in a warm habitat. It is the inimitable Pachypodium lamerei, also called the Madagascar palm, even though it is not remotely related to palms. So interesting are the characteristics and appearance of this nearly prehistoric-looking plant that it has attracted the attention of collectors and succulent lovers the whole world over and become a very popular houseplant that is not difficult to find. It is such a good all-round performer that the RHS has given it an Award of Garden Merit. You have options if you want to own one of your own: if you live in a hot climate with no frost, it can…

While many plants are commonly called lilies, this lily is a true lily as it belongs to the Lilium family of bulbous plants that is made of about 110 species, including the ones available locally like the Lilium asiatic, Lilium asiflorum and Lilium longiflorum. Growing tips Lilium bulbs are available from May to August for planting from mid-May to the end of August. They will then flower from September to January and even into autumn. To make your flowering time last longer, stagger planting the bulb plants over several weeks, but make sure to keep the bulbs in the fridge while they are waiting. Here are some growing tips: Light: Plant in full sun or with at least 6 - 8 hours of sunlight a day. Soil: Add plenty of compost…

The feeling that I had been emotionally short-changed began shortly after a telephone conversation with my sister. During one of her insomniac periods, she read a newspaper article written by me about the indestructible mother-in-law’stongue or snake plant. I had apparently claimed that it is nearly impossible to kill this African icon, which has become a popular houseplant. There were tears in her voice when she phoned to tell me that I have been misleading folks, as she has killed the Sansevieria trifasciata that she paid a fortune for. Apparently the plastic version that she then bought at a home store to replace it cost her double! She now feels that she has been cheated by the plant as well as by me. Well, after her call I learnt that…