Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i The Gardener Magazine

Some plants are just fantastic but reach such huge dimensions that they are not suitable for a small suburban garden. But that does not mean you should miss out. There is always a plan B with gardening. The answer is simply to plant it in a pot – a large pot! The advantages of planting expensive and desirable, specimen plants in pots can be summed up as follows: you will save in the long term as they do not have to be replaced or replanted often (if ever!); they are relatively maintenance free except for watering and seasonal feeding; and you can take your specimen along with you should you have to move house. Go big or go home… Since oversized pots and the amount of quality soil medium needed…

Keith Kirsten and the Johannesburg and Stellenberg Garden Clubs present an event to celebrate life, beauty and making a difference and be inspired by gardener and landscape architect extraordinaire Lady Xa Tollemache. With so few making it to the Chelsea Flower Show this year, we thought we would bring a piece of English garden beauty to us. Our guest speaker Xa Tollemache will share the tale of the love story between her and the garden at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk (https://www.helmingham.com/) as captured in her book, A Garden Well Placed that was released earlier this year. There will be two events, one at Cavalli in Somerset West in the Cape and at River Lodge Farm in Lanseria, Johannesburg. Cavalli The Cavalli Estate is a world-class venue with impressive buildings designed…

The flame lily is a perfect creeper to grow on a trellis in a pot on a patio or balcony where you can keep a close eye on it. Gloriosa superba with its long, curled petals that reflex 180° and resemble hot flames burning in the air is one of those botanical wonders that simply takes one’s breath away when in flower during summer to early autumn. And despite its exotic looks, it is an easy plant to grow. In early spring from a fibrous tuber which was dormant in winter, will sprout 1 to 6 stems with bright green glossy leaves each tipped with a curled little tendril which will cling onto any support structure. The flowers are usually bi-coloured in yellow and orange maturing to deep, reddish orange.…

Valued at R2430 Well-groomed hedges without the hard work The GARDENA Electric Hedge Trimmer ComfortCut 550/50 offers convenient guidance and even balance. This powerful hedge trimmer is particularly suitable for convenient trimming of medium-sized hedges and with its balanced weight, it provides optimal manoeuvrability even for longer trimming jobs. The surrounding ErgoLine handle lies well in the hand in any cutting position, especially when cutting the side hedge sections and the trigger button can be easily operated in any position. Laser-cut precision blades enable efficient, fast and clean cutting of twigs and branches. Trimming is so much easier with GARDENA hedge trimmers. Subscribe or renew from 24 October to 21 November 2022 and you will be entered into the competition to win the prize. The winner will be contacted by…

HINT When staining, ensure a smooth even coverage on the first coat. This is where the majority of the colour transformation will take place and run lines will be clearly visible. Apply the second and third coat thinly. What you need Cutting list for timber (Pine) 3 @635mm x 144mm x 20mm – cut a 22.5° angle cut on both ends making the one side shorter (1 x centre divide, 2 x long sides) 3 @565mm x 144mm x 20mm (base planks) 2 @430mm x 144mm x 20mm (short sides) 4 @182mm x 144mm x 20mm (short dividers) 4 @310mm 20mm x 144mm – cut 22.5° angles on both ends to form a parallelogram (handle uprights) 2 @470mm x 19mm dowel rods Wood glue Woodoc 30 (Low Gloss Clear) Woodoc…

Scindapsus ‘Silver Splash’ Trailing plant with drop-shaped, large leaves and silvery-grey markings. Great to grow in hanging baskets or to allow to trail down from a shelve. Fast-growing. Philodendron ‘Silver Sword’ A large houseplant with magical silvery-blue, sword-shaped leaves which will grow bigger and lusher if the plant is given a structural support like a moss pole to climb onto. Aglaonema ‘Ghost’ Attractive, densely foliaged houseplant with pale green, cream, and yellow leaves giving the impression that the plant is covered in a layer of frost. The leaf stems are a rich cream colour. Hailed as an air purifier and lover of high humidity which makes it perfect as a bathroom plant. The three plants mentioned here with their very exotic looks all have a surprisingly, easy-care level – bright…

Driving past the huge citrus estates on the way from Johannesburg to Nelspruit, it’s hard not to feel that growing naartjies and oranges is beyond the reach of the ordinary gardener. Even lemons, that are still a backyard favourite, can be a stretch for tiny townhouse gardens. Growing a lemon tree in a container is a solution but somehow it doesn’t seem to thrive like its garden-grown counterparts. The reason says citrus grower David Seewald is that lemons quickly outgrow their pots on their way to becoming 5m or higher trees. That’s the problem – size. Traditional citrus trees from garden centres are grafted onto rootstocks that are grown for the commercial citrus industry where size and space is not a major consideration. For instance, a mature naval orange may…

Highveld and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Asparagus, bush and runner beans, brinjals, celery, cucumbers, cabbages, marog, melons and watermelons, sweetcorn/mealies, pumpkins, radishes, Swiss chard, bush and trailing squashes, tomatoes Middleveld (Pretoria and other less frosty areas) Asparagus, amaranth, bush and runner beans, beetroots, brinjals, cucumbers, capsicums and sweet peppers, marog, sweetcorn/mealies, bush and trailing squashes, sweet melons, pumpkins, Swiss chard, tomatoes Eastern Cape and Little Karoo Asparagus, bush and runner beans, beetroots, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, sweetcorn/mealies, pumpkins, radishes, bush and trailing squashes, Swiss chard Western Cape (and southern coast) Asparagus, bush and runner beans, beetroots, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, lettuces, sweet melons, sweetcorn/mealies, pumpkins, bush and trailing squashes, tomatoes Northern Cape and Great Karoo Asparagus, bush and runner beans, cabbages, cauliflowers, cucumbers, sweetcorn/mealies, pumpkins, spinaches, bush and trailing squashes, tomatoes Lowveld and KwaZulu-Natal…

One of the most important elements of a garden is colour. Whether you’re looking for a rainbow across your backyard or a muted and harmonized palette, the plants you choose are a vital part of making your colour design vision come to life. For those looking for masses of colour that delight the senses (and for tropical foliage lovers), now is the time to plant coleus. Coleus plants first had their moment in Victorian England during the boom in plant interest across the mid and late 19th century. These leafy plants graced conservatories across Europe, when many varieties were cultivated and hybridised to develop the impressive range that exists today. These plants are part of the mint family – Lamiaceae – and this relation is clear in the textured leaves.…

Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’ (tasmin flax lily) is perfect to fill up dull spots in dry semi-shade spots. It is a clump-forming perennial with fibrous and fleshy roots and straplike soft leaves richly variegated with bold green and white stripes. Spring and summer bring on long and wiry stems with small, three-petalled flowers in a lovely shade of blue. Although tropical looking, this is quite a tough plant for windy conditions and gardens receiving light frost. Although evergreen, challenging conditions such as cold and extreme dryness might force it to go dormant in winter only to appear again when it warms up. To keep it lush enough to brighten up your shady areas or places where sun and shade patterns differ during the day, plant it in compost-enriched soil which drains…

This large tree (Corymbia citriodora, AKA Eucalyptus citriodora), as its name suggests has lovely lemon-scented leaves and white flowers in summer that attract bees. In fact, it’s the quality of the honey produced by the bees that visit that make this a popular tree. It does, however come with a note for gardeners – only plant in a container as it has an aggressive root system and it can grow to 35m. Even with this warning, it’s a good plant to have especially around entertainment areas. The leaves contain up to 80% citronella, the ingredient used to repel insects. This also means they are fairly pest and disease-resistant themselves. Best planted in: Temperate to subtropical areas, light frost areas. What they need: Full sun, well-draining potting soil. Care: Water regularly…

The month begins on the 1st Quarter moon phase, and the following days to Full moon are ideal to plant fruit, fruiting veg, flowers and transplant shrubs and trees. This Full moon is the best to plant flower shrubs, bedding plants, bulbs and root veg. Note that"irrigate" days are marked for deep irrigation. Water in between as needed, especially newly planted seedlings. Harvest days are marked for home gardeners to consume produce within a few days without spoiling. To store larger crops, harvest on days marked in last quarter. BEST DAYS FOR NOVEMBER For more information on gradening by the Moon, visit www.moontime.co.za.…

It was with trepidation that our small team gathered on a very cold day. We were called up to attend a workshop about personal development and understanding the personalities of the colleagues that we work with. As far as I was concerned, an effort which would be hopelessly in vain, as at my age, the damage is already done. It is not going to be easy to develop me into something new… There we sat close to each other around a table, while being informed by two patient ladies that during this workshop and getting to know more about the nine interconnected personality types as defined by a geometric figure called the Enneagram, we might be shocked at the end of the day, thinking: “Gosh, is this really me?” or…

We all have high expectations of the plants we give a home to and while some results may vary, it is unlikely that salvias will disappoint. If it’s bold, vibrant colour you are after, coupled with a tough disposition then salvias are the answer. Out of a big family one member is particularly noteworthy – Salvia splendens – commonly known as scarlet salvia or rooi-salie, it also comes in shades of red, purple, pink, cream, white and blue. Not only are they easy to grow, they have showy flowers and deep green leaves that make them an ideal addition to the summer garden. This eye-catching annual offers glorious, long-flowering heads 30cm tall. If you are looking for something smaller look out for the compact hybrids – ideal for edging and…

This edible hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is new on the gardening scene in South Africa, but is well known in countries like Asia, Australia and West Africa as a medicinal plant. The stems are used to make bast fibre and the flowers and leaves are used in the kitchen for teas and the leaves are cooked like spinach. One of the most delightful uses is preserving the flowers in syrup. They are then placed on the bottom of a champagne glass and as the liquid is poured over them, the bubbles cause the flowers to open. All the parts of this fast-growing perennial shrub are edible. Best planted in: Subtropical areas, colder areas as an annual. What they need: Full sun, sandy well-draining soil, with a neutral to alkaline pH. Care:…

The old-fashioned bottle brush achieves what few other plants can do despite what a gardener or Mother Nature might send its way. ‘Endeavor’ is a cultivar of the Australian bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus, a large upright-growing shrub up to 2 – 3m. It is evergreen with tough, leathery leaves and it produces an abundance of large, bright red flowerheads in spring and summer which are much loved by nectar-feeding birds. The plant can fulfill many functions such as a neatly pruned single-flowering specimen, as a screening or hedging plant and since it is extremely wind resistant, can be the perfect windbreak for coastal gardens. It is fast-growing and will tolerate both dry or wet soil and is reasonably frost-tolerant. Definitely a worthwhile old favourite to add backbone to any garden.…

Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum) – they bloom profusely in the cooler months like spring, but tend to lose steam when temperatures soar in summer. To encourage another great flower flush in autumn, you need to give them a light prune by removing dead flowers and to cut back some stems. Cut off about one third of the bush into a neat, rounded form. Leucospermums and proteas – the golden rule is to only prune those stems which have flowered this spring, and it should not be done too harshly. Leave at least 10 – 15cm of healthy stem with leaves on, below the cut. Leucadendrons and confetti bushes – can be pruned quite firmly to shape and neaten the plants and to encourage new growth. Lavenders like Lavandula stoechas – stop them from…

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