Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i The Gardener Magazine

The last few months have been truly tumultuous with extremes in weather that I have never witnessed before. The two-week heat wave that many of you experienced in Gauteng, Western Cape as well as KZN, truly had an effect on plants and I heard from far and wide how plants have been scorched and destroyed. Many of you posted on social media how even the indestructible agapanthus had leaves that were burnt! We experienced this as well with the leaves singed to such an extent that they were white, eventually turning brittle and left scarred. What to do? Well, we have taken to removing all the damaged leaves, giving the surrounding soil a good mulch and a feeding and they are already looking a whole lot better. Next came the…

If you are lucky enough to have some to spare in a bigger garden, why not create one of your own? If you choose pretty little trees and train them well to form lovely main stems and dense crowns the mature result can be a very spectacular element in the landscape and a screen to shelter you and wildlife from the outside world. Tarwood The distribution of Loxostylis alata is in the Eastern and Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It is a small, evergreen tree with drooping, glossy foliage with the young leaves always tinged with red. The corky bark is grey with vertical fissures which shows up red when it’s injured. Male and female flowers are on different trees. The male flowers are pleasantly scented and white, and the female…

Angel wings Gaura lindheimeri, a native of North America, might have a delicate look, but can endure quite harsh winters in its dormant state. It has a lengthy flowering season and an abundance of flowers from spring until late autumn. We have seen many gaura hybrids over the years all performing to satisfaction, but top of the pops lately, is the compact ‘Belezza’ range available in white, pink, and dark pink. Size about 46 x 60cm. Blanket Flower Gaillardia x grandiflora normally produces a mass of daisy-like two-tone flowers – mostly rusty red with yellow tips. A new range recommended wholeheartedly, is ‘Mesa’ for its drought tolerance and sturdiness preventing the flower stems from flopping over, such as many perennials loaded with flowers are prone to do. There is an…

1. As seed germinator This is useful when seed is sown into individual pots. Cut the bottom off a 2-litre cool drink bottle, keeping the cap on. Place the bottle over the pot and it will trap in the moisture. No need to water as often. 2. As a seedling protector Once the seeds have germinated, take off the cap so that there is more airflow. This will still create a greenhouse effect as well as protect the seedling from birds and bugs. The bottles can also be placed over seedlings in the soil. Use this for propagating cuttings as well. 3. For watering larger vegetables The most cost-effective way of watering is to get water directly to the roots. Cut the base off a 2-litre cool drink bottle and…

As part of the ginger family of plants that come originally from Asia, Siam tulips are grown from rhizomes that sprout tall stems of tulip-like leaves with pink, rose and red curved bracts forming at the ends with tiny flowers appearing on the lower bracts from spring through to autumn. In the right conditions they will produce 3 – 5 flowers which last up to 3 weeks. Planting in the garden Once they have finished flowering indoors and start to go into the dormant stage, they can be planted out into the garden for a splash of colour come springtime. In autumn, reduce watering and feeding as the plant starts going dormant and let it die back naturally. At this stage you can keep the pots in a cool, dry…

Kalanchoe ‘Calandiva’ is a very showy cultivar of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, a species native to Madagascar. It is evergreen and re-blooming, with glossy, succulent leaves and clusters of brightly coloured double flowers resembling miniature roses. This plant is extremely good value for money as it remains in flower indoors for months on end, adding colour to any room. Nothing bothers a calandiva, and all you have to do is to give it a sunny spot and to allow the soil to dry out well between watering sessions. QUICK TIP Collect the seeds of spent annuals and perennials by cutting off their stems with seed heads attached and placing them upside down into brown paper bags. Tie with a rubber band and hang to dry in a cool place. Remember to label…

Fill a seedling tray to two thirds with damp commercial seedling mix and lightly tamp it down with a wooden block. Spread the seeds evenly over the surface. Spread a thin layer of vermiculite over the seeds to cover it. Take care not to make this covering too deep – a general rule is that the buried seed must not be deeper underground than its diameter. Tamp down gently again and water with a very fine spray in order not to wash the seeds away. Cover the seedling tray with a plastic bag, tie a knot and place in a shaded spot until germination. Grow them on As soon as seedlings have grown its first two sets of real leaves, they can be planted in small pots or trays with…

What you need: 5 D-shackles 4 Wingnuts (M6) 4 Thread bar loops (M6) 4 x 650mm length of chain 19 timber pieces 22 x 22 x 200mm 6mm thread bar (M6) @ 720mm long Woodoc MARINE 50 sealer Wood glue Coir Epiphytic plants Tools Drill driver with 6mm wood drill bit, tape measure, hacksaw, paintbrush, marker, mineral turpentine, fine sandpaper, cloth Steps 1. Mark 10mm from the edge of both sides of 16 of the pieces of wood and drill holes into all the pieces equidistant to the edges. The last 3 undrilled pieces will become the base. 2. Seal all the timber with Woodoc MARINE 50 on all sides. Allow to dry between the three coats and sand lightly between the first 2 coats. Clean off any residue with…

Feeding that covers all the bases Sometimes you want to fertilise the whole garden instead of focusing on specific plants. Protek’s General Fertilizer 2:3:2 (14%) is suitable for general feeding of the garden. It is a balanced fertiliser generally used for trees, shrubs, lawns, flower beds, flower-bearing shrubs and vegetables. www.proteksa.co.za Pots on trend The Good Roots range of pots is locally produced from 100% concrete. The pots come in a smooth rustic finish in five different styles and in a variety of popular colours. The latest addition to the range is the Rachel pot planter and saucer, featured here in the colour sienna. www.goodroots.co.za Treats for your plants Treat your plants with the Nourish plant food range from Talborne Organics. Food for plants – made from plants. Nourish is…

Save on containers Growing veggies in containers can be expensive but there are ways to beat it. Visit Crazy Plastics or any other plastics store for cheaper large containers. Use a soldering iron to make drainage holes in the bottom. Secondly, you don’t have to fill the whole container with potting soil, that is also expensive. Fill about a third to a half with small plastic pots, or broken polystyrene to take up the space and fill around it with potting soil. Make your potting soil go further Mix together 2 buckets of good quality potting mix, 1 bucket of garden compost, half a bucket hydrated palm peat, 800g well-rotted manure, and a handful of superphosphates. Moisten the mix with 5ml EcoBuz StartGro (micronutrients) dissolved in 5 litres water. These…

Light – find a position with plenty of light, but not direct sunlight. In the garden they will grow in full sun or shade, but prefer a bit of shade. They do however need lots of light to bloom. Soil – in pots, well-draining rich potting soil with added compost and extra vermiculite or perlite if needed. Water – slightly moist soil is best during the growing season and no water in the dormant stage. Deadhead – remove any spent blooms or dried foliage. This will not help with more flowers, but will keep the plants neat. Feeding – give them a boost every few weeks with a balanced liquid plant food during the growing seasons. Stop feeding in winter. Repotting – when the plant has outgrown its container, repot…

To get this elegant look, plant a huge swathe of foxglove seedlings behind a thick border of clear yellow pansies. But most importantly, do it now! The foxgloves planted here are Digitalis purpurea ‘Camelot’ Lavender. What sets this range of biennials apart from the rest, is uniform growth and flower spikes on strong stems with large and scented flowers. Other colours which can be planted if you want to ring the changes, are cream, white and rose, or you can even get them in a mix. The ‘Camelot’ range will bloom throughout summer as long as the spikes are regularly picked for the vase, or the blown spikes cut off. Height 1 to 1,2 m and width 38 to 60 cm. The bright yellow border is Pansy ‘Panola XP Yellow’…

✔ Fertilise the roses for the last time this month. They enter their dormant phase from May but by fertilising now, they will have enough nutrition to keep on flowering until June. ✔ Watering can be reduced to once a week. ✔ Roses in sub-tropical areas are an exception. Continue regular watering and fertilising once a month because they are entering their main flowering season. ✔ Spray monthly with Chronos or Rose Protector to prevent black spot which becomes prevalent with the heavier dew in the mornings. ✔ Keep on deadheading the roses to encourage them to sprout new flowering stems.…

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is more often regarded as an easy-to-grow garden annual that scrambles over rockeries, or fills borders with its abundance of yellow, red and orange flowers. It is also a valuable herb and companion plant for the veggie garden. The peppery leaves are high in vitamin C and young leaves are a tangy addition to garden salads, delicious eaten with soft cheese, in egg dishes and as a spicy green in sandwiches. The flowers too are edible. The seeds can be pickled while still green and used as a substitute for capers. A tea can be made from the leaves and flowers. Try this Nasturtium pesto In a blender combine 4 cups of washed nasturtium leaves and 2 cups of nasturtium flowers (or leaves if there are no…

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Hand held cutting tools and scissors When sharpening your tools, a decent tool is often needed to do the job quickly and correctly. Don’t skimp on sharpeners or you could damage your tools and make them unusable. There are different types of sharpening implements including files, whetstones or sharpening stones each with their own pros and cons. To make life simpler, use a tool specifically made for the task. Designed for all types of garden shears and scissors, the Multi Sharp Shear & Scissor Sharpener makes quick work of all types of shears including stainless steel, long-handled and wavy edge. The tungsten carbide block regrinds the blades at the correct angle in minutes. It can be screwed down on a bench or on a door so that it’s always available…

Dear Tanya… Please can you advise how I can get rid of this grass that is taking over my garden. Preferably without killing everything that is planted there. I think the grass came from a bird feeder, but I’m not sure. As soon as I weed it out, it grows back. Thanks, Bridget Hendry Hi Bridget There are two ways to look at this new arrival, one is to remove before it flowers or goes to seed or use a non-selective herbicide. With the herbicide, you need to be very cautious with it, as it will kill anything that it touches. Another option is to just let it be. I think the grass is beautiful and graceful and it most certainly is going to be a magnet for birds. Maybe…

They have herbaceous stems and will live longer than three years due to strong root systems, enabling the plants to overwinter even though the top growth has died down. These powerful root systems will penetrate deeply in search of nutrients and water and will keep on ticking over with fresh sprouts as soon as the season has changed and conditions are favourable once again. We love these herbaceous perennials because… They are easy to grow and will soon form dense clumps which can be divided in spring to get more plants. If you plant many of them, you do not have to plant such a lot of seasonal annuals to keep your colour run going. Most will give you a harvest of good cut flowers. Note: One can however, not…

Indigenous Aristida junciformis Very attractive, hardy and thickly tufted grass with copious seed heads, mauve in summer then slowly turning yellow. Tolerates all kinds of soil and grows 60cm. Melinis nerviglumis Bristle leaved red top grass is a very hardy tufted grass with grey leaves and beautiful plumes of shiny and fluffy pink to red seeds. Full sun and light shade. Size 35 x 80cm. Hyparrhenia tamba Blue thatching grass is a very hardy and impressive tall grass with blue leaves displaying yellow and red hues too. The tangled flower heads and seeds have a turquoise hue. Good for full sun to light shade and can reach a height of 2,5m. Exotic Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ A dense, grassy clump over 1m tall and about 2m wide with a fountain-like habit.…

Plectranthus ciliatus ‘Sasha’ works like a charged LED lamp during load-shedding in the shade garden. It lights up the darkness! This golden cousin of the speckled spur-flower produces delicate white flower sprays in autumn but is more valued as a foliage plant. Its purple stems and golden yellow foliage with the odd emerald green and bronze markings are eye-catching in all seasons. Shade which is too deep, might dull the lovely leaf colouring so plant it where a bit of morning sun can reach it. ‘Sasha’ is a great choice for hanging baskets and will also grow well indoors in bright light. Size about 30 x 40 cm.…

It’s been labelled the peace lily due to its white flowers that are seen as white flags – a symbol of peace. Although named a lily, it is in fact from the arum family of plants and hails from tropical South America. With very few rules they grow well in the home. Find a brightly lit area out of direct sunlight, water regularly keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged and feed in spring and summer every 2 weeks with a liquid plant food. Deadhead any spent blooms and keep the leaves free from dust with the occasional wipe. They like humidity, so you can supplement drier conditions with misting regularly. Troubleshooting Although, as mentioned, these plants are easy-to-grow and mostly trouble-free, do look out for any of the following…

Failure with the gorgeous Scaevola aemula (fan flower) is only due to over-watering or poor drainage! This hasty perennial which is rather treated like a long-flowering annual, fills the niche for plant lovers living in hot climates, not willing to say goodbye to summer yet, and seeking instant colour to sprawl over container edges and in hanging baskets. If you can emulate conditions close to the arid Australian outback, this one is perfect instant colour for your hot spots. Needs: Full sun, extremely fast-draining soil and only occasional watering. Available: The ‘Bondi’ range (25cm x 45cm) in light blue and white, and the ‘Touch’ range (35cm x 60cm) in deep pink and indigo. Explaining the strange flower form: Commonly called the fan flower or naupaka because of a Hawaiian legend…

✔ Feed cabbage, broccoli, kale and other brassicas with a liquid fertiliser for strong growth before winter. ✔ Also feed leafy greens, including lettuce, with a liquid fertiliser. ✔ Speed up the ripening of summer-fruiting veggies by removing leaves that shield the fruit from the sun. ✔ Pinch off the growing tips of butternut and remove underdeveloped fruit so that the larger squash can ripen. ✔ Thin out seedlings to their final spacing and drench with a liquid fertiliser. ✔ Use fallen leaves and grass cuttings as well as other greens to build a new compost heap that can decompose over winter. Add a compost activator or herbs like borage, comfrey or yarrow that are natural compost activators. ✔ Sow green manures in garden beds that will be fallow in…

Combretum erythrophyllum is widely distributed across Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Habitat: Along low-lying waterways, but also at high altitudes in diverse soil conditions. Growth rate: Fast, at a rate of about 4m plus in 3 years in favourable conditions. Classified as a medium-sized tree reaching a height of between 7 – 13m depending on climatic conditions. Growth habit: Often multi-stemmed (which can be corrected with pruning to allow a main trunk) with a willow-like appearance with a densely foliaged crown in summer. It is deciduous in winter. Leaves: Young leaves are yellowish and glossy, maturing to mid-green in summer, turning coppery red before falling in autumn. Flowers and fruit: Sweetly scented creamy flowers in spring are followed by 4-winged seeds drying to honey-brown. The seed remains on…

BEST DAYS FOR APRIL…

The women of the family and life-long female family friends congregated together on a very hot Saturday afternoon under the totally inadequate shade of a little Bedouin tent pitched in the garden. The event was a stork party to celebrate the eminent arrival of my granddaughter. All were dressed up in their finery and their beloved faces where contoured and hued with expertly applied make-up. The African sun however, or more specifically, the traditionally high temperature on a late summer afternoon in the Western Cape, are two factors not to be messed with and quite soon it was only those with permanent make-up (done by a laser) or eyelash extensions, who still looked fresh. I soon got rid of my party dress and donned my shorts to enable me to…