Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i The Gardener Magazine

Lines are fundamental to any kind of artistic expression. They go back to basics in the form of stick figures, colouring book pictures and defining shapes in almost any kind of drawing or art. I have often expressed that gardening is art. Gardening in essence is a series of shapes and lines, mostly consisting of garden beds. In many cases, these can be enhanced, defined and made to stand out by creating some kind of formal edging. Aside from the artistic or design principles that this satisfies, there are many practical and functional elements to putting solid edging around your garden beds. Those fellow gardeners amongst us will surely have experienced the ever-changing shape of beds adjoining lawn areas that get wider and wider over time by the use of…

Elevate your outdoor containers Outdoor pots should never be standing directly in pot saucers collecting water, or where there might be puddles, to avoid saturated soil and water-logging which is the reason why many expensive plants die. To keep the base of the pot out of water, raise them up onto pot feet (these are available at garden centres) or simply use bricks to do the job. Gather flower seeds Check out your annuals and perennials for seed heads. Allow them to develop on the plant before collecting them. They will turn brown and papery. When ready, cut them off and lay each variety on sheets of paper in a protected area to dry for a few days. Separate the seeds and pack them away in clean and labelled envelopes,…

Cali’s are dazzling. If you want a colour rush, these are your pot plants of choice. They produce masses of tiny flowers and don’t like to be over-watered or fussed over. The well-branched plants are vigorous growers that quickly fill a container or hanging basket. As they grow, they form a flowering mound and then cascade over the edge of the pot. Even when the days get shorter, they stay open and flower under low light conditions. As container or basket plants, calibrachoas do best with morning sun and afternoon shade. Let the soil dry out slightly before watering, although plants in hanging baskets need more regular watering. Keep up their flower power by feeding with a liquid fertiliser once a month. If they get a bit straggly give them…

Harvest the last tomatoes The last of the tomatoes can be harvested green and made into a tasty chutney. This chutney can be served with cold meats and cheese or added to your next curry. 1kg green tomatoes, chopped3 onions, finely chopped2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped100g dates, chopped (or use raisins)300ml wine vinegar4 chillies1 tablespoon dried ginger1 teaspoon salt300g sugar Add all the chopped ingredients to a saucepan with the vinegar and simmer gently until all the ingredients are soft (1 hour). Add the chillies, ginger, salt and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved and then simmer until it’s nice and thick. Pour into sterilised jars and seal to store. For all your kitchen questions or to share a recipe e-mail Wendy at wendy@thegardener.co.za Herb spice for…

There is an old belief amongst gardeners that says we should only feed our plants from spring to autumn, and that fertilising in winter is a waste of time and money. That myth needs to be busted, because winter feeding with the right product will result in healthier soil and plants, and a more beautiful garden. Wonder Organic Vita-Boost is a great product for winter feeding, even if it won’t produce visible results at the time. What you can’t see is that there are great results happening beneath the soil – the Wonder Organic Vita-Boost encourages the development of strong root growth despite the cold conditions. The root system spreads out to cover a greater area, enabling the plant to draw nutrients from a greater volume of soil. Wonder Organic…

The autumn and winter months are wonderfully colourful in the summer rainfall areas of South Africa – and the air is filled with butterflies and other insects. Seed-eating birds make the most of the seeding grasses and there are a variety of late-summer flowering trees and shrubs which carry fruit into the winter, providing food for a wide range of birds and insects. The winter garden can be more colourful than the summer garden, it’s just a matter of knowing what to plant. From April to August, the aloes become a brilliant splash of colour and, importantly, the nectar-rich flowers provide food for birds and many insects including a range of bee species. Provide diversity and a mix of textures and colours by planting a large range of other succulent…

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Botanical Gallery Opened Tinus and Nollie @plantae orchids It is always heartwarming to see when someone’s lifelong dream comes to fruition. The perfect example is the R Allen Dyer Botanical Gallery which was opened by his daughter and granddaughter on 5 November 2023. This gallery is the result of Allan Tait’s unwavering commitment to South African botany and was named for one of the great pioneers of the South African plant world: R Allen Dyer, who started the Pretoria Botanical Gardens and National Herbarium. This gallery contains some priceless and rare botanical paintings, botanical books and all of Allen Dyer’s letters to name a few. The gallery is currently open by appointment: allan.clivia@gmail.com Philodendron ‘Splendid’ Tinus and Nollie @plantae orchids It is called the ‘aroid craze’ and was mostly rekindled…

With the common name of stonecrop, you’d hardly expect such spectacular flowers and masses of them, but Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’ is aptly named. It grows into an upright, water-wise shrub 50cm high and wide, with smooth grey-green leaves and clusters of light pink to deep rose-pink star-shaped flowers. This late summer and autumn flowering sedum slowly develops its large flower heads during summer. Once the flowers open, the butterflies and bees arrive. After the flowers are over, leave the heads to set seed for the birds. Sedums are seriously tough plants, able to withstand summer heat, and still grow vigorously without being too thirsty. Sedums grow in full sun and in ordinary garden soil that drains well. They need minimal watering and no additional fertiliser. A great plant for beginners…

Some overgrown and tough ones like Shasta daisies, echinacea, rudbeckia and yarrow can also be dug up and divided in autumn by using the back-to-back-forks method of splitting them up. Tip: In cold regions, you can leave many perennials un-pruned until spring, as the old, dry stems can protect the roots against cold and frost. If it is too tatty and bothers you, simply tie the spent stems together at the top with twine or raffia. TIP: If you end up with too many divisions for the garden, you can pot them up and keep them for spring. Step by step Splitting plants for renewed growth66 Cut back old flower stems and use a spade to dig around the clump. Lever it up gently and lift it to divide. Use…

By using this method of propagation, you are effectively creating a clone of the plant you take the cuttings from. It’s easy and anyone can do it, plus if you use glass containers, you can watch the roots grow, which is the very satisfying part. Here are some tips to get it right: • Always take cuttings from healthy plants that have not yet bloomed. If you have flowers on a cutting, remove them so that all the energy is pushed towards making roots.• Use a sharp pair of secateurs and cut just below a leaf node. Most cuttings should be around 10cm long with 5cm below the surface of the water. Remove any excess leaves, especially those below the water level, but leave at least 2 leaves on the…

In modern-day suburbia with newly built homes, the outdoor accessories (apart from solar panels on roofs to generate power), have become permeable paving in driveways to filter pollutants from stormwater and to allow it to infiltrate into the soil below; and water tanks to harvest rainwater for household and garden use – both of the latter are commendable measures to develop good water management in a neighbourhood. But, after a good old thunderstorm and heavy rain shower, there will always be puddles of standing water (sometimes turning into boggy spots), created by runoff from surfaces like patios, roofs, paved areas and even lawns. If it has not drained within 24 hours after a storm it may cause a problem to structures or underground services. It is thus to your advantage…

The story behind permaculture is interesting, and please look into it, should you feel the need. In this article, we are taking bite-sized chunks of the principles which you will see overlap quite well with any type of food gardening and applying them to 10 ideas we borrowed to make it easier and practical to do straight away. Biodiversity By mimicking nature, as is often done in the principles of permaculture we can learn that in one patch of natural ground, there are hundreds of different species of plants all living together in great harmony. Anyone who has ever walked a grassland and got down really low to check out a pretty flower will have noticed this mass of biodiversity. Each plant will attract different insects, pollinators, animals and birds,…

1 Penstemon ‘Arabesque’ For wild colour in a wild garden, penstemons fit the bill. These tall perennials with several bicolour flowers in clusters along and at the top of stems, are known for their vigorous growth and versatility in the garden and in containers. It’s an award-winning plant for a reason. They require very little but for the occasional watering and deadheading to get more blooms. Later in the year expect to see new varieties in the garden centre like ‘Peptalk’. 2 Echinacea x hybrida ‘Artisan Collection’ The ‘Artisan Collection’ of echinaceas comes in colours that are soft orange, yellow ombre and red ombre for a vibrant warm end-of-summer and autumn display. These are compact plants with large flowers tolerant to drought, heat and humidity. They make excellent container plants as well…

Late summer to mid-autumn is a good time to prune deciduous hedges and those that have finished flowering. Allow the base of the hedge to be wider than the top. Gently sloping sides let light reach the lower half of the hedge, which allows it to maintain its thickness and density right to the base. Pick a hedge trimmer to do the job, carefully • Petrol machines are powerful, but heavy and noisy.• Electric trimmers are good for fine finishes and smaller lengths.• The modern lithium-battery cordless machines are lighter and less noisy More pruning to do • Prune back old canes of raspberries and blackberries that have finished fruiting.• Prune lanky pelargoniums to renew, and for cuttings.• Cut back cannas and heliconias.• Remove green growth sprouting from variegated plants…

Containers Pots like clay or terracotta are the best option for succulents. They are breathable allowing excess moisture to evaporate and they absorb heat to keep the plants warm. The more important consideration would be enough drainage holes. Pumice Made by crushing lava rock, pumice is widely used in growing succulents because of its unique properties. It is lightweight and helps with aeration but also holds moisture to slowly release it at a steady rate. It can also add up to 70 beneficial trace elements into the soil. The tiny craters on the surface hold air, moisture and nutrients. Sakadama Sakadama is a substrate used in bonsai growing which is also ideal for succulents. It has been treated to 600°C which gives it hard particles that don’t break down and…

Follow these steps Make sure your containers have drainage holes. Fill your containers with commercial seedling mix (available at nurseries). Sow two seeds per pot or cell about 2cm deep. Cover with seedling mix and press down. Although dyed-in-the-wool gardeners would probably have already sown their sweet pea seeds directly into the soil – they have deep roots hence the traditional direct-sowing – it is not too late for the forgetful, to sow these fragrant and beautiful annuals. Use toilet roll centres or paper cups with holes punched in the bottom for drainage. You can even make your own paper pots from old newspapers. Just pack whichever recyclable material you decide to use, into a large tray and fill up around them with compost or old potting soil which will…