Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2024 i The Gardener Magazine

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It makes sense to use what you can from your garden in your home like we cut fresh flowers for a vase. Seedheads can be very architectural and dried out for use in arrangements when fresh flowers are limited in the garden. Many iconic shapes are well known and sought after by flower arrangers that we can grow in our gardens and reap the benefits of their winter look. Some can even be dyed or painted for an extra modern look. These are my favourite dozen: Poppies Poppies of the oriental kind make the most sculptural dried pods with their bulbous round shape with a frilly hat on the top. You have to catch them before the thousands of tiny seeds escape. After flowering cut them down and tie them…

Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go. They outstrip potatoes in flavour and nutrition, being a low GI veggie that keeps you feeling fuller for longer and blood sugar levels constant. Besides that, sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B6, a good source of vitamin C, and contain vitamin D, as well as minerals like iron and magnesium. Health and nutrition websites all agree that this easy-to-grow veggie can help prevent heart attacks, boost the immune system, protect the body against toxins and improve metabolism. Getting started Growing your own sweet potatoes is quite different to all other vegetables, including potatoes. They grow from runners and not…

Hanging baskets can bring life to patios, balconies, and gardens and transform the mundane into lush and colourful objects, suspended in midair. Tap into this type of gardening for cascading flowers and foliage to make your own artistic masterpiece. Try these: Seasonal annuals: Use seasonal annuals that reflect the changing colours and moods of the seasons. Spring flowers provide a riot of colour and fragrance; summer introduces heat-loving flowers like cascading petunias, pelargoniums, and bright blue lobelia; autumn shows us how golden ornamental grasses and fiery marigolds go together, and winter shares the resilience of plants in bright cyclamens and evergreens. Succulent baskets: the world of succulents opens up huge opportunities to gather low-maintenance plants together with so many forms, colours, and textures available. Trailing sedums are ideal for baskets.…

One of our prettiest indigenous spring flowers is the diascia (twin spur) with its dainty pink flowers. Diascia ‘Diamond’ is a more vigorous hybrid version with larger flowers on a neat, compact plant. Besides pink, other flower colours are orange, fuchsia and white. Diascia ‘Diamond’ shows best in hanging baskets and mixed containers. One plant fills a medium-sized hanging basket while three together fill a 25-30 cm (diameter) pot. It is also a good filler for rock gardens and borders because its growth spills over, softening the hard edges. Growing tips Plant in fertile, well-composted soil that drains well and in a position that receives plenty of winter sun. Container or basket plants need regular watering because the blooms drop if the soil dries out completely.…

Winning letter Dear Tanya… Can Viburnum odoratissimum be planted as a hedge near paving and wall foundations? Jean Du Plessis Hi Jean The good news is, yes, it can. The Viburnum family is incredibly versatile, and best of all, they will not damage your foundations or paving. To keep a neat hedge, I encourage you to prune them regularly; this keeps the base of the plant full of leaves. There is nothing worse than a naked shrub on the lower part of the plant. Remember when shaping to always keep the base slightly wider than the top of the hedge, this allows light to still get to the lower part of the plant and encourages the shrub to produce leaves, therefore no naked lower ends! Take a look at www.thegardener.co.za,…

Stand a chance to win a Gardening Hamper! Included in the hamper is • R300 Plantland Online Voucher• Plant baskets worth R 400• Garden Tools worth R 300 Subscribe or renew your annual subscription from 24 June–26 August 2024 and you will be entered into the competition to win this prize. The winner will be contacted by telephone or email (14+ days after the close of the competition). Only available to subscribers residing in South Africa. Please see terms and conditions on www.thegardener.co.za. Plantland Online Store In addition to the four Plantland Nurseries in Pretoria and surrounds (Akasia, Cornwall Hill, The Wilds, and Menlyn), you can now shop online and have quality gardening goodies and plants delivered to your door anywhere in South Africa. Visit www.plantland.co.za for a great selection…

This interesting perennial member of the rose family is not often talked about in mainstream herb gardening, but it is an invaluable treasure from nature. Agrimony, botanically Agrimonia eupatoria, is mainly grown as a medicinal plant. Still, it has pretty spikes of buttercup yellow flowers in summer, followed by burr-like spiky seed pods that give a herb garden colour and texture. If it is only grown as a pollinator attractor, it is worth growing. Throughout the ages, it has been used in a foot bath for tired feet, and the leaves are often made into teas and salves to reduce inflammation. Many ancient civilisations have used it to treat a variety of maladies, from healing wounds to making a spring tonic. These plants are very easy to grow and require…

Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner. A fresh mushroom soup with freshly picked herbs and a dollop of cream or a packed anything-goes soup with great flavour, harvested from the garden, will keep you warm during those chilly winter nights. Add dumplings and you have the proverbial icing on the cake so to speak. What makes a good vegetable soup? Layering flavours Start with the basics like onions, celery and carrots – the famous mirepoix of cookery school, and then build onto that with other vegetables, herbs and spices. Or start with one ingredient like potatoes for a potato soup and add onion and garlic, a little bacon (always a winner), chicken stock, cream, sour cream or yoghurt, salt and pepper and finish…

Join Freddie to find out what’s new and trending in the world of bedding plants. These Flowering Favourites are available this month at garden centres countrywide ready to be planted in your garden or in a pot. Try the new ‘BeautiCal’ range, which is a Petchoa – the best of petunias and calibrachoas combined into one range in the colours of a beautiful sunset. PICK PETUNIAS for Colour Colourful stripes, edges, dots and tints are featured in the thousands of varieties of petunias and their smaller cousins, calibrachoa. These versatile annuals cover a hanging basket in masses of blooms, add pops of colour to a garden bed, or become the stars of the show in pots on their own or mixed with other annuals, grasses and flowering perennials. What they…

‘The Princess Lavender’ The Australians (never to be outdone) jumped into the lavender world and bred ‘The Princess’ range of lavenders from hardy European lavender parentage (Lavandula pedunculata) and created real royalty, crowned with fat pink flowerheads topped with twisted electric pink bracts! This tidy lavender, about 70 x 70 cm, is not shy to emit its lovely fragrance, and the grey-green foliage is equally aromatic. It is cold and frost-hardy, and flowers for a long time. This popular lavender deserves mass planting, spaced about 30 cm apart, for a wonderful show. It is perfect for pots, too, if you cannot afford to splash out. The ‘Elsas’ No garden, balcony, or pot is worth its salt without the happy faces of free-flowering daisy bushes, and in the genus Argyranthemum, there…

Izolda has some great tips for indoor gardening this season. Grooming Keep plants dust-free by wiping off the leaves with a damp cloth. Baby wet wipes are very handy for this job. Also, remove dead or dying foliage and spent flower stalks. Feeding Plant growth slows down in winter when feeding them should be discontinued. Warmer weather in early spring will encourage new growth spurts again, telling us to resume feeding. At the end of August, you can slowly ease into normal fertilising with liquid food by diluting the recommended dose at half-strength for a month. Watering Before feeding always water the plant thoroughly to prevent root burn. Sudden leaf drop or burnt spots on the edge of leaves can be signs of fertiliser damage. Calcium boost Crush eggshells between…

Tools Circular saw or mitre saw Drill driver 3 mm wood drill bit 70 mm coach screws 10 mm socket wrench Speed square ruler Pencil Tape measure What you need CCA-treated timber 38 x 152 mm lengths cut as follows: 1 x 1200 mm (backrest) 1 x 1200 mm (seat) 2 x 840 mm (outer legs) 2 x 460 mm (inner legs) We used 2 x 3 m lengths for this project. Woodoc30 (LowGloss, Clear) Woodoc Stain Concentrate (Meranti) Paintbrush Wood glue Steel wool Mineral turpentine Steps 1. Measure 30 degrees on your speed square and mark a line on the edges of each length of timber. Both sides of all four legs need to be cut at 30 degrees. For a more upright bench, use a measurement of 22.5…

There is little that beats a juicy, sweet strawberry freshly picked from the garden, but now we can also grow these interesting white strawberries, which have a hint of pineapple – a truly tropical taste. As much as we imagine, these white strawberries with pretty red seeds are not a mutation but a clever cross-breed that also happens to be less appealing to birds, so you are bound to get more fruit from each plant. They are vigorous growers, sending out runners as normal strawberries would, and they do well in the garden and in pots. Growing guidelines • Plant in full sun.• The soil must be sandy or loamy and contain plenty of nutrients. Add plenty of compost when planting, and make sure the soil is well-draining.• Use a…

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Margaret Roberts’ We are so lucky to have a locally bred lavender (with English lavender forebears) called ‘Margaret Roberts’. In our opinion, this is the best general-purpose no-nonsense lavender that flowers constantly. This well-rounded shrub is about 1 m high and wide and produces long, sturdy stems of perfumed light blue to violet-blue flower spikes. The healthy foliage is grey-green. It is hardy against cold and will survive dry periods effortlessly once established. Medicinal uses of this lavender are varied, with leaves perfect for brewing healing teas. Lavandula x allardii L. x allardii, also referred to as Dutch lavender, is a hybrid of L. dentata and L. latifolia. It is a robust lavender with mostly scalloped-edged leaves and a rich camphor smell and is a very popular hedge…

If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing. But, if cooking and gardening are your passions, we will give you more reasons to plant these three herbal groundcovers. The value of groundcovers in general • Groundcovers do just what their name says; they are low-growing and willing to spread rather fast to cover large areas of soil.• They can be used as living mulches acting as insulators against cold, or to slow moisture evaporation, and being dense growing, will go a long way to suppress weeds.• They encourage microbial activity creating a healthy habitat for soil organisms, thus improving the soil structure.• If chosen well, they supply the beauty of…

Peas in a pot Plant ‘Tom Thumb’ a bushy garden pea from Raw Seeds, in pots or small places in the garden. Plants grow 30 cm high and 10 cm wide, so space them 10 cm apart. The pods are at their tastiest when picked young within 50 days after germination. www.rawliving.co.za Bury leeks Frost-hardy leeks are easier to grow than onions. Plant a last crop of seedlings in compost-enriched soil. Plant them in a little farrow of about 8 cm deep and feed them every two to three weeks with a water-soluble fertiliser. Trouble-shooting compost A bad smell close by can mean that the heap is too wet and lacking enough oxygen. Turn it over and add more chopped rough material. If breaking down is too slow, add kraal…

Beth Chatto OBE 1923 – 2018 PLANTSWOMAN AND AUTHOR A ward-winning plantswoman and prolific writer Beth Chatto captured the hearts of gardeners with her naturalistic and ecological approach to planting. She was born into a home where her parents spent most of their free time in the garden, often with Beth holding a spade and seedling in hand. It was no wonder that after meeting and marrying fruit farmer and plant ecologist Andrew Chatto, she was inspired to leave her teaching career and take up gardening. The couple lived in Colchester, where their two daughters were born, and then, in 1960, moved to White Barn House in Elmstead Market. At this time, they became good friends with the artist Sir Cedric Morris, who influenced Beth with his wild planting palette…

This honey-scented alyssum groundcover (also known as Lobularia) is perfect for spring gardens and will keep on flowering into the early heat of summer. ‘Easy Breezy’ produces a mass of tiny bright flowers in shades of purple, pink, or white. Unlike other alyssums, it grows into spreading mounds that don’t split or flop open, resulting in a carpet of colour. It brightens a garden border, fills gaps between pavers, and is companionable with other spring flowers like pansies, violas and diascia. When planted in a pot or hanging basket, the plant forms a mound and then curls under so that the effect is like a cupcake or muffin. Growing tips Plant in full sun or partial shade in well-composted soil. Space plants 20 cm apart. Fertilise once a month.…

Tanya is preparing the garden for winter with tasks to tackle now. GOOD TIP If you have been hoarding champagne corks after celebrating special occasions, glue them on the tips of the stakes supporting tall plants like delphiniums and foxgloves. It can prevent accidental eye injury when working around them. Smooth pebbles will also work… Tend to your potted garden • Prepare empty pots for new plants by giving them a good scrub with soapy water, to which some household bleach has been added.• If you want a new look, paint them with water-based pot paint. It works on any surface, requires minimal preparation and no priming, is easy to apply, and is durable enough to last a few seasons. The colour range is wide enough to suit any colour…

Greg has a passion for turning green spaces into living canvases, and creating gardens into breathtaking outdoor art whilst working towards a sustainable future. With an artist’s eye and a gardener’s touch, Greg will create a bespoke garden for you, endorsed by an extensive portfolio and award-winning designs. www.gregdowsett.co.za. Good tip If you have beautiful hyacinths coming into flower, support the heavy blooms with short kebab sticks to keep them from bending over. How to handle frost damage If plants like bi-annuals, tender perennials and small shrubs have been damaged by frost, they will have a wilted, half dead appearance. Do not… • Stop watering them as usual; just stick to your normal watering schedule.• Prune away the frosted parts as they can protect against further frosting and root damage.…

Bring together vibrant colours, bold patterns, tactile textures, and a sense of nostalgia, and your brain tells you to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation – the dopamine effect. And what could be more nostalgic than potted chrysanthemums? Colour also plays an important part in your moods, and in winter, the easiest way to bring colour into your home is to use flowering plants. Colour therapy with houseplants Each colour has a unique signature that promotes physical, emotional and mental well-being. Just take a look at this list and add the right colour you are lacking: • Yellow – positivity and happiness• Green – nature, calmness and balance• Blue – peace and competence• Orange – enthusiasm and warmth• Purple – elegance and inspiration• Pink – love and optimism• Red – courage…

BEST DAYS FOR JULY…

BEST DAYS FOR AUGUST…

On a sunny Sunday morning in late autumn, two thirteen-year-old friends were ‘parked off’ on the swings in a neighbourhood play park, sipping on their cooldrinks. They were just hanging out while one of them was waiting to be picked up by his dad for his little cousin’s first birthday party. A stranger strolled up to them, asking politely what time they thought it might be since he was in a bit of a hurry. When one of the boys pulled out his cell phone from his pocket to check the time for him, it was grabbed out of his hand. Faster than a mamba snake can strike, the stranger then pushed the barrel of a gun against the other boy’s temple, slipped a hand into his pocket, and grabbed…