Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i The Gardener Magazine

Spring is most certainly in the air! Season 2 of The Gardener and Friends, brought to you by Stihl, is now on DSTV Channel 176. My sincere grateful thanks to the ‘guys with greatest gadgets’ (my own quote), you make it possible to create 13 episodes of gardening inspiration, practical gardening tips and DIYs by South Africans for South Africans. The fact that my small team put this series together from the first idea until the end makes my heart swell with pride! It takes months of planning, hours of research, gathering and deliveries to the point that my garage looks like a warehouse. I am most certainly not moaning, but not many know the magnitude of creating 13 x 24-minute episodes. To our brand supporters, Stihl, Garden Master and…

Syzygium guineense (waterpear) Although this indigenous tree is described as a medium to large tree of more than 15 m high in moist forests near swamps and river banks, it reaches a more humble size in frosty or coastal regions and other places with challenging conditions. It is evergreen with an upright and slightly weeping growth habit and fast-growing with a smooth grey trunk. Young leaves are purplish-red, turning to dark or yellowish-green with pale, dull-green undersides. Their shape is elliptic to lanceolate and slightly fragrant when crushed. Creamy white flowers with fluffy stamens and a sweet fragrance appear from August to December, followed by dark purple edible fruits. It will tolerate clay soil and has minimal water needs when well established. This is a very cool pavement tree. Cunonia…

Press, celebrities and the cream of gardening flocked from all over the world to the floral event of the year, Chelsea Flower Show 2024, to celebrate horticultural excellence, sensorial delights and soak up the spectacular gardens created by first time exhibitors and seasoned garden designers. The grand winner of the Show Gardens was the Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing garden which was breathtaking with its overall sense of calm and peace. Not at all flamboyant or dramatic in the conventional style, this garden drew one in with its stillness – a soft space for reflection and rejuvenation. Gardens that promote healing The Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing garden was designed by Ula Maria. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, (forest-bathing) and spending hours talking to…

Around the house and garden with Izolda. Mealybugs on succulents These pests love to congregate on succulents and cacti, but you will luckily not need a magnifying glass to see them. Their white, cottony mass of eggs makes them easy to spot in the folds of stems, leaves, and flowers. You can easily remove them by wiping down the affected areas with a damp, soapy cloth. Give the plant a good rinse under a kitchen tap afterwards if you can. On cacti (a more thorny affair), you can use an old toothbrush to brush them off. Can I propagate my pink urn plant? The fabulous Aechmea fasciata, with its rosette of silver-banded leaves forming a perfect urn, produces a beautiful, large, and waxy pink flower. What happens when it fades?…

Other vegetables and herbs to plant now include eggplant, zucchini, basil, thyme, oregano, green beans, and swiss chard. WHAT’S IN SEASON A spring seasonal harvest is filled with colour, texture and taste. Think of the dish pasta primavera (the Italian word for ‘spring’), and you will find all these veggies available for harvesting. These include asparagus, broad beans, peas and broccoli for the pasta and a host of other veggies, including cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, potatoes, beetroot, carrots, radishes, artichokes and cape gooseberries. It’s time to plant! Spring is a great time of the year to get the veggie garden ready for bumper harvests of summer crops and to plant the following: Tomatoes There are many types of tomatoes to grow, with most taking up space and needing support, regular watering…

Winning letter Dear Tanya… Firstly, thank you so much for your amazing magazine! Then, please help. I have grown some peppers and tomatoes from seed, and they are doing so nicely, but I have lizards in the garden who love my labour of love and keep eating them. I don’t want to kill them because they are, I believe, good for my garden but they also love my vegetables! What can I do to distract them? Regards, Lorraine Posner Hi Lorraine, I do not believe that the lizards are eating your peppers. It’s not their thing. More than likely, it is one of the following: Snails (which eat at night), red spider mites or a beetle. Looking at your plant, I do think it could be a combination of snails…

SOW PET GRASS FOR YOUR PETS Give your pet a treat with a healthy snack of pet grass. Like humans, our pets also enjoy fibre, and pet grass is a great solution. In addition, pet grass contains vitamins and nutrients for your pets. It can be planted in containers or in the garden in full sun, but make sure your plants are well established before allowing pets to snack on them. It is important to ensure that the pet grass is safe for pets and hasn’t been treated with pesticides or harmful chemicals. www.kirchhoffs.co.za NEWMAN’S BIRDS BY COLOUR Newman’s Birds by Colour by Kenneth Newman, offers beginner birders a quick and simple way to identify southern Africa’s most common birds using colour as a starting point. In its fourth edition,…

Since its inception in 1996, our garden centre has been a sanctuary for plant enthusiasts and gardeners alike. Over the years, our unwavering commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction has earned us the prestigious GCA Garden Centre of the Year award nine times. This accolade is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion that my team and I pour into every aspect of our business. Our journey began with a simple vision: to create a space where every visitor could find inspiration and joy. From the very start, my husband and I worked tirelessly to make this vision a reality. His passing in 2021 was a profound loss, but his spirit and dedication continue to guide us. Now, as I run the operations alone, I am more determined…

Tip To achieve the best results, it’s advisable to wash the gravel and plant roots before placing them in the pond. This simple step helps remove any debris or impurities affecting water quality. Gardens can present challenges such as awkward spaces and sloped land, perplexing even seasoned gardeners. However, with ingenuity and knowledge, these areas can be transformed into vital parts of a garden sanctuary. Here, we explore four garden fixes that range from simple to significant design changes. 1 Planting a pond for biodiversity Over time, garden beds can lose their shape, Having a water feature in your garden can be challenging. It’s like having a swimming pool, but without the chemicals, Kreepy Krauly, and sand filter. However, there are ways to deal with any problems, and one of…

Stand a chance to win a set of gorgeous Palermo Pots from and a handy Garden Kneeler from Value R1250 Value R1999 Subscribe or renew your annual subscription from 26 August–23 September 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. Palermo Pots These stylish pots will go with any garden décor and come in various sizes. They have the following features: • Strong and robust; will not chip or crack.• Lightweight and easy to handle.• UV protected, weatherproof.• Ideal for housing indoor and outdoor large plants.• Made from upcycled, recycled material. These Addis…

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. Ficus umbellata (umbrella fig) The rarer cousin of the fiddle-leaf fig, the ‘it’ plant a couple of years ago, has launched itself onto the houseplant market. The umbrella fig, like its relative, has large heart-shaped leaves on long stems but in a more vibrant green and more delicate-looking. It grows quite large to around 1.2 m tall and will need some extra space in a bright living room. Keep it alive • Once this plant is placed and happy, don’t move…

A Mediterranean style is warm and inviting, using earthy tones, decorative tiles, colourful patterns, and a hint of the sea in the design. Imagine a baking sun, and you can understand why we have chosen succulent-type plants to represent this style and save on watering. Calandiva and Kalanchoe What started as single-flowering Kalanchoe blossfeldiana has evolved into Calandiva, with double flowers that resemble tiny roses. The Calandiva cultivar of Kalanchoe has the same growing habits and requirements as the original, just with 28 more petals on each flower. There is a range of flower colours, including red, orange, light pink, bright pink, yellow, and white, and they last for up to 6 weeks, giving them superpower status. Whether indoors or out, these pretty succulents are tough, long-lasting houseplants. Look out…

Wangari Muta Maathai 1940 – 2011 SCIENTIST, ENVIRONMENTALIST AND NOBEL PRIZE WINNER Amover and shaker, a woman with courage, resilience and compassion, Wangari was the first female student from East and Central Africa to gain a PhD, the first female professor in Kenya and the first African woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Maathai was born into a world where the beauty of nature and the rhythms of traditional Kikuyu life intertwined. Little did anyone know that this young girl would grow up to become a global icon in environmental conservation and a beacon of hope for millions. Wangari Maathai’s was born on 1 April 1940, into a farming family that deeply valued the land. She developed a profound connection with nature and this bond was further nurtured…

WHAT YOU NEED ✓ 2 x gumpoles (50-75 mm) @ 3 m✓ 1 x gumpole (50-75 mm) @ 1.8 m✓ Crusher mix or 19 mm blue cement stone✓ Building sand✓ 2 x large cement pots✓ 2 x coach bolts (8 x 75 mm)✓ Plants of your choice Tools Drill, 25 mm spade bit, 6 mm wood bit, nut setter 1. Lay out your poles on a flat surface (lawn) and decide how much overlap you prefer on each corner. We left approximately 50-100 mm as the overlap. 2. Start by drilling a 25 mm hole using a spade bit, half way through the pole. Using a 6 mm wood bit, continue drilling through the hole and into the post below. This is the pilot hole for the coach bolt. 3.…

BEST DAYS FOR SEPTEMBER…

The first trigger which caused my angst was a Google translation of English copy into Afrikaans. It was about the planting of spring-flowering bulbs. The robot said: “Plant jou gloeilampe 12 cm diep”. If I directly translate it back to English, it means the planting of lightbulbs 12 cm deep! This indicated to me that the robotic translator is extremely dumb when it comes to gardening terms and should be watched like a hawk! The second trigger that caused me to cry out was when my eye caught a page in Huisgenoot (it was probably in its sister magazine, You, too). It was published on page 105 on 27 June 2024 with the title: “Plant dit soos Beckham”. The story shows a picture of the famous soccer player on his…

Keith Kirsten is proud to present a talk and presentation by Stephen Anderton on his New Inn Farm garden in the harsh winds of the Black Mountains in Wales. This project has been developing for 17 years and features an extensive range of South African plants at home in this highaltitude dry environment for Wales. It features complex perennial planting, green terraces and hedging and a moss woodland of several acres. Stephen has also presented two TV series of Britain’s Best Back Gardens. Book your tickets now to learn more. Stephen Anderton is an award-winning garden writer, author and broadcaster who lectures around the world on his specialist subject of gardening. His love of history and gardening led to several books, including Lives of Great Gardeners, a biography of Christopher…

The annual Garden Centre Association competition celebrates excellence within the industry, providing participating garden centres with the opportunity to vie for prestigious accolades such as the Garden Centre of the Year and the Home Store of the Year awards. These awards underscore the ongoing commitment to excellence and dedication to providing unparalleled service and products to gardening enthusiasts like yourself. Garden Centre of the Year Award Winner 2024 WINNER: Plant Paradise Garden Centre Runner Up: Eckards Garden Pavilion 2nd  Runner Up: Heckers Garden Centre RUNNER-UP Eckards Garden Pavilion 2ND RUNNER-UP Heckers Garden Centre Why choose a GCA Garden Centre? While the primary function of a nursery is to provide plants, a GCA Garden Centre transcends mere commerce. It embodies a steadfast commitment to offering healthy, top-quality stock while prioritising environmental…

NEW SWEET TALK Perfect for wildlife seduction on patios and balconies! Cupheas have been the go-to and most dependable gap fillers for many years, and many species of this South and Central American native have smartened up over decades to give us cupheas like ‘Firecracker’, ‘Lemon Squash’ and ‘Lilac Wonder’ – all hailing from different species. Now, these tropical and subtropical plants – used as longflowering annuals in cold climates but regarded as short-lived perennials elsewhere – are making a delightful comeback with a new range called ‘Sweet Talk’ bred from the species Cuphea procumbens. The flowers are exquisite with crinkly petals in pale lilac, deep rose and bright red, flaring from tubular bases the growers call ‘purple bee guides’. They are colour-coded to advertise a rich nectar reward for…

Instant spring cheer If your borders lack colour, bring it alive with pots of flowering spring bulbs available at garden centres now. They are an instant solution to drab gaps between other plants. Simply sink the bulbs pot and all into the ground. If you don’t need it outside, bring them indoors to brighten up window sills. Bulbs in flower to look out for now are daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips. Splash out a bit and take advantage of this shortcut if you have forgotten to plant spring-flowering bulbs in autumn! Pearly variegation Variegated plants are still on trend, and I have to brag about my string of pearls for its healthy growth. Curio rowleyanus ‘Variegata’, with its shallow-rooted trailing habit, has the same round succulent leaves with a sharp point…

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. You can set your clock by when portulaca flowers open and close during the day. SPRING AND SUMMER COLOUR Bright colours attract pollinators to a garden, and you can’t get brighter than these bedding plants just waiting in the garden centre to be popped into your garden. PORTULACA Whether you are planting Portulaca grandiflora or Portulaca oleracea, you can be assured of a bedding plant that is drought-tolerant and low-maintenance but also packs flower power in its bright single or double blooms. What they need • Sunlight and plenty of it – at…