CATEGORIES

The Science Behind Optimal Plant Health

Across the globe, increased attention and interest is being placed on overall health and wellness. Trends have shifted from simply ‘looking’ good to ‘feeling’ good. Being fit, strong and active, both physically and emotionally, is a growing priority for us all. With the rampant spread of diseases such as cancer, the value of health cannot (and is no longer) underestimated. Plant health echoes this conversation. Plantgesondheid volg hierdie gesprek na.

Pruning In 4 Easy Steps

By July the roses are ready for pruning. Bushes are scraggly and untidy, the leaves are no longer lush and flowering has come to an end. It is time to tidy up, and that is what pruning is all about: cutting back and starting afresh.

Winter Magic With Primulas

Use primulas to fill up your garden with abundant colour.

Winter Maintenance

27 Odd Jobs To Do Now At Your Address…

Root-To-Stem

Thrifty gardeners like to use every part of the vegetable.

3 Top Summer-flowering Perennials

Flowering perennials lend a welcome splash of colour to the summer garden, and the blooming period often extends through autumn to the onset of winter.

Our Air Plant Picks

Choose the right air plant for you.

Slugs And Snails

Mitigating the menace of maraudingmolluscs.

Nursery School Part 5

Sow the seeds of a lifelong love for nature by introducing your sprouts to these playful and rewarding projects with plants.

Fertility And Friability

Organisms in the soil influence these important performance factors.

Raise The Bar In Your Food Garden

Want to make your veggie garden more productive? Raised beds provide better drainage (which veggies love) and a friable mix that makes it easier for the roots to draw up water, oxygen and nutrients, especially in gardens with clay, sand or very stony soil.

Magnificent Cape Saffron For Small Gardens

The Cape saffron or lepelhout is one of South Africa’s most rewarding evergreen trees to grow.

Drought-Proof Dollar Plants

Indigenous and water-wise, crassulas can be jewels in a dry garden.

Black Diamonds

As a result of the extremely dry conditions over the last few years, everybody is struggling to find plants that will survive the harsh water restrictions.

Blushing Beauties

Harness the power of pink for your summer garden.

Taking Urban Gardening On Ward

This show stand was a great example of how to make a small space interesting and full of complexity.

A Watchdog's Garden

A large family dog and an avid gardener don’t necessarily make for a peaceful team in any backyard, but there are ways of establishing a truce that can be lived with.

Showy Buttonbushes For The Fynbos Garden

The buttonbush or vleiknoppiesbos (Berzelia lanuginosa) is one of the familiar components of fynbos vegetation, and a member of the family Bruniaceae.

I'm dreaming of a green Christmas

Why not give the gift of greenery this festive season.

A Rosy Christmas

GET THE LOOKSunny patios are the ideal place for showing off roses, especially those with fragrance. This built-in plant box that defines the outer edge of the living area is filled to capacity with roses: ‘Amarula Profusion’ cascading outwards and downwards, ‘Garden and Home’ growing upwards, and ‘Garden Queen’ adding a splash of contrasting colour.

A Garden Full Of Rooms

When the time has come, the best way to scale down is to surround and enclose yourself with much-loved plants...

the colours of mexico

when it comes to colour and vibrancy, there’s nothing like mexican garden or patio styles for inspiration. sunny yellow, electric blue, warm oranges and reds are all combined in a colour scheme that shouts bold and beautiful. 

an apple a day, the​​​​​​​ doctor's way...

a while back we were approached by dr nevin stewart, a hobby cider maker from guildford in surrey, england, to see if we were interested in sharing his ‘juice and strain’ method of making apple cider at home. when it comes to apple season there is always a good supply around, and what better way to use them up? what we wanted to verify before publishing is how easy it is to find the equipment you need in south africa, and also how easy cider really is to make. while experimenting with beer brewing for the ultimate braai magazine, we also made good use of the time and made a batch of apple cider, with the help of brad and chris from beer bros. our conclusion? cider is very easy to make, and is very tasty indeed. we’ve adjusted the steps for local products available. this is nevin’s story:  

Garden Ferns

Who needs flowers when the foliage is so spectacular?

Plan For Success

July is when winter really starts to bite. Everything goes dormant, including the gardener, which makes this the month to plan for spring and summer, look back at lessons learnt, and undertake the basic garden tasks at a leisurely pace.

3 Succulents That Contrast Splendidly With Aloes

Many other succulent-type plants combine effectively with aloes in the garden. Some have contrasting foliage both in terms of colour and texture, adding interest to the landscape and enhancing year-round good looks. These three indigenous plants are ideal companion plants for aloes of every shape and size – they have colourful foliage and attractive flowers that add to their appeal. Use them in gardens or plant them in mixed succulent pots for a lovely display that requires very little water.

Viva La Difference

how to prune different rose types

Shopping For The Perfect Tree

Tree planting is about visualising an end result and then having the energy and patience to make it a reality. It’s also about thinking before you plant.

A Love Letter

Can you write a love letter to ensnare a husband (or wife)?

3 Great Evergreen Hedge Plants

Hedges and screens are an integral component of the modern-day garden, offering privacy and in some instances security while affording protection from winds and weather. They may be clipped or trimmed into formal square hedges or else left to grow into informal screens. The plants selected for this purpose are generally quick-growing evergreen shrubs with a dense growth habit, and flowers and colourful foliage are subsequently of secondary importance. Hedge plants need to respond well to regular clipping and continuously make new growth to maintain a long-lasting neat appearance.