FIRE AND Feathers!

On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!

GET THE ladies in!

At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.

Vegetable Soups and dumplings

Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.

Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health

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.

Pretty and functional

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.

Dried Seedheads & Pods

Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.

SO MANY FACES and so many choices...

Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.

COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!

If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...

What makes a garden sustainable?

It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation

Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.

A Touch of Class

A cut above the rest and attractive enough to fill all the spaces you can see in your garden or in pots...

Bordering on food aggression!

The economy, fires, drought, Russians, fuel prices, and politicians, dictated what we ate in my youth. The only exception was that Eskom worked...

Quarantining new koi fish

Give your new koi the best start

Big deal GLADIOLI

To get balance in a flower bed, we rely on tall flowering plants to provide height and show off amazing blooms. One of our favourites to plant are gladioli. They might look impressive, come in some gorgeous colours, and are great for a vase, but they are also easy to grow with a few golden rules.

PRETTY FILLER Scabiosa

There are over 70 varieties of Scabiosa (pincushion flower) in both the annuals and perennials categories with arguably some of the best ones local to our country, and excellent pollinator attractors too.

TRIPLE treat

A floral combo that's bursting with colour

CHLOROSIS how to fix it

Chlorosis is not a death sentence for your plants. With prompt identification and the right interventions, you can restore your plants to their lush, vibrant selves.

COREOPSIS 'UpTick'

For an easy-to-grow, tough perennial, with masses of pretty blooms, plant Coreopsis hybrids and watch the bees and butterflies come into your garden.

Decorative Dahlias

With a little basic care, you can grow these showstopping plants in your own backyard with minimal effort.

The beauty of BEGONIAS

For endless colour and a garden that looks vibrant throughout the seasons, these are your go-to choices.

Turn your cypress into Christmas

Compact, lush and evergreen, a potted cypress makes a beautiful decorated tree for the festive season.

Good BUGS

In a garden where creatures are free to prey on each other, the biological cycle plays out dramatically...

Heroines of HORTICULTURE

This year at the Chelsea Flower Show, women took centre stage in the Great Pavilion.

3 hasty shrubs

Most gardeners who plant new shrubs will tell you that they have a great impatience to see them grow fast and flower well. All plants need time to settle in before creating a performance, but some do it faster than others...

GOING VERTICAL

If you're not making use of the vertical space in your garden, you're missing out on a huge and essential part of not only design, but also space saving. Space is at a premium in all gardens, but particularly urban gardens where choice is limited. Going vertical is the best way to make use of 'empty' space and improve your design at the same time. It's a win-win.

Delights to DISCOVER

A horticultural masterpiece that just keeps on giving...

Purple Cone Flower

Echinacea purpurea is a flowering perennial herb that grows easily from seed and produces large pinkish purple daisy-like flowers with a reddish-brown central cone that attracts bees and other pollinators.

Васора spiller a beauty

Sifting through the many attractive trailing plants suitable for South African gardens, it’s impossible not to mention bacopa (Sutera cordata).

Divine combination

We trolled the streets, studying neighbourhood pavements and accessed gardens (with permission) to see what's growing and found red vygies and blue felicias in a late winter-colour-clinch with pretty rocks...

Electric blue and more

If you're looking for majestic blooms to fill your garden this year, Delphiniums are the answer.