Shrubs | Gardening Made Easy

Easy Rhododendrons and Azaleas...

While roses are considered by many gardeners to be the Queen of the garden, Rhododendrons are said to be the King. The vivid displays produced by rhododendrons and azaleas can last for several months. There are plants to suit any garden — but to thrive they must have acid soil and good drainage. Rhododendrons and azaleas are among the most decorative shrubs available for the home garden. Varying in size from mat‑like...

Seductive Jasmine...

Plant Jasmine and experience the delight of a very fragrant spring and summer garden. The sweet fragrance of the jasmine flower makes it a welcome plant in many gardens. The plant parts have several uses from making tea to perfume, cosmetics, medicines and food flavourings. The name Jasmine is derived from the Persian yasmin which means ‘a gift from God’ — so named because of the intense fragrance of...

Strelitzia — the Bird of Paradise or Crane Flowe...

Strelitzia is an easy plant to grow in the garden. This striking perennial is one of South Africa’s most successful plant exports! It forms sturdy clumps of grey‑green banana‑like leaves and boasts unique and wonderful bird‑like orange‑and‑blue flowers. STRELITZIA REGINAE The fascinating blooms of Strelitzia reginae are sold as cut flowers by the million. In Los Angeles strelitzias are so extensively...

Easy shrubs in containers...

Choose the plants according to the conditions in the area where the tubs are to be placed Many of the most decorative shrubs grow well in large pots or tubs. Large tubbed specimens are particularly effective on verandahs and patios, and in areas of open paving. Shrubs that will grow well in containers include Abutilon, several varieties of Abelia, Agave, Ardisia, Buxus, some varieties of Camellia, Choisya,...

Growing heathers and heaths...

Easy-to-grow heathers bring year-round colour to gardens in almost any climate. Heathers are incredible plants that offer real value for money. As a group they flower all year round and individually can be in bloom for several months, with few other plants able to rival the winter-flowering forms for sheer flower power at that time of the year. The flowers vary from the purest white, through pinks and reds...

Easy Summer Flowering Shrubs (Part Two)...

Shrubs provide colour and a sense of permanence to your garden. There is a wide choice of summer‑flowering shrubs and for easier reference they have been listed in alphabetical order. The figures in brackets indicate the ultimate height and spread of the plants. DEUTZIA (Bridal Wreath) · D. gracilis (2m x 2m) deciduous, hardy. The arching stems with racemes of pure white flowers resemble a bridal wreath. · ...

Easy Summer Flowering Shrubs (Part One)...

There is a wide range of summer flowering shrubs to add colour to your garden. There’s nothing quite like the joy of watching the summer flowering shrubs burst into bloom, providing colour and a sense of permanence to your garden. What would our gardens be without shrubs? They give an air of permanence, are useful for screening, whether used as formal or informal hedges or shrub borders, complement the trees...

Camellias made easy...

Few shrubs are more rewarding to home gardeners than the camellia, with its glossy, evergreen foliage and delicate flowers that bloom over a long period The most rewarding of all winter-flowering shrubs. In South Africa, interest in camellias has been less noticeable than in other Western countries. This is partly because South African gardeners have not had ready access to the newer hybrids developed in the United States,...

Fuchsia Profusion...

The fuchsia is perhaps one of the most versatile of all flowering shrubs and certainly one of the most beautiful. Even the rose cannot rival it for ability to produce flowers as it blooms from early summer until well into autumn. Originally from South and Central America fuchsias are very popular in gardens today. Fuchsias will grow in various shapes — as upright bushes of all heights, from dwarfs of a few centimetres...

Versatile Shrubs...

Whether your garden is a tiny suburban plot or several thousand square metres in extent, you can have year‑round interest and beauty by growing shrubs. Shrubs are among the most versatile of garden plants. They serve as a rich background to other plants. Planted in good soil, shrubs require little or no fertiliser, very little pruning and seldom any spraying against pests or diseases. They will reward you in many...

About This Site

Gardening really is fun (even though it requires a certain amount of work). To have a wonderful, colourful show garden you don't have to be a garden specialist or know all the Latin names for plants. Here we aim to provide easy to understand guidelines, tips and ideas for gardeners living in the southern hemisphere and other temperate regions. The site is filled with useful monthly gardening diaries, events news, plant profiles, special sections on trees, shrubs, herbs, succulents, vegetables, indigenous flowers and plants and more. We will constantly be adding more content, so come back often and explore the many categories and pages — remember its all about fun!

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