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Tree Basics

Tree Basics...

Few plants provide as much pleasure, or make such a useful contribution to the immediate environment, as the trees you plant in your garden. Trees are the most important plants in any landscape and in a garden their role is even more significant. They play a dominant part in a physical and aesthetic sense and also because man has a spiritual affinity with trees such as he has with no other plants — not even those...
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Grow a wildflower meadow

Grow a wildflower meadow...

Wildflower meadows have become increasingly popular in recent years, as gardeners combine low-maintenance design with eco considerations. Creating one involves a lot more than sprinkling a wildflower seed mix on your lawn, though. Vast tracts of South Africa form part of the Grassland Biome. The Grassland Biome is found chiefly on the high central plateau of South Africa, and the inland areas of KwaZulu-Natal and the...
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Growing indigenous

Growing indigenous...

The cultivation of indigenous plants — from the largest trees to the daintiest climbers and ground covers — can be rewarding for even the most inexperienced gardener. More and more South African gar­deners are planting indigenous shrubs and trees in their garden — plants once only seen growing wild. Indigenous plants make an attractive and hardier alternative to exotic plants. Indigenous plants make an attractive...
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Camellias made easy

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,...
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Pretty, Easy Petunias

Pretty, Easy Petunias...

Petunias are easy to grow, bloom reliably all summer, and are available in a wide range of colours, flower forms, and growth habits.  Petunias are amazingly easy to grow, both in the garden and in containers. Native to South America, the first petunia specimen (Petunia multiflora) was collected by an explorer at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata and was white in colour. The original varieties were strong-growing...
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Asters for every garden

Asters for every garden...

Excellent for massed bedding and as a cut flower, asters are easy to grow and there are both annual and perennial varieties (annual asters sown for late summer bedding are properly called callistephus).   Single, double and pompon aster flowers come in many delightful colours Asters grow well in average soils, but needs full sun. Although some varieties flower in summer, Asters are best known for being a beautiful...
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Grow alluring Pansies

Grow alluring Pansies...

The choice of colours and markings on pansies is extraordinary.   Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) are among the earliest flowering spring plants, blooming right alongside the spring bulbs. The name pansy is from the French word pensie, meaning thought or remembrance. The pansy is a delicate looking flower often with a dark centre or “face”. Pansies are one of three well-loved garden plants contained in...
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Hardy and Colourful Geraniums

Hardy and Colourful Geraniums...

These versatile plants are perfect for any sunny spot that calls for a splash of vibrant colour. Geraniums are easy to grow plants that fit well in home gardens, container gardens,  flowerbeds, and even as houseplants. The plants generally known as gera­niums are in fact pelargoniums, and are indigenous to South Africa. They were taken to Europe during the 17th cen­tury, and by the end of the 18th cen­tury had become...
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Growing Parsley

Growing Parsley...

Parsley plants do well in sun or partial shade, and prefer a rich, moist soil. Parsley deserves recognition for more than its role as a garnish. It is rich in vitamins, a good source of iron, and freshens your breath, as well. Common parsley, Petroselinium crispum, a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae), is well known for its use as a garnish or as a flavouring in many dishes and salads. The curly varieties...
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