July/August 2024

The Gardener Magazine

For everyone that loves gardening!

The Gardener Magazine2 min read
Dirt DIARIES
Can Viburnum odoratissimum be planted as a hedge near paving and wall foundations? Jean Du Plessis Hi Jean The good news is, yes, it can. The Viburnum family is incredibly versatile, and best of all, they will not damage your foundations or paving. T
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
Welcome
With this magazine in your hands, we know you are one of those truly optimistic gardeners and humans. Come to think of it, most gardeners or plant lovers I have interacted with, are beautiful people. We look for the positive in everything, especially
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
Lavender Lovelies
We are so lucky to have a locally bred lavender (with English lavender forebears) called ‘Margaret Roberts’. In our opinion, this is the best general-purpose no-nonsense lavender that flowers constantly. This well-rounded shrub is about 1 m high and
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
Our Chelsea Golds
After four years of being unable to showcase our magnificent land and only due to the determination of a group of passionate people, we were once again represented at the Chelsea Flower Show. We are privileged to have had a very small part to play by
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
The Grootbos Foundation
The beauty of the fynbos-covered slopes overlooking Walker Bay first captivated Michael Lutzeyer in 1991. Since then, the family has built a world-class travel destination at the pristine Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, preserving 3,500 hectares of
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Brahman Hills, Kwazulu-natal
A garden built during the 2020 lockdown to keep the staff employed while the hotel was closed won the coveted award RHS Partner Garden of the Year, Regional Winner in 2023. Brahman Hills in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands is the only garden in South Afric
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Subscribe Today
Stay in Bloom All Year • Exclusive Content: Be the first to enjoy our in-depth features and stunning garden showcases.• Convenience: Every issue delivered directly to you.• Surprise and Delight: Look forward to our bumper issues that are bigger and b
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
Nurturing NATURE
It is hard to believe that what was once barren farmland has blossomed into an oasis of biodiversity and tranquillity thanks to the vision and dedication of Derryn and Malcolm Searle. Drawn by the allure of the burnt orange hues of the Karoo earth, a
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Subscribe And Win!
Stand a chance to win a Gardening Hamper! Included in the hamper is • R300 Plantland Online Voucher• Plant baskets worth R 400• Garden Tools worth R 300 Subscribe or renew your annual subscription from 24 June–26 August 2024 and you will be entered i
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Plant List
SOURCES Landscaper: Franchesca Watson – www.franchescawatson.com • Nursery: Renu-Karoo Nursery – renukaroo@gmail.com www.thegardener.co.za ■
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
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”. This global interpretation can be
The Gardener Magazine5 min read
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
In the limited spaces of suburban gardens, there is little scope for permanent shrubs with negative traits. You don’t want your plants dropping leaves, going dormant for months on end, not flowering or only for a short period, becoming spindly and si
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
Dried Seedheads & Pods
It makes sense to use what you can from your garden in your home like we cut fresh flowers for a vase. Seedheads can be very architectural and dried out for use in arrangements when fresh flowers are limited in the garden. Many iconic shapes are well
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
SO MANY FACES and So Many Choices…
They flower in pots on stoeps, in pockets between the rocks of a rock garden, grow on dry pavements in windy coastal gardens, have pride of place in containers on modern rooftop gardens, and are often part of mixed plantings in sunny borders. They ar
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Agrimony
This interesting perennial member of the rose family is not often talked about in mainstream herb gardening, but it is an invaluable treasure from nature. Agrimony, botanically Agrimonia eupatoria, is mainly grown as a medicinal plant. Still, it has
The Gardener Magazine5 min read
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. But, if cooking and gardening are your passions, we will give you more reasons to plant these
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
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. They outstrip potatoes in flavour and nutrition, being a low GI veggie tha
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
Vegetable Soups and Dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner. A fresh mushroom soup with freshly picked herbs and a dollop of cream or a packed anything-goes soup with great flavour, harvested from the garden, will keep you w
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
What To Do In July
Plant ‘Tom Thumb’ a bushy garden pea from Raw Seeds, in pots or small places in the garden. Plants grow 30 cm high and 10 cm wide, so space them 10 cm apart. The pods are at their tastiest when picked young within 50 days after germination. www.rawli
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
What To Do In August
Direct sow in warm frost-free areas. In colder regions do it in pots or wait till the last frost is over. Chillies, nasturtiums, Italian parsley, curly parsley, beetroot, brinjals, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas, sweet peppers, radishes, rocket, gre
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
Botanical Tales
Tinus and Nollie @plantae orchids Orchid hybridising can be extremely rewarding for those who have the patience. Seeing plants flower from a cross or hybrid you made yourself is one of the most fulfilling parts of orchid growing, even when some flowe
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
Heroines of HORTICULTURE
PLANTSWOMAN AND AUTHOR A ward-winning plantswoman and prolific writer Beth Chatto captured the hearts of gardeners with her naturalistic and ecological approach to planting. She was born into a home where her parents spent most of their free time in
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Floating Gardens
Hanging baskets can bring life to patios, balconies, and gardens and transform the mundane into lush and colourful objects, suspended in midair. Tap into this type of gardening for cascading flowers and foliage to make your own artistic masterpiece.
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
DIASCIA ‘Diamond’
One of our prettiest indigenous spring flowers is the diascia (twin spur) with its dainty pink flowers. Diascia ‘Diamond’ is a more vigorous hybrid version with larger flowers on a neat, compact plant. Besides pink, other flower colours are orange, f
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
HANGING BASKET Planting Kit
Hanging baskets are an excellent way to display plants in a manner that allows cascading plants to shine. They can also be used for a selection of herbs for the kitchen or for your favourite annuals to add colour to your patio. These are the essentia
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
LOBULARIA ‘Easy Breezy’
This honey-scented alyssum groundcover (also known as Lobularia) is perfect for spring gardens and will keep on flowering into the early heat of summer. ‘Easy Breezy’ produces a mass of tiny bright flowers in shades of purple, pink, or white. Unlike
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
Seasonal Stars for a Vibrant Garden
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. Try the new ‘BeautiCal’ range, which is
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
In The Garden With Tanya
Tanya is preparing the garden for winter with tasks to tackle now. If you have been hoarding champagne corks after celebrating special occasions, glue them on the tips of the stakes supporting tall plants like delphiniums and foxgloves. It can preven
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Tigridia
Intricate triangular flowers with tiger spots to plant now for summer colour. Tigridia pavonia is a lovely summer flowering bulb that the Aztecs used as an edible bulb. It comes in various colours, including red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, salmon
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
GET THE Ladies In!
The Australians (never to be outdone) jumped into the lavender world and bred ‘The Princess’ range of lavenders from hardy European lavender parentage (Lavandula pedunculata) and created real royalty, crowned with fat pink flowerheads topped with twi
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
Greg’s Top Tips
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,
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
FIRE AND Feathers!
To understand and embrace the modern cultivars of Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo), which is native to Japan, China and India, one needs to remember what this plant means to gardeners dealing with difficult growing conditions: • Vertical interest
The Gardener Magazine3 min read
Winter Houseplant Tips
Izolda has some great tips for indoor gardening this season. Keep plants dust-free by wiping off the leaves with a damp cloth. Baby wet wipes are very handy for this job. Also, remove dead or dying foliage and spent flower stalks. Plant growth slows
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
DOPAMINE Décor
Bring together vibrant colours, bold patterns, tactile textures, and a sense of nostalgia, and your brain tells you to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation – the dopamine effect. And what could be more nostalgic than potted chrysanthemums? Col
The Gardener Magazine2 min read
Make a Leopold Bench
Circular saw or mitre saw Drill driver 3 mm wood drill bit 70 mm coach screws 10 mm socket wrench Speed square ruler Pencil Tape measure CCA-treated timber 38 x 152 mm lengths cut as follows: 1 x 1200 mm (backrest) 1 x 1200 mm (seat) 2 x 840 mm (oute
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
Pineberry
There is little that beats a juicy, sweet strawberry freshly picked from the garden, but now we can also grow these interesting white strawberries, which have a hint of pineapple – a truly tropical taste. As much as we imagine, these white strawberri
The Gardener Magazine1 min read
The Gardener Magazine
Editor Tanya Visser Assistant Editor Anna Celliers Features Editor Wendy Moulton Process & Operations Manager Cindy May Wang Traffic Co-ordinator Vivienne van Biljon Design Gillian O’Donoghue, Wendy Moulton Creative Media Innovator Izolda Visser Inte
The Gardener Magazine4 min read
Point Blank In The Park!
On a sunny Sunday morning in late autumn, two thirteen-year-old friends were ‘parked off’ on the swings in a neighbourhood play park, sipping on their cooldrinks. They were just hanging out while one of them was waiting to be picked up by his dad for

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