Colour in the garden in autumn is always welcome, and when it comes from one of South Africa’s most reliable sub-shrubs, what more could you ask for? When it also offers refreshing and cooling blue flowers as a change from the traditional autumn colours of rust, copper, red and orange, it is an absolute essential plant for the garden. Read the rest of this entry »

The vividly coloured, glistening flowers of these succulents make them popular garden subjects, but their other attributes include interesting foliage, drought tolerance and adaptability to adverse conditions. Read the rest of this entry »

Also known as speedwell, veronica is a beloved old perennial that may have an upright form with spiky flowers, or be a low-growing, mounding creeper. Both types bloom in blue, as well as pink, white, lavender and rose, in late spring and summer. Give upright growing veronicas one of the best spots your garden has to offer. The plants produce dozens of 45-cm-long flower spikes, which can be cut regularly to prolong flowering. Any flower with flat blossoms, such as gloriosa daisies, looks great with upright veronica. Read the rest of this entry »

Candytuft brings drifts of lacy white blooms to the spring scene, often flowering from late winter for many months. Although grown as an annual, candytuft will last for several seasons, but does become leggy. This can be rectified with gentle pruning after flowering. Read the rest of this entry »

Gardening in the searing summer sun is always a challenge. Not only do plants wilt in the heat, but gardeners also suffer. But hot summers don’t mean that you can’t have a colourful garden. Numerous care-free plants with tropical temperaments crave high temperatures and strong sunlight. Read the rest of this entry »

To learn how plants that thrive in acid soil fit into their 1 natural environment, explore a natural forest. The same forces that shape and nurture a forest create acid soil. The copious rain that filters through the trees and soaks the ground underneath will leach alkaline minerals such as limestone sediment from the soil, neutralising it. At the same time, the natural mulch of evergreen leaves forms a blanket on the forest floor, along with bark and discarded branches. As this mass of plant matter begins to break down, it contributes acidity to the soil. So, unless a forest happens to be sitting atop a hefty deposit of crumbled limestone, the natural pH of its soil will be in the acid range. Read the rest of this entry »

Mild winters are the saving grace when you live in a climate where summers are a little too long and often too hot for comfort. In some areas, winter is a season of ample rainfall and cool temperatures that can be enjoyed in the company of numerous garden plants. Although many plants slip into dormancy where winters are mild, there are plenty of evergreen trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as hardy annuals, that will keep the garden vibrantly alive with greenery and flowers through the slow season. Read the rest of this entry »

Every climate has its problems. In the interior and in mountainous regions, winter comes early and stays late, much to gardeners’ frustration. This may explain why gardeners in cold climates often create beautiful gardens. They may be the result of long winter nights spent planning and dreaming. Read the rest of this entry »

Beautiful Rose Gardens, featured examples from the major classes that rosarians use to describe garden roses. All roses belong to a single botanical family, Rosaceae, and also are part of the genus Rosa. There are more than 150 different species of true wild roses found throughout the world, spanning native locales as varied as the tropics and the arctic. A few “roses” commonly grown in the garden are actually hybrids between the true roses and other, non-rose species. Read the rest of this entry »

Roses require extra care in climates that experience regular winter freezes. Freezing damages the delicate cells in foliage, canes, and roots—protect your roses by insulating them from severe temperatures. People living in USDA plant hardiness zones 6-7, with minimum temperatures between -10° and 10°F (-23° and -12°C), should allow the last blooms of autumn to develop hips and remain on their plants, fortifying the roses for winter. With the first frost, mound loose soil over the bud union and lower canes, then mulch heavily with straw. Read the rest of this entry »

Vibrant boxes, alive with colour, will transform a simple windowsill into an eye-catching display of flowers and foliage — from inside and out.

Troughs laden with flowers offer a bright and cheerful welcome Read the rest of this entry »

Seed pans, wicker baskets and basins make ideal homes for small plants. Choose these containers for succulents and seaside plants, which won’t mind if the shallow soil dries out from time to time on hot sunny days. Read the rest of this entry »

Capture the spirit of autumn with a clourful harvest of decorative fruit and vegetables. Choose inedible varieties you won’t be tempted to pick, and enjoy this display on chillu autumn days. Read the rest of this entry »

The term ‘bulb’ includes corms, rhizomes and tubers — all of which store food beneath the ground during periods of drought and dormancy (see box, far right). They are mostly associated with spring, but the autumn-flowering plants in the main arrangement on the facing page grow from corms. Read the rest of this entry »

Flowers offer the container gardener not only colour but also texture and shape. When planning a display, you need to look at the size of the plants, the outline of their flowers and whether the foliage is glossy or muted. Striking a balance between colour, texture and shape can create a beautiful tapestry effect. Read the rest of this entry »

Creating a successful colour scheme is not just about choosing the right plants. To get the best results you also need to consider where you plan to put the container. Read the rest of this entry »

This fern has slender black stems and delicate, triangular green fronds, which shiver in the slightest breeze. The leaflets are pale pink when young and develop to a pale then dark green. When the plant matures, clusters of brown sporangia (spore sacs) appear on the undersides of the leaves. This fern can be used to soften a display or can be placed on its own. Read the rest of this entry »

This plant acquired its unusual common name because some growers plunge the entire container into hot (not boiling) water at the beginning of spring to encourage new growth. Achimenes have slender leafy stems bearing flowers at their tips. The flowers, with long tubes and velvety petals, bloom in midsummer and come in rich and vibrant colours, as well as pale pink and white. They are ideal for hanging baskets but also look impressive in ordinary containers. Read the rest of this entry »

There are five main methods of pruning. These match the five main categories of different types of shrubs: deciduous spring flowering shrubs, deciduous summer flowering shrubs, winter flowering shrubs, evergreen shrubs and small- leaved shrubs.

Whichever method is used, you should bear in mind these general points. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several ways to increase your shrub stock. The methods most widely used are hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, tip cuttings and layering. Of these, hardwood cuttings are the most likely to succeed, especially with deciduous shrubs. But with certain species, the other methods may produce better plants more quickly. The sections that follow describe how to carry out each technique, and which plants it works best with. Whatever method you choose, bear in mind these general points: Read the rest of this entry »