The Gardener Magazine

Welcome to my favourite months in the gardening calendar. These cooler, more temperate months are full of abundance. The perennials in the border flower beds are a riot of colours, and my trees tell me that autumn is here. My planning kicks into top gear at this time of year, and so should yours. It is a time for decisions and dreaming about what bulbs will be planted where. Are they all going in pots this year, or what is the colour scheme for the front garden, and what is going indoors? I can tell you right now that on my ‘must-have list, no matter what’, I must have the salmon and yellow hyacinths for starters. And wait for it, we can now get English bluebells! Oh, my word, I…

Black bird-berry Psychotria capensis is an extremely attractive shrub or even small tree with a size of about 2 x 4 m, with pale brown bark and many slender, horizontal stems dressed in leathery and glossy dark green elliptical leaves. One can call this the perfect foliage plant for shade, as it will grow happily under the shady canopy of deciduous trees. If you have enough space, plant groups of them in your woodland garden. If only a pot is available, plant one in it and place it where the morning sun will reach it. Rich, yellow flowers cover the plant from August to January, which attracts many pollinators. The flowers are followed by bunches of multi-coloured berry-like fruit (they ripen from yellow, red, to black from January to July),…

Dear Tanya… Winning letter We moved into a new house on the South Coast. I need good advice on how to get rid of this weed please. It’s driving me nuts. Kind regards, Yvonne Syffert Hi Yvonne, This looks like a Richardia plant (a pest/weed in our lawns). This broad-leafed perennial needs to be either physically removed, which is a seriously long game, or it can be treated with a selective herbicide. There are many to choose from: Lawnweeder, Pure Lawn, Turfweeder or Kombat Weeds. Please follow the instructions carefully and apply the right coverage – rather under-apply and have to repeat than overapply, you risk damaging the lawn. Apply on a sunny, windless day, keep the dogs and cats off the lawn for an hour or two and repeat…

It’s time to sow sweet peas Add some sweetness to your garden with MayFord Seeds’ sweet peas. They are easy to grow, thrive on trellises or in pots, and will transform your garden into a colourful paradise with a delightful fragrance. Choose between climber and dwarf mixed-coloured varieties, which will not only look beautiful but also attract pollinators to your garden. www.mayford.co.za https://mayford.co.za/ https://www.kirchhoffs.co.za/ The new Gusta Range Increase your outdoor space with the crafted Gusta Range practical planters, which fit perfectly in any area. They are ideal for smaller gardens, balconies, and terraces, or why not have your own indoor garden solution? This weather-resistant, sophisticated, uniquely designed planter range is decorative, easy to use, and suitable for all crops, especially climbers. www.kirchhoffs.co.za…

IN BRIEF Where: Cotswold Downs, close to Hillcrest Upper Highway, KwaZulu-Natal Size: Approximately 1 acre Climate: Green belt zone, misty and cool Soil: It is very rocky, but by platforming the garden and using dry stack walling, they could bring in enough topsoil to plant. Style: Classical farm style Landscaper: Ashleigh Clare, Garden Heart From rocky terrain to a dream garden When landscaper Ashleigh Clare first saw the space in February 2023, she faced a formidable challenge. The garden was essentially a large rocky bank, access was difficult, and the area was not conducive to walking or enjoying the space. Over the course of 6 months, the Garden Heart team worked tirelessly to reshape this challenging terrain into a series of interconnected garden rooms, each with its own unique theme…

Graptophyllum pictum ‘Chocolate’ This is a very striking evergreen with brightly coloured foliage at home in hot, subtropical climates and tropical-style gardens. The leaves are large and leathery, burgundy bronze, centred with pink and cream splashes – a magnificent shrub to use as a striking contrast. It matures to about 1,2-1,8 m. Creating a tropical look is easy to achieve with the right plants. Pseuderanthemum reticulatum ‘Atropurpureum’ This tropical evergreen from Polynesia is the perfect companion for crotons in a tropical-style border. The leaves are ovate, leathery, and plum-coloured, with rose, grey-green, and cream markings in no set pattern. Lovely, lightly fragranced little five-petalled flowers, rosy purple with red markings, appear on terminal spikes in summer and autumn. Mature height is about 1-1,2 m. Plant together with Pseuderanthemum reticulatum ‘Aureum’, which…