GARDENING TIPS

This Winter add a little drama to your garden by planting Aloes!

I always find that my indigenous plants look fabulous in winter so this month we are going to talk about the interesting, indigenous varieties that are blooming now. Aloes should be in every South African garden or at least line our streets as they are hardy, water-wise and excellent pollinator plants especially when the bees need the nectar the most. They are ideal for rockeries or mass planting, and we now even have miniature indoor or patio aloes too. Even though they are so hardy and seem to grow anywhere, they would always appreciate a little fertiliser to help them bloom for longer and with bigger flowers.

Your aloes are not only beneficial for bees but also for birds - this is an important time to assist the birds in your garden by providing food and living or nesting spaces. We had a customer saying how she has lured a pair of common fiscals into her garden by mixing “Holsum” (instead of lard), bacon bits and a little seed together. I save the fat from my bacon and mix it with seed or fruit for the birds in my garden. Here are a few other ideas:

Seed: commercial seed mixes (bring your own container and ours is still only R15-00 per kg), popcorn, mixed poultry grain
Fatty foods: bacon rinds, potatoes, suet, cheese
Fruit: orange halves, pawpaw, apples and any other overripe fruit
Insects: a mulch layer of rocks and logs will stimulate the insect population which attracts robins and thrushes into your garden and at the same time provides a layer of protection for your plant’s roots.

How to create a home for your birds:

Lawn and grassy open areas are loved by ground-loving hadedas, sparrows, thick-knees, starlings. The addition of some of the following plants, Aptenia, Arctotis, Carpobrotus, Gazania can add a little colour and “DRAMA” while groundcovers such as Dymondia, Daisy lawn, Phylla nodiflora, Asystasia and numerous indigenous grasses add interesting foliage textures.

Densely planted, bushy areas planted with Barleria, Carissa, Halleria, Rhamnus, Plumbago, Tecoma, Agapanthus and Aloes in the sun or Plectranthus and Mackaya in the shade are ideal for robins, white-eyes and thrushes as they are shy and need hiding places

Trees and nesting logs provide a space for nesting and resting birds e.g. barbets, doves, woodpeckers, flycatchers, maybe even owls and other raptors. Now is a lovely time to plant trees for these birds e.g. any indigenous tree seems best, I always find it difficult to choose, maybe a pistol bush, brides bush (Pavetta), Lavender Tree (Heteropyxsis), PomPom tree (Dais cotonifolia) are all suitable for smaller gardens and if you have the space Vachillea and Senegalia (previously known as Acacias) are birds favourites.

A boggy, marsh area planted with Chondropetalum, Crinum, Cyperus, Dietes, Elegia, Zantedeschia is a delight for plovers, weavers and other water loving birds.

Garden tasks

Now that we have created a home for the birds in our gardens and introduced a few indigenous species, we might have to address other garden tasks that should be done this month.

Get prepared to prune, check you secateurs are sharpened and working but don’t be tempted to cut anything back just yet, I know that I have itchy fingers and can’t wait to start but I am told “patience is a virtue” and gardening is certainly teaching me that…you can thin out and shape your deciduous trees to let more light in once the leaves grow again in spring

But now is a fabulous time to split perennials that have formed clumps e.g. Agapanthus or Dietes or crown e.g., Daisy bushes. Some may be evergreen, others herbaceous, dying down to dormant roots. The dying down during winter could be due to drought or frost, but the plants will re-emerge in warmer times. Planted with specimens of other growing habits, you can create an exciting border which will always be different and appear new – DRAMA – DRAMA – DRAMA J

DG has taught me that for single crowned perennials e.g. Daisy bushes, (Lavenders, Salvias?) a severe cutting up to three times per year is necessary to prevent these plants from becoming straggly and woody. Fertilize every six weeks and water regularly. Apply new layers of mulch seasonally.

For clump-forming perennials e.g. Agapanthus, the most important aspect is lifting, dividing and replanting after flowering. When dividing clumps you need to:

Water the plant thoroughly a couple of days before lifting and cut back foliage and stems to 5cm above the ground.
Prepare new planting beds with compost (homemade or bought) - I always add a little bokashi too to attract earthworms and other beneficial organisms to improve soil life.
When ready to plant, lift plants carefully, divide the plants to single crowns gently with your hands or sharp knife and plant immediately, no more than eight plants/m². Give plants a generous soaking afterwards then water thoroughly twice weekly and fertilize every six weeks. Do not water or fertilize dormant perennials during cold winters.
Mulch seasonally.

We aren’t called Colourful Splendour for nothing and if the winter blues are getting your down and you need some colourful cheer, head to either Colourful Splendour Craighall or Honeydew where our garden centres are ablaze with colour - be it the blooming Poppies, the gorgeous Pansies, the bold Calendulas in our annual section or the Azaleas and Camellias in the shade or the Petunias, Gauras and Pelagoniums in the perennials – you will definitely smile and feel warmer in your heart as you walk around! While you walk around, look for that iconic plant or focal feature in the nursery for your home or garden that makes you proud and will cause positive “DRAMA”!