Shirley poppies
• Cultivars derived from the European wild field poppy (Papaver rhoeas), which produces stunning blooms with crinkled papery petals in vivid colours.
• The seed can be sown directly in autumn or early spring.
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
• Depending on the cultivar, flowers can be different shades of orange to nearly red and are open and funnel-shaped with a spur on the underside.
• Leaves are rounded like those of a waterlily and edible with a peppery taste.
Cape scabious (Scabiosa africana)
• Mounds of velvety evergreen leaves with strong stems up to 1m high, dividing into many side branches with mauve pincushion flowers at their tips.
• Great one to sow or plant in a fynbos garden.
With the price of everything soaring, including gardening, we have to start thinking about flowering annuals, perennials and bulbous plants that don’t have to be replaced every year, at high cost. So it’s time to think about the returners, which wait patiently in the wings for a turn to perform again.
As we are already into our winter season, some regions might be too cold for sowing directly or for planting last-minute spring-flowering bulbs now, although in temperate or subtropical climates you can still give it a bash. But if you can’t, make a note of the following suggestions in your gardening diary when planning for colour next summer and autumn, as many can be sown (or planted) in early spring as well.
The self-seeding
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Esta historia es de la edición June 2022 de The Gardener.
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
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.
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.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
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”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.