Many gardeners are hesitant about hedges and unsure about screens. A hedge, they reason, will take a long time to grow and need a lot of maintenance, but that’s not necessarily so.
Many gardeners are hesitant about hedges and unsure about screens. A hedge, they reason, will take a long time to grow and need a lot of maintenance, but that’s not necessarily so. There will be a bit of a wait, so you might want to fence first and plant the hedge around that, but it will be worth the wait.
Consider your options: walls are expensive, and the cheaper options are pretty unattractive. Wooden fences are pretty, but they do need maintenance to keep the wood in good condition, and at some point you will have to replace support poles that are starting to rot. Diamond mesh fences are ugly, and they don’t give you privacy, while palisade fencing, though neater, might make you feel like you’re living in Fort Knox and still doesn’t block out prying eyes.
Hedging myths
Hedges take a long time to grow: That depends on your plant choices. I’ve seen a Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) hedge giving nice cover in just 2-3 years. Yellowwood hedges can also be pretty speedy, as long as you choose one of the faster-growing species, such as the Outeniqua yellowwood (Podocarpus falcatus) or Natal yellowwood (P. henkelii). Hedges are high maintenance: Not necessarily. You can install a drip-line for easy, low-water-use irrigation, and you shouldn’t need to clip a hedge more than 2-3 times a year. Get an electric hedge trimmer and the task won’t take more than a few minutes. You can also plant an informal hedge that needs little or no pruning.
Esta historia es de la edición August 2016 de The Gardener.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2016 de The Gardener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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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.