Moonlighting!
The Gardener|August 2019

By day silvery leaves stand out gently between all the different shades of green. But when illuminated by only the light of the moon, they create a magical lustre…

Anna Celliers
Moonlighting!

A GALLERY OF SILVERS

Lavandula stoechas ‘Silver Anouk’

Outstanding silver-white foliage with a blue cast.

Fragrant dark violet flowers topped with lavender bracts or petals in spring – reblooming in other seasons.

Sprightly upright growth habit (46cm x 36cm).

Use in borders, as a low hedge or plant your ‘Silver Anouk’ in a pot.

Lychnis coronaria (rose campion)

Perennial or biennial grown for both its silvery-grey velvety leaves and a profusion of flowers in spring and summer.

Clump-forming with ovate, densely woolly leaves.

Perfect for mass planting in a border.

Size approximately 80cm x 45cm.

Podalyria sericea (silver sweet pea bush)

Very decorative but unfortunately vulnerable indigenous shrub.

The soft evergreen, silky, silver-grey foliage gives the whole plant a shiny lustre.

Pretty pink pea-like flowers appear in winter and are followed by swollen velvety seed pods.

Growth habit is rounded and neat (1m x 1m).

Silver- or grey-leaved garden plants are mainly planted because of their functionality – they are mostly heat and drought tolerant due to hairy or waxy leaf surfaces and their ability to reflect sunlight and prevent water loss. But there is another reason to fill your garden with a lot of silver-foliaged plants and to combine them with light yellow, cream and white flowers – fashion!

A garden trend for 2019 is to extend the time you spend in your garden by planting a ‘moonlight’ look with plants that don’t disappear in the dark, but rather come to the forefront.

We like this trend and picked out some stalwarts to create that magical, mystical atmosphere by the light of the full moon.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2019 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.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2019 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.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE GARDENERVer todo
FIRE AND Feathers!
The Gardener

FIRE AND Feathers!

On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!

time-read
2 minutos  |
July/August 2024
GET THE ladies in!
The Gardener

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.

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2024
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
The Gardener

Vegetable Soups and dumplings

Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July/August 2024
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
The Gardener

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.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July/August 2024
Pretty and functional
The Gardener

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.

time-read
5 minutos  |
July/August 2024
Dried Seedheads & Pods
The Gardener

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.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July/August 2024
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
The Gardener

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.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July/August 2024
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
The Gardener

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...

time-read
5 minutos  |
July/August 2024
What makes a garden sustainable?
The Gardener

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”.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July/August 2024
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
The Gardener

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.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July/August 2024