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…
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.
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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.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
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.