A Pooh in Every Corner

With a mountain at its back and the sea near its feet, this Noordhoek garden is a green gem.

Cool plants for shade

Shade in a mature garden of any size is as unavoidable as grey hairs sprouting on one's head. Embrace and highlight it with pretty shade-lovers and clever shade management.

The Cannabis Question

As a gardening magazine we have avoided the cannabis topic for fear of reader backlash. However, it's an interesting subject, so we thought we would give readers a breakdown of the facts and you can decide for yourselves... or skip these pages.

HOT STUFF! - Edibles that tingle the taste buds

There's always been a connection between hot countries and spicy food with the common assumption being that foods that make us sweat (or perspire) cool us down.

The evolution of plants: Part 4

In this final in the series, we discover the fascinating world of Dionaea and find out more about how to grow them at home.

ETHEREAL AIR PLANTS

With a motto like 'freedom to create', In2plants is a wonderland of endless imagination. Their exquisite collection of air plants is enough to make any gardener rethink the way they see soilless growing.

At play with AGAVES

Agaves are weird but alluring plant camels that are great focal plants in the garden and irresistible to the dedicated succulent collector. Editor Tanya Visser reveals why she has become such an agave junky...

Every garden needs a Water feature

For those wanting to change up their landscaping this year, water features should be the first thought on your mind.

The world's most beautiful bean

PLANT NOW

A touch of the exotic Curcuma

INDOOR PLANTS

Feed and mow

If you’ve awakened your lawn by giving it its first spring feed and a nourishing blanket of lawn dressing last month, chances are that it will already be looking quite good.

Strawberry harvest

PRESERVING

Sweet broom and daisies

Create light and happiness after a dark and cold winter with spring bloomers that aren’t afraid to flower their hearts out.

Darling Dianthus

Dianthuses provide one of the most spectacular year-round colour displays in your garden. In their traditional colours of pink, purple, red, white, and even bi-coloured, these beautiful little flowers are as striking as they are generous.

ALL-IN-ONE GARDENING

Summer is on its way, which means that we can start living and entertaining outdoors again. That means beautifying the garden where we will appreciate it most.

Designer garden tap

Update your garden tap with a neat wooden tap cover that turns a necessity into a feature.

Shut up!

I might have some sympathy for that angry old man wearing a black fedora who shouted ‘shut up’, although it might be a better idea if in future he zips his lips and listens to others for a change

Thanks to indigenous edibles

When it comes to indigenous edibles, a few spring to mind, especially the fruit of the marula tree that was so memorable in Jamie Uys’s iconic film Beautiful People (1974).

Think Spring!

When spring arrives, so should masses of flowers in the garden. These stunning plants are all in flower now and ready to delight in your spring garden.

Laid-back living

It's hard to believe that this slice of tropical splendour is in frosty Gauteng, but a clever design combined with judicious plant choices has given hot results.

Strings

8 string succulents for indoor gardens

‘Setsugekka' is smart!

Amongst the many Camellia sasanqua hybrids, the extremely gracious ‘Setsugekka’ is just itching to flower spectacularly for you...

MOSS POLES

Climbing indoor plants like philodendrons, pothos (Epipremnum aureum) and monsteras need a support structure to train upwards, like any other climber. A great option for these houseplants is a moss pole.

Wire techniques

Styling bonsai using wire is a fairly modern technique that was developed in Japan at some point during the 1800s. As with most bonsai techniques, the basic principle is fairly simple but the execution can at times be quite challenging.

Food and shelter for wildlife

Scattering wild grass seeds around your garden will help to feed the birds during the hungry months.

Romance made MODERN

This beautiful, eclectic garden in Constantia, Cape Town, was completed just days before the Covid lockdown began in 2020. The garden is a feather in the cap of KwaZulu-Natal-based husband and wife team John and Tanya Keating of Tandi Landscapes, as this was the fourth garden they were invited to design for their clients.

Forever yours…

You plant or sow them once, enjoy the reason why you did it, and then, totally unchoreographed and spontaneously, they turn up again when you least expect it. These are the self-seeding and naturalising plants that stay with you…

Prune peaches and plums

Fruit trees like peaches and plums need pruning when they become dormant as it will ensure the production of top-quality fruit in summer. If you’ve planted young fruit trees within the past two years and are now wondering how to train them properly, follow these steps:

Hanging tough!

Hanging baskets are great focal points as well as a clever way to use empty vertical space, but they can be hard to maintain as they dry out so fast.

Dress up a tree

Dressing up a beautiful shade tree with smart plants is another form of vertical gardening.