Are You Doing It Wrong
The Gardener|July 2018

If gardening’s not really fun anymore, it might be because you’re making one of the mistakes that we all make.

Anna Celliers
Are You Doing It Wrong

I always tell gardening friends that I don’t think that there should be any rules to gardening. It is, after all, your property, your money and your labour that goes into a garden, not true?

But although it is okay to do exactly what you want or to allow your own creativity to lead you, it also makes sense to stick to some tried and tested principles that can help you to achieve gardening happiness and contentment.

1. Trees in purgatory

It’s exciting to plant a tree, and a lot of hope and dreams are invested in any tree that you bring home from the nursery. But the following stuff can go wrong:

The hole is a sump

We all know that a large hole should be dug when getting ready to put a tree in the ground. We also know that you never plant a R100 tree in a R2 hole, and we assume that you have made provision for bone meal or super phosphate and a bag of compost to add to the hole. But you need to remember to mix the compost properly into the excavated topsoil, and don’t use it unmixed to back fill the hole. In some soils, especially with heavy rain, this creates a spongy sump that can cause root disease, or even a tree drowning. Planting a tree too deep and not at the same level in which it was growing in its nursery container has the same effect.

The tree is encumbered

Denne historien er fra July 2018-utgaven av The Gardener.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2018-utgaven av The Gardener.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE GARDENERSe alt
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
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 mins  |
July/August 2024