27 Odd Jobs To Do Now At Your Address…
Regular maintenance to keep the house and garden in good nick is something you cannot skip. So if you have to spend the cooler months grafting away to fix stuff, smile as it can save you frustration, injury, money and even insurance claims later.
1 Light up your focal points and plants, the pond and treacherous steps with garden lights fitted with low-energy light bulbs. Motion-detecting outdoor lights for security purposes versus those that burn all night is also a way to save on electrical power.
2 Remove large, overhanging branches close to the house, and also check the centre of large trees for dead or diseased wood. If the garden has been too shady in summer and most of your trees happen to be deciduous, it’s a good idea to study their winter-bare silhouettes to see if you can’t perhaps remove some of the inner branches to make their crowns less dense. This is called ‘feathering’. Keep safety in mind when working with a chainsaw, and wear protective headgear and goggles when pruning a tree or large shrub.
3 Trim evergreen hedges and clear out all the rubble that collects under them.
4 Treat wooden decks and fencing with a wood sealer. Fix the holes in wire fencing and plant lovely climbers to trail over it.
5 Send your lawnmower for a service and to have new blades fitted.
6 Paint your peeling garden pots containing specimen plants in a different colour, scrape out the top layer of soil and fill them up with fresh potting soil and compost.
7 Store garden furniture away after cleaning and repainting it. Wash soft furnishings and slip covers and pack them away.
8 Cart away old rubble and large heaps of dead plant material not used on the compost heap – this can become a breeding place for all kinds of vermin, and is also a fire hazard.
Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av The Gardener.
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Denne historien er fra July 2019-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.
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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.