Ready steady garden
Spring has sprung, and the work you do in your garden over the next few weeks will ensure a lush garden that revives sooner than other gardens, and you will reap the rewards throughout the summer if you do proper preparation.
The spring cleanout in the garden also allows for more light and sun to get to the soil, which will warm up, and so to wake up the beneficial earthworms and get them to do the work nature intended, aerating and turning the soil.
Spring flowering dwarf aloes
The spring flowering Aloe Hedgehog is a great addition to a water-wise garden.
The flower is well suited as a ground cover, when planted on mass or as a focus plant in containers.
The leaves make a small clump, only about 20 centimetres high, that looks like the back of a Hedgehog, which is where it gets its name.
The orange flower’s spikes stand about 60 centimetres high, and will turn from a bud into a flower on the plant for well over a month or two.
When planting an aloe in containers, always add a layer of river sand at the bottom of the container to help with drainage. This acts as a filter, so that you only get water running out and not mud, which will cause the soil level to drop and stain your paving or patio.
For a soil mix for aloes, use one part river sand and two parts potting soil. Once planted, water them well and then allow them to dry out totally between watering. Feed once a season.
What’s up in the food garden
Late winter into spring is one of the best times of the year for lettuce.
Lettuce doesn’t like too much water on the leaves, which is why they grow so well this time of the year, as there is no extra rain to spoil the leaves. The sunny days and cold weather makes them grow slower and adds more compact, which enhances the flavour.
Grow a patch of mixed lettuce from young seedlings, and they will provide fresh leaves for the table for a few months, depending on the rain. Lettuce likes a well-prepared soil that drains well with plenty of compost and an organic fertiliser. Once established, harvest leaves from the sides, as perpetual lettuce, instead of cutting them down to extend your crop.
Growing lettuce on a patio or balcony in containers is also very rewarding. Plant them with a bit of space around them to allow them to establish and feed them every three weeks.
Azaleas
Rhododendron, known more popularly as Evergreen Azaleas, are a must in any garden, because of the abundance of flowers they create.
Very few shrubs flower so profusely that one can hardly see the leaves. In modern gardens they are extremely versatile and suit any style of garden. Plants should preferably not be in full sun.
The best position is morning sun, afternoon shade or dappled all day. Deep shade isn’t recommended, as it stretches the leaves and will result in only a few flowers. Plant in a generous hole and include a handful of planting fertiliser and compost.
Azaleas prefer a slightly acid soil, which is achieved by planting with acid compost, and again applying the acid compost as mulch to help retain moisture will help you grow the best azaleas.
Cape Daisies
Osteospurmum are certainly one of the best sellers in South Africa, and with good reason.
The indigenous Cape Daisies (Osteospurmum), herald the new season with masses of flowers in a range of colours from white, through shades of pink to deep purple.
The yellow introduced a few years back, continues to be popular, as will the nearly red that we have seen for the first time this year.
Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil, with not too much feeding, and keep them slightly on the dry side for the best results.
Shade garden camellias
Camellias grow in semi-shade to morning sun, perfect in small cluster or townhouse gardens and have evergreen glossy leaves.
Use them as a screen or as a solid background shrub. Camellias can also be clipped to shape and give an evergreen structure to the garden or in containers.
Camellias have different shaped flowers from single to rosette, and even in size they range from small and compact to large opulently flowers. Plant and mulch them with acid compost and feed them acid plant food.
A tip to grow them at their best is to keep them well watered when they are in bud and flower. If they dry out during this crucial time, the buds turn brown and will fall off.
