May in the Garden
May in the Garden
Written by Sheryl Thiel | Life is a Garden
Be a winter-winner, get your May
maintenance in check, sow cool-season seeds, and grow with the flow as we enter
our last month of autumn. We’re celebrating our adaptable green fingers by also
highlighting Africa Month and all our glorious ingenuous glory. The party
doesn’t stop there – say hello to Phlebodium, the perfect indoor plant baby to
gift to the woman you adore this Mother’s Day!
CRISPY BLOOMS TO PLANT
Bulb up: Honour our African heritage with a jive of colour from Sparaxis (Harlequin Flower), genus Ixia, and Tritonia. Try also these perennial bulbous plants: Sweet garlic (Tulbaghia fragrans), Weeping anthericum (Chlorophytum saundersiae), Red-hot poker (Kniphofia praecox).
Bush out: Pork bush (Portulacaria afra) is a lekker local hero hedge. Good as a barrier plant, tolerates frequent pruning, extremely drought-resistant, and fast-growing.
Above: Pork bush (Portulacaria afra) also known as the Spekboom in Afrikaans
The 4 P’s: Plant with the 4 P’s - poppies, pansies, petunias and primulas.
TRICKS OF THE COOL-SEASON TRADE
Prevent pests: Prevention is better than cure! Remember that good soil + good drainage + mulch + fertilising/feeding = a healthy plant with more flowers, more fruits, and more veg!
Spray away: Keep spraying those conifers with insecticide.
Rake it, baby: Rake fallen leaves off the lawn to prevent them from blocking out sunlight, and then pop them on the compost heap. Coastal gardeners can still apply one more dose of fertiliser before winter sets in.
Freeze alert: Watering should be done after nine in the morning and completed by three in the afternoon – wet plants will freeze, haai shame!
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