Shahnee Stockigt, Author at Life is a Garden

Gaura ‘Belleza RED’

Gaura’s are commonly known as the Butterfly Bush, Bee Blossom, Angel Wings, Butterflies in the Wind or Wand Flower.

Gaura ‘Belleza RED’ is a gardener’s dream as it is easy to grow, is fast growing and has a long lasting display of blooms.

It is a perennial plant with green foliage and has a clumping, upright, airy habit. It is a compact grower that can reach a height of 30-45cm.

Gaura plants enjoy growing in the sun. They are tolerant of poor soils, but will give better results if planted in well drained compost enriched soil. Gaura needs regular water but once established it is water wise.

The Butterfly Bush flowers from early summer right through autumn. The stems of Gaura ‘Belleza RED’ are lined with delicate open five petaled red/ flowers that have long prominent anthers. The blooms open a few at a time with the fading flowers falling neatly from the stems as new ones open. They are butterfly and bee magnets.

Gaura’s are trouble free, low maintenance plants but by cutting old flower stems when untidy you will encourage new growth and flowers.

Plant them in masses in the garden or with other perennials in your mixed border. In containers they are a delight with their continuous flowers.

Limpopo Stockists:

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River

North West Stockists:

Western Cape Stockists:

Cape Garden – Joostenbergvlakte
Cape Garden – Somerset West
Cape Garden – Stellenbosch
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – Rosebank
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Builders Express – Kenilworth
Builders Express – Knysna
Builders Express – Stellenbosch
Builders Express – Willowbridge
Builders Warehouse – Cape Gate
Builders Warehouse – City
Builders Warehouse – Constantiaberg
Builders Warehouse – George
Builders Warehouse – Helderberg
Builders Warehouse – Table View
Builders Warehouse – Tygerberg

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

Rosa ‘Oklahoma’

High centred buds open slowly into large, full blooms with 55 petals. Deep velvet-red in colour.

Strong growing, prolific & healthy – a real hot weather rose.

One of the most perfumed roses, excellent for pot-pourri, rose jam, rose wine or rose liqueur.

Free State Stockists:

Greenside Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Urth Garden Centre – Bloemfontein

Gauteng Stockists:

Colourful Splendour – Craighall Park
Garden Pavilion – Eckards
Garden Pavilion – Sunkist

Hecker Nursery – Boksburg

Ludwig’s Roses – Egoli

Ludwig’s Roses – Pretoria East

Plant Paradise – Pretoria

Safari Tuinsentrum – Pretoria

Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg

KwaZulu-Natal Stockists:

Blackwood’s Home of Gardening – Pietermaritzburg
Garden Pavilion Halls – Kingsburgh
Ludwig’s Star Roses – Hillcrest

Limpopo Stockists:

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River
Ninfa Tuinsentrum – Middelburg

North West Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – Geelhout
Sittig’s Nursery – Hartebeespoort

Western Cape Stockists:

Ludwig’s Roses Winelands – Stellenbosch
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

Klipvygie (Delosperma cooperi)

Delosperma belongs to the Aizoceae family commonly known as ‘Vygies’. Delosperma cooperi are known as ‘Klipvygie’ or ‘Coopers Ice Plant’ and are indigenous to South Africa where they are mainly found in the drier parts of our country.

Delosperma cooperi is a succulent, evergreen perennial that has a creeping habit. They have small, closely branched leaves that are round and up to 5.5cm long. The glistening quality of the leaves is due to water-containing cells on their surface which catch and reflect light, hence the name “ice plant”.

Delosperma cooperi love the sun and thrive in dry and hot conditions. They are vigorous spreaders that form a dense mat, 10 to 15cm high and spread to a width of 60cm. Although they prefer to grow in well drained soil, do not overwater as they will rot.

They are resistant to long periods of drought once they are established however if it is very dry before their flowering time, water them well and you will be rewarded with a good show of flowers.

The fuchsia purple flowers have many slender petals radiating from the centre and are spectacular bursts of colour in the veld. They perform excellently in gardens and without fail ensure the same bursts of bright, purple colours are mimicked in a garden environment

Klipvygies have a long lasting flowering period from late winter extending right through spring. Once the flowers die down, they are followed by highly conspicuous fruit capsules which insects love.

Delosperma’s are hardy to frost and will grow in the winter rainfall areas

In September Deloperma cooperi is a mass of sparkling colour and this low maintenance ‘Klipvygie’ is a must for every garden. Plant them as borders, in rockeries and amongst other succulents.

Eastern Cape Stockists:

Floradale Nursery – Port Elizabeth
Builders Express East London
Builders Express – Jeffreys Bay
Builders Express – Newton Park
Builders Express – Uitenhage
Builders Warehouse – Port Elizabeth

Free State Stockists:

Alma Kwekery – Welkom
Bruwer Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Builders Warehouse Bloemfontein
Greenside Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Urth Garden Centre – Bloemfontein

Gauteng Stockists:

Colourful Splendour – Craighall Park
Garden Pavilion – Eckards
Garden Pavilion – Sunkist
Plant Paradise Garden Centre – Pretoria
Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River

North West Stockists:

Western Cape Stockists:

Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Builders Express – Knysna
Builders Warehouse – Cape Gate
Builders Warehouse – City
Builders Warehouse – Constantiaberg
Builders Warehouse – Table View
Builders Warehouse – Tygerberg

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

Strawberries

Who can resist the juicy, sweet, bright fruit of a strawberry?

They are easy and rewarding to grow and will do well amongst other shrubs in a garden bed or in a pot.If you decided to plant your Strawberries in a garden bed just ensure they are planted in slightly raised mounds to help with drainage.

Strawberries thrive in a well drained rich soil and are best in the full sun.

The fruit can be harvested from spring to summer.

Eastern Cape Stockists:

Floradale Nursery – Port Elizabeth
Builders Express East London
Builders Express – Jeffreys Bay
Builders Express – Newton Park
Builders Express – Uitenhage
Builders Warehouse – Port Elizabeth

Free State Stockists:

Alma Kwekery – Welkom
Bruwer Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Builders Warehouse Bloemfontein
Greenside Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Urth Garden Centre – Bloemfontein

Gauteng Stockists:

Colourful Splendour – Craighall Park
Garden Pavilion – Eckards
Garden Pavilion – Sunkist
Plant Paradise Garden Centre – Pretoria
Safari Tuinsentrum – Pretoria
Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg

Limpopo Stockists:

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River

North West Stockists:

Western Cape Stockists:

Cape Garden – Joostenbergvlakte
Cape Garden – Somerset West
Cape Garden – Stellenbosch
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – Rosebank
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Builders Express – Kenilworth
Builders Express – Knysna
Builders Express – Stellenbosch
Builders Express – Willowbridge
Builders Warehouse – Cape Gate
Builders Warehouse – City
Builders Warehouse – Constantiaberg
Builders Warehouse – George
Builders Warehouse – Helderberg
Builders Warehouse – Table View
Builders Warehouse – Tygerberg

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

Cordyline banksii ‘Electric Pink’

For hot pink instant colour all year round you can’t go wrong with Cordyline Electric Pink!

This evergreen perennial is clump forming and boasts dazzling maroon leaves with hot pink margins. The colour of the leaves intensifies closer to the base.

‘Electric Pink’ grows in the full sun to part shade and reaches a height of approximatly 1.2m. It flourishes in well drained soil.

Cordyline Electric Pink is a very suitable South African garden plant as it is heat tolerant, water wise and hardy to drought. Once planted water regularly until established and then watering can slowly be reduced. It is important to note the more regular the watering the more your Cordyline will flourish and produce a lush full head of leaves.

Cordyline are reasonably cold hardy plants. Should they get frosted the foliage will die back and then regrow from the stem base.

‘Electric Pink’ is an instant sculptural statement with a dramatic visual effect.

Use it as a feature plant, in formal or tropical settings.

It performs well in containers on its own or surrounded by mixed plantings.

Eastern Cape Stockists:

Floradale Nursery – Port Elizabeth
Builders Express East London
Builders Express – Jeffreys Bay
Builders Express – Newton Park
Builders Express – Uitenhage
Builders Warehouse – Port Elizabeth

Free State Stockists:

Alma Kwekery – Welkom
Bruwer Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Builders Warehouse Bloemfontein
Greenside Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Urth Garden Centre – Bloemfontein

Gauteng Stockists:

Colourful Splendour – Craighall Park
Garden Pavilion – Eckards
Garden Pavilion – Sunkist
Plant Paradise Garden Centre – Pretoria
Safari Tuinsentrum – Pretoria
Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg

Limpopo Stockists:

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River

North West Stockists:

Western Cape Stockists:

Cape Garden – Joostenbergvlakte
Cape Garden – Somerset West
Cape Garden – Stellenbosch
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – Rosebank
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Builders Express – Kenilworth
Builders Express – Knysna
Builders Express – Stellenbosch
Builders Express – Willowbridge
Builders Warehouse – Cape Gate
Builders Warehouse – City
Builders Warehouse – Constantiaberg
Builders Warehouse – George
Builders Warehouse – Helderberg
Builders Warehouse – Table View
Builders Warehouse – Tygerberg

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

Coprosma repens varieties

The Mirror plant

Glossy and almost polished leaves denote that this plant is often referred to as the mirror bush. There are many varieties in this genus making them the perfect shrub for that gap in your garden bed that needs to be filled.

Coprosma repens do well in South African gardens and it is seldom that one doesn’t see a garden with at least one Coprosma variety in it. This is surely due to the fact that this shrub is not only easy to grow but also almost completly disease and pest resistant.

Yet another positive attribute of Coprosma is that they make excellent coastal garden subjects as they are salt and wind tolerant. So, it would be a good idea to plant them in windswept coastal beds where they will happily handle all the South African coast line throws at them.

For high lying areas a word of caution though, Coprosma’s are frost tender so it is advisable to cover them with frost netting in areas where heavy inland frost occurs.

Fertilizing in spring with a general or an organic fertilizer will make for strong new growth and extra shine in the leaves. Should you need to keep them in check they can be pruned anytime of the year and make for interesting hedges or shapes.

The Mirror Plant is not fussy about the type of soil it grows in however they do prefer a well-drained soil. Regular water will keep the Mirror Plant healthy and the foliage glossy. Watch for overwatering as this causes the leaves to drop. Once established they are drought tolerant and water wise.

This hardy, evergreen plant can grow in sun or partial shade. They occur in numerous varieties from ground cover’s, to small and large shrubs depending on the variety that is chosen.

Gypsophila ‘Teeny Deep Rose’ and ‘Gypsy White’

Gypsophila is also known as Baby’s Breath due to its dainty foliage and petite flowers

It is a compact, mound forming, annual, bedding plant that grows 15-20cm in height. Gypsophila thrives in the full sun or partial shade in soil that is well-drained.

This little annual is classed as having average water needs. This means it needs to be watered regularly but not overwater as this will cause rot. They do tend to dry out quickly in very hot, dry weather, so on those ‘berg wind’ or very hot days keep an eye on them and water when the soil becomes dry.

For dazzling mounds of colour ensure the soil has been enriched with well decomposed compost or fertilizer during the growing season.

Gypsophila muralis is an elegant plant with finely textured foliage. It bears copious amounts of small semi-double flowers over a long period, starting in late spring and through the summer. ‘Teeny Deep Rose’ has double deep rose pink flowers and ‘Gypsy White’ has pure white flowers. When the flowers start ‘slowing down’ in the summer a light trim will encourage new growth and blooms.

The dainty flowers, although small and short stemmed, can be used as cut flowers for flower arrangements. They can also be dried by cutting sprays of flowers in full bloom, removing the foliage, bunching loosely and hanging in a warm, airy place for 2-3 weeks.

Gypsophila ‘Teeny Deep Rose’ and ‘Gypsy White’ add a romantic touch to any garden; they are easy to grow and are low maintenance plants.

What to do with them: Plant them in containers and window boxes. Mass them in the garden for lavish colour displays or use them as a bright border in garden beds.

Eastern Cape Stockists:

Floradale Nursery – Port Elizabeth
Builders Express East London
Builders Express – Jeffreys Bay
Builders Express – Newton Park
Builders Express – Uitenhage
Builders Warehouse – Port Elizabeth

Free State Stockists:

Alma Kwekery – Welkom
Bruwer Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Builders Warehouse Bloemfontein
Greenside Kwekery – Bloemfontein
Urth Garden Centre – Bloemfontein

Gauteng Stockists:

Colourful Splendour – Craighall Park
Garden Pavilion – Eckards
Garden Pavilion – Sunkist
Plant Paradise Garden Centre – Pretoria
Safari Tuinsentrum – Pretoria
Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg

Limpopo Stockists:

Mpumalanga Stockists:

Garden Pavilion – White River

North West Stockists:

Western Cape Stockists:

Cape Garden – Joostenbergvlakte
Cape Garden – Somerset West
Cape Garden – Stellenbosch
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – Rosebank
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Builders Express – Kenilworth
Builders Express – Knysna
Builders Express – Stellenbosch
Builders Express – Willowbridge
Builders Warehouse – Cape Gate
Builders Warehouse – City
Builders Warehouse – Constantiaberg
Builders Warehouse – George
Builders Warehouse – Helderberg
Builders Warehouse – Table View
Builders Warehouse – Tygerberg

**Please note that not all stockists will have every plant featured**

A1 Indoor Plant Poster for October 2016: New Guinea Impatiens

A1 poster for the indoor plant of the month for October 2016: New Guinea Impatiens

Preview

A1 Water Wise Poster for October: One-Drop Plants (Agapanthus)

Tenth in a series of water wise plants to plant in the garden.

A1 Edibles poster – October 2016 Edible: Basil

Poster for edible gardening in October 2016: Basil

Preview

October in the Garden

Put your ear to the ground and you will hear the sound of stomping gumboots! It will send excited South African gardeners, big and small, young and old, experienced or ‘green’, marching off to their nearest garden centre where they will find seedling tables groaning under annual and vegetable seedlings, and beds heavily stocked with perennials in season, groundcovers, ornamental grasses and all the other stalwarts of spring and summer, to plant.

So, say “welcome” to one of the most beautiful months of the year with flowers galore, and a potential summer harvest of fresh veggies and herbs beginning to grow up in the veggie patch! Falling blossoms followed by tiny fruit on the fruit trees are an early promise of something sweet to feast on later. The first strawberries are getting their lipstick on shyly amongst the leaves, and the sweet scent of star jasmine is in the air. October is also time to feed all your plants and to protect your mid-spring treasures against pests and weeds.

In the limelight…

October is known as ‘rose month’ and the iconic ‘Iceberg‘ is probably the best-selling rose ever! Hard on its heels is a cousin called ‘Burgundy Iceberg‘ – equally free-flowering with blooms in rich jewel-like colours of burgundy with disease-resistant, healthy foliage. You simply have to plant some – even if it is only one in a pot!

Bountiful flowers

For instant colour go for calibrachoas which sport a mass of miniature petunia-like flowers. All nurseries will have them in stock in ‘colour pots’ and all you have to do is to fill all your containers, hanging baskets and window boxes with them. They are value for money as they flower endlessly in full sun and you will be surprised at the large range of colours and growth habits.

Bold, Bright and Beautiful

If bold, bright and beautiful is what you are after, then December’s companions are right up your alley. Celosia offers up a colour feast of red, orange, yellow, hot pink, rose, mahogany and magenta which are vivid and remain so for about eight weeks while Portulaca, our versatile little companion is available in scarlet, pink, orange and yellow for the bolder gardener.

Celosia

Celosias are exceptionally hardy little plants and are very wind tolerant so this would be a particularly good choice for gardens exposed to strong winds as well as coastal gardens.

Location:

Originating on the dry African slopes should give some clues as to the type of home you should look at providing these lovelies. Full sun and well-draining soil is a good start! They are perfect for borders, in beds, to fill gaps in rockeries or even to brighten up those sunny patio pots.

Watering:

Celosias prefer to grow slightly drier rather than wetter. Try not to plant them with other annuals or plants that require regular watering, especially if you’re using an automated sprinkler system. Not that one generally requires a reason to enforce the benefits of water wise plants, but celosia are also prone to root fungus, which is just one more reason to ensure you keep the watering to a minimum.

Care:

The blooming time that normally lasts about eight weeks, undaunted by our unrelenting sun, can be stretched even longer with deadheading. That being said, they really don’t enjoy the cold, so expecting them to last past the first frosts might be a tad optimistic. Getting them into the ground as early in spring as possible will ensure the longest possible show.

Portulaca

Plant up your portulacas in rockeries, hanging baskets, pots, between stepping stones and even as a ground cover if that is what you need.

Warming Up the Beds

If it’s warm, rich colours you are after then our November companions are perfect for you! Marigolds are first up, offering their warm sunny colours for most of the year and outlasting many other annuals. Their colourful flowers come in shades of orange, yellow, red and bi-coloured, with many flower shapes and sizes to choose from. Zinnia is our other hot companion and they make for great festive colour in a garden with their upright green foliage and kaleidoscope of warm and inviting colours.

Marigolds

You may be forgiven for thinking that surely marigolds are a bit old fashioned, because they bring back memories of your grandmother’s garden. This may have even been true some years back but they have made a big comeback in contemporary gardens. Firstly because modern hybridising techniques have yielded a wondrous array of new hybrids and secondly because of the trend towards sustainable gardening (they are pest repellents, while attracting butterflies).

Location:

The modern hybrids are very uniform in growth and stay compact, making them a superb choice. Whether you have a border or edging that needs creating, a container that needs filling, a vegetable patch that needs a natural pesticide or just a dry sunny flowerbed begging for some company, marigolds can fill that gap. They also look very attractive when inter-planted with other bedding plants like salvias, purple basil or verbenas.

Watering:

With all this warmth in colour, remember that they also love to be planted in full sun and this hardy little annual is a favourite for many reasons but being water wise is at the top of that list so don’t over water them. Some may have you believe that they are water hungry and demanding, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. They generally thrive with minimal care and once established, only strategic watering during dry spells.