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Garden Plants

Peek-A-Boo

It’s a New Year, a new dawn and surely there is no more appropriate way to see it in than with an annual whose flowers open and shut with the rising and setting of the sun; portulaca.
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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.
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Effortless Beauty

Petunias are renowned for three reasons; they’ve been around forever (known since the mid 1700s at least), they’re generous bloomers and there’s a petunia to suit every season.
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Winter Sun Winners

Winter Sun Winners
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Perfect rose pruning

Give your roses a pruning in July to promote better flowers and lush growth from October onwards. Life is a garden filled with beautiful roses in spring, summer and autumn.
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Vincas – ying and yang

Madagascar, an island off the south eastern coast of Africa, is the natural home of Catharanthus roseus, the five-petaled wonder of the medicine world.
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Poppies – Pure Pleasure

Numerous gardeners have been inspired by Iceland Poppies (Papaver nudicaule). They are beautiful to look at, especially when the sunlight shines through their translucent, crepe-like yellow, orange, pink, red and white petals.
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Our Treasured Flowers – Gazania

Although South Africa has many indigenous treasured flowers, only one actually goes by the common name ‘Treasure Flower’, and that is our beloved gazania.
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Mimulus – Monkey Mime

If you’ve never heard of Mimulus before, it’s a great time to become acquainted with this gorgeous little bloom. Mimulus, translated from Latin, means “mime” which refers to the funny clown-face the fat petals of the flower make when viewed head on.
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Marigold – Mother Mary’s Gold

When one hears the word “Marigold” it’s virtually impossible not to think of the gorgeous golden colour that many marigolds offer us.
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Dianthus – Flowers of the Gods

To mean, Flowers of the Gods, such is the reverence of the dianthus bloom. From the Greek words dios, meaning “god” and anthos, meaning “flower”, the Greek botanist, Theophrastus, cited the perfect mix in the name, dianthus.
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Coleus – Leave it Out

Taking a look at the common names for coleus, it doesn’t take much imagination to tell, it’s all about the leaves.
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June in the Garden

Do hard-landscaping maintenance now, but also some gentle and playful planting. June gardening would not be complete without the breath-taking beauty of camellias, as they add such life to the winter garden.
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Plant proteas this summer

The best of proteas and pincushions have been bred into a range of hybrid varieties especially designed for local gardens. Planning on adding ecologically indigenous water wise plants to your garden this summer?
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October – Dianthus for all seasons

Ask any experienced gardener and they’ll tell you that no garden bed is complete without a representative of this group of annuals bringing their particular brand of hardy good cheer.
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May – Fairy primula for winter colour

No winter garden is complete without the delicate blooms of the Primula malacoides, aka Fairy Primrose. Primula comes from the Latin word “primus” meaning first.
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Venerated Verbena

If ever there was a list of sacred plants, verbena would be close to the top. Verbena, translated directly from Latin, means Sacred Bough and throughout history it was thought to inspire creativity, be a cure-all and some even believed it could aid in settling disputes, firmly locking in links to folklore and being magical.
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Valuable Verbenas

Divine and supernatural are not usually words one would associate with a plant of any description, but Verbenas have most certainly earned those descriptions.
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The Colour of Love

During the month of February, whether you’re in a relationship or not, there is hardly a soul alive who can escape the fact that it is the month of love.
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Taking Stock

The spicy scent and long lasting flowers that come part and parcel with being a stock make it a favourite for gardens and then, ultimately, even cut flowers for your favourite vases.
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