Autumn Soil Reset: Build Healthier Garden Soil for Spring
Introduction
How South Africans can build healthier soil for future growth.
Good gardening always starts with the soil. Although we can’t see it, underneath the surface lies a multitude of processes that are essential for plants to grow well and, in the case of food crops, provide the best yields.
Why soil health is important
Soil consists of mineral particles, organic matter, water and air, but it’s the microbes, bacteria, invertebrates and fungi that make it alive. These hard-working organisms are responsible for breaking down organic matter and improving soil structure, so that nutrients, together with water, can be absorbed by plant roots and transported through the plant’s stems and leaves to the whole plant.
Ensuring that the microbes in the soil are healthy and increasing in number can significantly improve the health of your soil and your plants. Healthy plants are less stressed, and less stressed plants are mostly pest- and disease-free.
How to increase microbes
Just like humans, all the different microbes and organisms in the soil need food and water to survive and increase in population. The simplest way, then, is to feed them with carbon-enriched materials. This can be in the form of adding organic matter such as compost, leaf mould, and well-rotted manure, either dug into the soil or left on top as mulch to slowly leach into the soil. Kitchen scraps can also be beneficial, either dug straight into the soil or added to a composting process.
How much to add will depend on the initial health of the soil, but as a rule, always mulch, always add plenty of organic material at planting, and have a regular feeding schedule in place to continue feeding the soil.
Simple ways to test soil
Knowing what type of soil you have will go a long way in knowing how to improve it.
Winter composting – Tips and Tricks
How to keep a compost heap working through winter
While the weather is cooler and plants are taking a break, there is a bit more time to focus on other parts of gardening, like maintenance and composting.
Compost is one of the easiest things to make. It uses all the prunings and clippings we continuously produce in the garden, recycles vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, tea and eggshells, and then returns nutrients to the garden as we use it. It can be contained in a premade or built structure, or just be a pile on the ground. You don’t need any special tools, just a bit of care and attention, and you can have decent, homemade compost in six weeks.
There are a few secrets to making great compost in winter when everything else in the garden is slowing down, so that it’s ready for the spring burst of activity. Here are some ideas to speed up composting in winter.
Heat it up
In winter, the microbes in the compost heap are still doing their jobs, but the falling temperatures mean they are working a little slower. A layering approach to compost making becomes essential. Add kitchen scraps, leaves and garden material in layers and avoid turning the compost, which just exposes the microbes and makes it much harder to warm up again.
Like we need to put on a jersey to keep warm, your compost heap needs insulation. One of the best materials for this is cardboard. Remove any tape and labels from the boxes, then flatten them to place on top of your compost. Over time, the cardboard will get wet and start to break down. Tear it into smaller pieces and add to the pile to break down with everything else.
If you have an open heap, add bags of leaves to the sides or box it in with hay or straw bales.
The cool season: An ode to autumn
There are many things to celebrate in an autumn garden. The softer, gentler weather is pleasant, with the plants stressing less without the summer heat. You often see a second flush of colour in autumn, especially from plants like roses and salvias, and who doesn’t love the changing foliage in warm shades of golden yellow, amber orange and rich red. It’s time to refresh, rethink, reflect and replant. These practical tips will keep your autumn garden thriving.
Plant a framework
As we garden through the seasons, things change, and what was once a good design becomes blurry around the edges as plants overgrow and some die off. This time of year is perfect for resetting the framework and adding plants that will last season after season. These include trees, shrubs and perennials.
For trees, we always recommend going for something indigenous. They are hardier than exotics and will be in a host of wild and insect life in a garden. They still need to be looked after, though. Indigenous or even endemic to your area does not always mean no water or food.
There are so many indigenous shrubs, many of them with beautiful flowers, that we are sure there is a shrub for every purpose. This also includes many stunning climbers.
In the world of perennials, there is colour and more colour. Invest in plants like agapanthus and dietes that can be lifted and divided the next year to give you more plants. The same goes for ornamental grasses that add movement and colour to a space.
Feed the soil
One of the tasks that needs to be done all year is to feed the soil. A healthy soil biome is the cornerstone of any good garden. When planting anything, always add loads of compost. Then, for most plants, add superphosphate or bonemeal as a nutrient boost to help the plants settle in and grow healthy roots, and a slow-release general-purpose fertiliser to keep it going and lush.
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Water Wise Watch: May 2019
This month at Water Wise
Juncus Effuses (Common rush or Soft rush)
Juncus effusus is an evergreen perennial plant with a striking vertical habit. It is highly ornamental with a fanning growth pattern and is often used in landscaping which includes sunny water gardens and freshwater wetlands.
Juncus effuses produces multiple culms (hollow stems) arranged in dense tufts that grow about 1 metre tall. These narrow, smooth stems are rounded with pointed tips and no obvious leaves. The lustrous green culms are strong but flexible making them perfect specimens to provide cover and nesting sites for wetland birds and other wildlife.
Summertime months bring on unobtrusive coppery clusters of small flowers which appear along the side of the culms. These florets are arranged in loose umbrella-like clusters and while they are not showy they do add interest to the plant.
This ornamental rush adapts to a wide variety of growing conditions and it performs well in a full sun or partial shade location. It can be planted in standing water to approximately a 10cm depth or in water saturated mulch like soils. It will however also adapt to normal garden soils with fluctuating water levels. For extra radiant specimens ensure that Juncus are planted in acid soil if possible. One can create this by using products that lower the PH of the soil. Cut back old foliage in early spring to encourage healthy growth.
In garden situations, where plants have not been planted in wetland areas, plants may need irrigation during extended dry periods. Juncus plants spread in the landscape by rhizomes and self-seeding.
Juncus effuses can also be grown indoors as a house plant or outdoors in containers that have a regular supply of water. They can be used along small streams or in water gardens and natural pools where their soft rush stems will be the perfect nesting place for water birds and insects. Juncus’
Container gardening on the balcony with Poppies and Petunias
Balconies are the meeting point for the great outdoors and the comforts of the home. Fresh air and shelter coexist in one space. As day turns to night with a sky of beautiful colours, the balcony is the perfect place to enjoy the golden hour. Making your balcony a happy area to relax is as simple as inviting nature’s most treasured pops of colour to join you. Petunias and Poppies are the perfect flowers to grow on your balcony for year-round colour and brightness.
How to grow Petunias in pots
Petunias are available in a range of colours – each as bright as the next. Place Petunias in a mostly sunny position, and ensure they are never completely dry. In terms of watering, perform the “finger test” to see when to water Petunias – poke your fingers gently in the soil around 2cm down and only water if the soil is dry. If you’ve sightly underwatered, they will recover, so steer towards water.
- Soil: Petunias require well-draining, aerated and slightly acidic soil. Potting soil works well, especially if you mix it with a little peat moss, to lower the pH levels.
- Fertiliser: Petunias love lots of food. Most potting mixes have the right amount of nutrients. To be sure, you can use a slow-release fertiliser when you plant them. Alternatively, compost will give them the nutrients they need – just remember to ensure the compost doesn’t interfere with the soil’s drainage abilities.
- Deadheading: Deadheading encourages the plant to direct its energy into creating more flowers, rather than wasting it on fading flowers. It also keeps your plant looking neat and tidy. Remove flowers that are beyond their prime, ensuring you pinch off the bottom area that produces seeds, too.
How to grow Poppies in pots
Poppies are a timeless classic we’ve known and loved for generations.
May in the Garden
Tie a knot somewhere to remind you that it is Mother’s Day on Sunday 12 May. Take Mom to a GCA garden centre to spoil her with graceful Phalaenopsis and stunning Cyclamens – both in flower now!
Top of the pops
Here are some recommended top sellers for autumn:
Obsession – Get totally obsessed with the glorious Nandina domestica‘Obsession’, an intensely coloured upright growing nandina with fiery red young foliage which is retained all year while the plant is actively growing. Mature foliage is deep green. Nandinas are known for their striking autumn colours, hardiness, and many uses in a garden. Use ‘Obsession’ as a low hedge, in pots, or as a filler shrub in a border and remember that they are very giving and forgiving plants. Mature size is approximately 60 x 70cm.
Trending: Grow your own coffee tree indoors! The coffee plant (or rather tree!) botanically known as Coffea arabica, can earn you kudos from coffee snobs if you can manage to grow it successfully in your sitting room as an indoor plant.
- Why should you try it?
It is a very ornamental novelty plant with dark, shiny leaves and fragrant white flowers. If all goes well, it can soon become a large plant, but it can luckily be pruned into a manageable level which commercial coffee growers often do. If you want to try your hand at this pretty plant simply for bragging purposes, (you will only get a harvest of beans after a number of years), plant it in a good-sized pot in slightly acidic soil, which drains very well. Water well and spritz it regularly in hot weather, as it loves high humidity. Keep it in good light but not in hot spots, as it likes cool growing conditions. If you are still unsure about the right growing conditions, just remember that the coffee tree naturally grows in the shade of other trees in tropical East Africa.
Cheeky Chimeni (Plectranthus chimanimaniensis)
Plectranthus chimanimaniensis is one of the lesser known Plectranthus varieties and is a firm favourite amongst gardeners!
Plectranthus varieties are indigenous. Plectranthus varieties have forest as well as savannah origins. With a natural ability to cope with difficult conditions, they tolerate a wide variety of growing conditions from cold and wet to extremely hot and arid. However, possibly their most sought after ability is their affinity and ability to perform well in shaded areas.
Plectranthus chimanimaniensis is an evergreen shrub reaching 80cm to 1m in height. The delicate small green leaves are plentiful and support a mass of flower spikes that start bloom from Spring and reach their peak colour display during Autumn and early winter. From a distance, the plants present a beautiful and consistent pink haze in the garden!
The individual flowers are soft pink in colour, with the darker buds opening into delicate soft pink wings with a white lip. The individual flowers are carried on pink flower spires which ensure the flower to foliage ratio is particularly high – the tall flower spikes are both striking and stunning!
Plectranthus chimanimaniensis performs well in either sun or semi-shaded positions and requires well composted soil. These plants are shallow rooted and need adequate watering, however once established they can withstand periods of drought.
Plectranthus ‘Cheeky Chemenii’ are frost tender but if grown under trees they are afforded some frost protection. Frost protection measures are advised during their first winter, however in their second season the plants will be much stronger.
Plectranthus ‘Cheeky Chemenii’ require low maintenance and have no specific pest control measures. To maintain a neat shape and lush foliage, this variety should be pruned after each flowering period.
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
North West Stockists:
Western Cape Stockists:
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 – 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**
April in the Garden
Folks in South Africa are lucky to have two ‘spring’ seasons every year – the traditional spring in September when plants from the Northern hemisphere flower, and another one in April when many of our own flowers abound. Now is the time to spend long hours in our gardens, planting and sowing with abandon!
On the menu for sunbirds 
Keeping the theme for Earth Day on 22 April 2019 in mind, which is to “protect our species”, we give you an annual menu to encourage sunbirds to your garden all year long. The plants suggested are naturally indigenous and April is a perfect time to plant them:
For summer: Plant a dwarf coral tree (Erythrina humeana) which covers itself with scarlet red “pokers” drenched in nectar. Also go for summer flowering aloes like the very pretty Aloe cooperi, with apricot flowers with green tips.
For autumn: Wild dagga (Leonotus leonurus) – the velvety bright orange flowers resemble huge rain spiders sitting at the ends of each stem. Their rich nectar is irresistible to butterflies, bees and sunbirds. This large shrub will supply colour throughout autumn. There is also a form with creamy white flowers, which is well worth planting.
For winter: Any winter-flowering aloe specie or hybrid will do to attract many other bird species as well, but the centerpieces should be the other coral trees. The coastal coral tree (Erythrina caffra) is a large tree, producing magnificent flowers smothered in nectar. The smaller, common coral tree (E. lysistemon) is equally generous with spectacular flowers, but more suitable to smaller gardens. The broad-leaved coral tree (E. latissima) will produce its pretty blooms from late winter to spring. Every frost-free garden should at least have one of these species. For colder gardens there is the local mountain bottle brush (Greyia sutherlandii) and woolly bottlebrush (Greyia radlkoferi) – perfect and showy for small gardens with well-drained soil.
Water Wise Watch: Mar 2019
This month at Water Wise
How to encourage bees in the garden
Symptoms/Signs
“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden” Elizabeth Lawrence. You may hear the buzz of bees and see them buzzing around in the garden.
What does this mean for me/my plants?
Bees collect pollen and in their travels, carry this pollen with them to other flowers. This results in cross-pollination, which is critical for flowers produce more seeds. The process allows for more plants to grow, and the garden to become full of flowers.
Suggested Action
Enjoy the hum of bees and plant flowers which bees will be attracted to. Examples of these include Sweet Alyssum, Monarda, basil, sage, thyme and lavender. Visit your local GCA Garden Centre for the most beautiful plants and expert advice!
Pride of India/Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia Black Diamond)
This new and very dramatic Crape myrtle (Pride of India) has dark black leaves forming a vivid contrast to its vibrant purple blooms.
It is a deciduous shrub that performs best in the full sun, however will cope in afternoon sun areas too. Clusters of bright purple flowers appear in summer.
Black Diamond ® will grow to an approximate height of 3 meters and can reach a width of 2, 5 meters if left unchecked. That being said, it is easily pruned and shaped if desired and works well in small gardens.
Black Diamond ® has an excellent resistance to mildew, it is wonderfully low maintenance and very cold tolerant. It grows in most soils but prefers well drained, compost enriched soil. Feed with an organic fertilizer when new leaves appear in summer, try ‘Atlantic Flower and Fruit’ for excellent results. When first planted, water regularly to establish. Once established it is water wise and drought hardy.
Black Diamond® Purpley Purple™ is wonderfully versatile. It is a fabulous specimen for containers or it can be used to create a flowering hedge. Prune late winter or early spring to achieve desired height and shape.
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
North West Stockists:
Western Cape Stockists:
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 – 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**
Lily Turf (Liriope Evergreen Giant)
Liriope provides a strong, regular shape and evergreen colour throughout the year. They are an ideal specimen for containers or mass plantings.
Liriope is classified as a clump-forming, ornamental, tuft like grass. It is a perennial and is commonly referred to as Lily Turf. Once planted the clumps gradually spread to a width of 30cm, the various species differ in height according to the variety planted.
Lily Turf tolerates a wide range of light conditions which make them easy garden specimens. They grow in sun, part shade and full shade. They prefer to grow in well drained soil but will adapt to most soil types if need be. They need a medium amount of water.
Liriope are classified as hardy perennials once established due to their tolerance of frost and cold conditions, heat, humidity and drought.
In late summer small but showy flowers in purple shades occur on erect spikes, these form a beautiful contrast against the strappy leaves. The flowers are followed by black berries.
In spring cut back the leaves if the plant looks ‘tired’. Adding mulch and regular water will ensure that a new set of healthy leaves appear soon.
Use Liriope in mass plantings or as an edging to garden beds. They make excellent groundcover specimens under trees in dry shade. On slopes they can be used to help prevent soil erosion and in containers they make dramatic fountains of evergreen colour.
Liriope muscari ‘Evergreen Giant’ has dark green strap-like leaves. It grows to a height of 80cm and has violet-purple flowers. These are great in pots!
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
North West Stockists:
Western Cape Stockists:
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 – 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**
Blue Echeveria (Echeveria secunda)
Echeveria is a large genus of succulent rosette like plants that are spectacular in flower beds and pots. They are evergreen and very rewarding.
Echeveria are drought resistant and can handle periods of no water at all. They however do perform better with regular deep watering and fertilizing.
Echeveria form low growing rosettes about 10 – 15 cm in diameter. They have a fleshy pale blue- green leaf which is edged in light pink and is extremely attractive especially when planted en mass. They do produce a colourful bell shaped flower on a protruding pink stem in the summer months but this does not attract as much attention as the dramatically shaped leaves, growth pattern and colour do.
Echeveria is easy to grow and produces “offspring” in abundance. They are perfect to use as pot fillers or in the front of garden beds where they will form a thick cover. This thick ground cover means easy weed control and low maintenance gardens!
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
North West Stockists:
Western Cape Stockists:
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 – 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**
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis grandiflora ‘Boreas Yellow’
The perfect island dream. Spectacular long lasting large bright yellow flower with a burgundy centre. Shrub that flowers throughout the year. Evergreen. Plant in a sunny to semi-shaded position. Plants cannot tolerate cold and frost. Mature plant size may vary due to growing conditions and climate, ±2m x 1.5m. (N) Registered Plant Breeders Rights. Superior Selection TM. TM Trademark pending.
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
Hecker Nursery – Boksburg
Ludwig’s Roses – Egoli
Ludwig’s Roses – Pretoria East
Nicolas Plants – Northriding
Plantland – Akasia
Plantland – Cornwall Hill
Plantland – Menlyn
Plantland – The Wilds
Plant Paradise Garden Centre – Pretoria
Safari Tuinsentrum – Pretoria
Schaffler’s Nursery – Johannesburg
Builders Express – Bryanston
Builders Express – Cedar Square
Builders Express – Florida Glen
Builders Express – Greenstone
Builders Express – Lambton
Builders Express – Norwood
Builders Express – Robindale
Builders Express – Wonderpark
Builders Warehouse – Bedworth Park
Builders Warehouse – Boksburg
Builders Warehouse – Centurion
Builders Warehouse – Edenvale
Builders Warehouse – Gleneagles
Builders Warehouse – Kempton Park
Builders Warehouse – Northriding
Builders Warehouse – Rivonia
Builders Warehouse – Strubens Valley
Builders Warehouse – Woodlands
Builders Warehouse – Zambesi
KwaZulu-Natal Stockists:
Blackwood’s Home of Gardening – Pietermaritzburg
Garden Pavilion Halls – Kingsburgh
Hingham Nursery – Durban North
Builders Express – Amanzimtoti
Builders Express – Ballito
Builders Express – Hillcrest
Builders Express – Pietermaritzburg
Builders Express – South Coast
Builders Express – Umhlanga
Builders Warehouse – Riverhorse
Limpopo Stockists:
Builders Warehouse – Polokwane
Mpumalanga Stockists:
Builders Warehouse – Emalahleni
Garden Pavilion – White River
Ninfa Tuinsentrum – Middelburg
North West Stockists:
Geelhout Gardens
Sittig’s Nursery – Hartebeespoort
Western Cape Stockists:
Cape Garden – Joostenbergvlakte
Cape Garden – Somerset West
Cape Garden – Stellenbosch
Ludwigs Roses Winelands – Stellenbosch
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – Rosebank
Starke Ayres Garden Centre – West Coast Village
Stodels – Bellville
Stodels – Constantia
Stodels – Kenilworth
Stodels – Milnerton
Stodels – Somerset West
Tulbagh Kwekery – Tulbagh
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**