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Like the calm before the cool, winter preparations are smooth sailing this month with Life is a Garden’s crisp April checklist. Gardening during the cooler months definitely has its own challenges, but also so many exciting flowers and veggies to look forward to. Did someone say spring bulbs already? Head over to your GCA Garden Centre and let’s plant right in!
Enjoy your time chilling out and ticking off your April checklist. Ride the wave of cool-season thrills and all that’s up for grabs in the garden. Whether you’re maintaining, sowing, planting, or pruning, there’s always something to do in the backyard. Life is a Garden – welcome the refreshing autumn breeze into yours.
The new year is always a great time to start afresh and get back into the garden. Remove any tired or spent annuals and fill the gaps with new babies that will flower into autumn. Planting fresh herbs and veggies will also help you stick to those healthy New Year’s resolutions. Happy 2021, dear green fingers, and please do remember that your Life is A Garden!
Tip: Use a thick, moist towel placed over a patch at night. If lawn caterpillars are the culprit, they will still be foraging on the lawn in the morning when you lift the towel. Consult your local GCA Garden Centre for a remedy.
Tip: Never fertilise a plant when it is dry.
Look out for plants wilting in the summer heat, especially in dry weather. Give plants a deep watering at night and mulch around them. There are also water retention products that you can use – these will be are available at your local GCA Garden Centre. Remember, you can always get great gardening advice at your GCA Garden Centre.
September always kicks off with Arbor Week and this year it officially kicks off on Monday 31 August and runs until Friday 4 September.
Tip: The initiative of Arbor Week is to promote the greening of communities. Celebrate Arbor Week by planting either of the above two trees or any other trees or shrubs. If they are indigenous and water-wise that would be a bonus. It is said that Life is a Garden … so create yours and celebrate the plants you love most.
There is a multitude of both flowering and edible seeds that can be sown now. Visit your local GCA Garden Centre to see the range and perhaps consider one or more of the many tomato varieties available to sow now:
Tip: There are rainbow coloured cherry tomatoes such as Green Zebra, Clear Pink, Black striped and even Green Sausage seeds available for those of you that want to be a little different and create a talking point at the dinner table.
Our indigenous Clivias are favourites worldwide and it’s not difficult to see why when they bloom in September.
Tip: There are many different hybrid Clivias. If you are a Clivia fan or would like to see some of the more unusual Clivias, take some time off and visit a local Clivia show this spring.
Read more: https://www.lifeisagarden.co.za/clivias-for-shade
Tip: It would be wise to use spraying in conjunction with a fruit fly trap.
Tip: It would be wise to use spraying in conjunction with a fruit fly trap.
Tip: When you ask your local GCA Garden Centre for advice be sure to mention your preference for either chemical or organic fertiliser.
Focus on annual Phlox
Tip: Phlox are easy to care for as long as you understand that they prefer moist soil and that drying out too much hinders growth and flowering.
Balcony or pot plants
Cape daisies or Osteospermums:
Read more: https://www.lifeisagarden.co.za/osteospermum
Its heritage month so why not brag about our own indigenous plants a little?
Spring fever is in the air, here are a few things you may forget to look at in the garden:
Tip: Spring is the time that garden centres feature new and exciting products as well as loads of explosively colourful plants – do yourself a favour and go into your favourite GCA Garden Centre…. you will not be disappointed!
The bulk of spring planting is almost behind us and that gives you a little breathing space to look at:
Tip: Baking soda and steel wool are a home remedy you may want to try.
Life is a Garden is the marketing division of The South African Nursery Association (SANA). SANA is a member-driven, non-profit organisation, which strives to promote gardening as a hobby in South Africa for ALL South Africans. To ensure the highest standards, SANA’s garden centre members form part of the Garden Centre Association which strives to continuously improve the quality of products, knowledge and customer service within garden centres. These GCA garden centres can be identified by yellow and green GCA flags, present at garden centres and home stores, nationwide.
Please feel free to contact us about anything related to gardening or our website. You can contact us on:
Shahnee Stockigt – shahnee@lifeisagarden.co.za
Gerdie Olivier – gerdie@sana.co.za
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