September’s Topic: The local magic spring brings
Theme: Unique and unusual indigenous plants  

Industry Expert: Jonathan Taylor
Garden Centre: Random Harvest Nursery    

A hidden gem awaits you in the golden highveld of Muldersdrift, Johannesburg. Random Harvest Nursery specialises in indigenous plants and trees and they also have a lovely tea garden with seasonal homemade goods. Bring the kids and let them enjoy the creature treasure hunt or sandpit play area. Here’s what they had to say about the local magic spring brings this September!  

 1. We love that Random Harvest has such a large variety of indigenous plants to choose from! What are some of your top sellers?

Ornamental veld grass species are always a winner. We have such an array of indigenous grasses to choose from that can be used to create stunning meadow gardens - from small species of 20cm tall like Hartjiegras (Eragrostis capensis) to tall options like Boom grass (Miscanthus junceus), and everything in between! 

Boom grass stands out with lovely soft pink plumes while Snowflake grass (Andropogon eucomis) has fluffy white seed heads. Sickle grass (Pogonarthria squarrosa) has seed plumes that are almost black when the sun catches them. Just in terms of colour and texture, these alone can create an eye-catching display. Clever placement of species, depending on their ultimate growing height and the interplanting of flowering species, creates a rich, seasonally changing garden.  

 Trees for small spaces are also one of our top sellers at the moment. As gardens are decreasing in size, people need to select trees carefully. The need for screening, privacy, shade, and a sense of green in an outdoor area can be achieved by planting the perfect tree. A few great options for a small space are: False olive (Buddleja saligna), Forest lavender (Heteropyxis canescens), Boxwood (Gonioma kamassi), Wild pride-of-India (Galpinia transvaalica), and the Glossy white ash tree (Bersama luscens).

Life is a Garden received press coverage to the amount of R 1,059,522.74 in the month of September. The below spreadsheet shows the total press coverage that Life is a Garden received in the month of September 2021.

To view the Life is a Garden – September “Redbook” actual press clippings, please click here: https://bit.ly/2WzVtfa

Press Report of September

Marketing Snapshot

The season that needs no introduction – it can only be spring! This is an exciting time for gardeners filled with blossoms, blooms, and renewed beauty after the winter. This month, Life is a Garden loves the spekboom, and we’ve got some special varieties to share. The veggie garden is every home grower’s dream, so check out our edible zingers for September. Perennials and bulbs are also ready to crank up the heat in the garden, so let’s dig and plant right in! 

‘n Spekkie for thought 

Portulacaria afra (elephant's food, elephant bush, or spekboom) is an indigenous superstar in our South African climate. They tolerate high humidity, high rainfall or drought, heat, desert sun or well-lit indoor spaces. They are frost-tender but will bounce back quickly. Not prone to pests or disease either, the spekkie boasts the following fabulous benefits: 

• Environment: They help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by acting like a handy carbon sponge, thereby improving the quality of air we breathe. 
• Firebreaks: This plant is used in fire-prone areas as a perimeter hedge – good to know! 
• Food: Spekboom leaves are edible and add interesting texture and flavour to salads. They are high in Vitamin C with a juicy, sour taste – definitely worth a try!  
• Soil: A good soil binder that helps to prevent soil erosion – wind and slopes beware! 
• Versatile: With so many varieties available, spekkies are excellent groundcovers, look spectacular in hanging baskets, add a vibe to mixed succulent containers, are super hardy trees, cute bonsais, and are just overall an awesomely easy addition to the garden.  
• Easy to please: Prune them to shape or let them grow wild, feed them or forget about them, mulch them or munch on them. 

Did you know? Spekboom provides 80% of an elephant’s diet and can live up to 200 years. 

Life is a Garden received press coverage to the amount of R444,918.10 in the month of October. The below spreadsheet shows the total press coverage that Life is a Garden received in the month of  October  2020.

To view the Life is a Garden – October “Redbook” actual press clippings, please click here: https://bit.ly/2I72v3w

Press Report of October

Marketing Snapshot

Life is a Garden received press coverage to the amount of R915,247.19 in the month of July. The below spreadsheet shows the total press coverage that Life is a Garden received in the month of  September  2020.

To view the Life is a Garden – September “Redbook” actual press clippings, please click here: https://bit.ly/2SBwBOi

Press Report of September

Marketing Snapshot

Did you know?

Frogs in the garden are fantastic solutions for insect control and are actually a sign that your backyard ecosystem is well balanced. A visit from a few friendly frogs is not only an exciting sight for kids, but they are superb pest controllers and their benefits far outweigh their sliminess.

A frog’s feast in paradise

Froggies love snaking on bugs, beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, grasshoppers, grubs, slugs, and other critters that threaten your precious garden. A single frog can eat over 100 insects in a single night! All the more reason to ditch the chemical pesticides and simply let Mother Nature get to work with a few frog ninjas! A frog paradise is easy: Indigenous plants, a freshwater source, and goggas to eat! A few upside-down pots, slightly lifted at an angle, provides the ideal home for a frog family.

Happy frog, happy garden

Every backyard ecosystem has multiple living species, which all create a unique little food chain, while also supporting the larger circle of life in your area. The food chain is what keeps the balance in nature and what maintains life as we know it. As such, frogs too have their place under the sun and should be protected. They are excellent biological monitors and will quickly show you if something is off balance in the garden.

If they are happily singing and breeding in the area, your ecosystem should be A-okay. If your frog friends suddenly go missing and leave your garden, you will certainly be alerted that something is not right and needs your attention.

So long chemical pest control and hello friendly frog ninjas! Put these guys to work in the backyard and enjoy Mother Nature’s complimentary gogga gobbler.

Hooray, spring has arrived! Allow yourself to be swept up in all the blossoming joy and bliss coming to life in your garden. Heritage Day falls on 24 September and doubles up as National Braai Day. A family braai is a fitting celebration of our culture and heritage, especially when surrounded by your own gorgeous garden. Another excuse to plan a braai or even a picnic in the garden would be on Sunday 11 October – Garden Day. So garden-lovers, have loads of gardening fun and get your greens garden day ready.

Staghorn ferns (Platycerium bifurcatum) are one of those plants that most plant-lovers either have in their garden/home or wish they did. They have been described as the funkiest of ferns with an out-of-this-world appearance due to the drooping leaves, which resemble the horns of a stag. Although they look very majestic and regal when mature, they do look very funky as baby plants.

Did you know?

Staghorns love growing both outdoors and indoors in coastal and frost-free regions. Although considered indoor plants in the Highveld, they will grow in positions protected from the frost and cold winds outdoors, such as in evergreen trees or on sheltered patios and courtyards.

If the staghorn is already mounted on a log or piece of driftwood, you can place it on a table or hang it on the wall. You can also grow the young plant in its original pot, however, it will later tend to become heavy on the side that the plant hangs over and unless secured will want to topple over. A fun project would be to make your own mounting board. To do this, take a piece of wooden board, about 15cm x 15cm and:

• Remove the staghorn from its pot and add the sphagnum moss behind the basal leaves and over the roots.