Lavish lavender DIY
In the spirit of this month’s sleek minimalism topic, Life is a Garden brings you a lavish lavender DIY that’ll fit right in with a more is less approach to gardening. These stunning Lavandula varieties are perfect for adding colour to big beds and containers on the patio, plus – they are low-maintenance, water-wise, and attract a host of beneficial pollinators.
Top plant picks
1. Lavandula angustifolia: compact and bushy with small, grey-green leaves and long flower spikes in deep purple.
2. Lavandula dentata (toothed lavender): spreading habit, bushy shrubs with scalloped foliage, which are either dark green or grey depending on the variety. Fragrant, purple-blue flowers.
3. Lavandula x intermedia (English lavender): a vigorous hybrid with a spreading growth habit and aromatic grey-green leaves. Tall flower spikes covered in small mauve flowers.
4. Lavandula stoechas (French lavender): numerous hybrids available of this compact bushy shrub with slender green leaves. Short spikes of purple or pink flowers topped with two colourful bracts looking like rabbit ears.
How to keep it simple
- Entrances and walkways: Replace many small stepping stones with large square slabs. Fill the remaining area with either black gravel for a dramatic feel or white pebbles for a clean look. Choose one lavender variety to be repeatedly planted alongside the walkway. Remember to space them evenly and keep plants neatly groomed.
- Containers on the patio: Carefully consider your colour scheme and think about how to bring in subtle purple accents through your garden furniture, window frames, and table accessories. Having three colours at most, complimented by other neutral colours, will create a minimalistic look. Container colours and texture are essential, so go for fewer and larger containers rather than multiple coloured ones.
- Beds: Repetition of the same one or two plants is key when designing a minimalist bed, as well as the bed shape.
Stay cheerful in the cold
Tips for happy indoor plants during winter
October Outdoor Eco-Celebration October Checklist
Rev up and rejoice – it’s time to motor in October! Garden Day is on Sunday the 15th, giving you the perfect reason to host a little outdoor eco-celebration - #gardenyay. Welcome spring in full swing and give your garden, potted windowsills, and patio planters some much-deserved admiration from loved ones. Also, it’s rose month! GCA’s are stocked with some serious stunners, waiting just for you. There’s much to plant, grow, and sow too, as well some easy-peasy maintenance to take care of. With compost and spades in hand, let’s get to work!
Raging for roses
Your top 5 babes available at GCA’s now are:
- Double Delight: Pointed, cream colour buds unfolding delicately into shades of scarlet.
- Just Joey: A hybrid apricot/orange blend tea rose with a seductively sweet scent.
- My Granny: A spreading shrub with full rosette blooms in shades of soft pink and white.
- South Africa: SA’s top performer with huge clusters of large, golden-yellow double blooms.
- Zulu Royal: Large, symmetrical blooms in deep mauve with a silver-lilac dust.
Rosey tips: Avoid wetting rose leaves in the late afternoon as this may encourage black spot and powdery mildew. Plant living mulch between your roses such as erigeron, verbena or lobularia. Remember to feed with special rose fertiliser every 4 weeks for max bloom power.
Rushing flower power
Plant and sow now
- For instant colour, go for calibrachoas with masses of miniature petunia-like flowers.
- Sun-loving annuals in seedling trays include: petunias, lobularias (allysum), gazanias, penstemons, Chrysanthemum paludosum and C. multicaule, Sunpatiens and celosias.
- Shade-seeking seedling trays include: New Guinea impatiens, begonias, impatiens (Busy Lizzie) hypoestes and coleus.
- Go-getter perennials for all regions are: agapanthus, gauras, nemesias, osteospermums and geraniums of all kinds. Also go for gypsophila and masses of pretty but tough angelonias.
Pond Maintenance & Tips for South Africans
Many homeowners dream of having a pond in their homes. It creates a beautiful environment where you can feel rested and relaxed as you enjoy the beautiful view. Although there is much to be enjoyed, maintaining your pond is a crucial element that can seem quite tedious.
Life is a Garden has the perfect pond tips that will make maintenance easier. You can find all your water gardening needs at your GCA Garden Centre.
Pond Pump
Choosing the right pump for your pond will set you up for a win. It will provide accurate oxygen and circulation which is essential for fish staying healthy and alive and an important aspect of your pond's ecosystem. If the water in your pond is not correctly circulating it will result in algae build-up and stagnation in your pond.
Some of the things to consider when choosing the ideal pond pump are how high you are wanting to pump to push up and the volume of your pond.
An easy tip for calculating the volume of your pond is: L x B x H = x 1000 which will equal the litres of water your pond holds.
Pond Leaf Skimmers
Adding in a product to minimize the leaf debris is your next step. For example, you could use a Pond Leaf Skimmer, this type of product is ideal for reducing your workload by removing leaves and other particles as they land in your water that may cause your pond to be waterlogged. It basically works as a net to accordingly collect all the particles before they sink to the bottom. It is easily accessible and should never be underestimated for the huge clarity it adds to your water for better viewing of your fish as they swim around.
Although leaves are more likely to fall during the autumn season, we recommend that you use a pond skimmer with a floating basket that not only cleans your pond but enriches the water with vital oxygen and improves the water quality.
