My friend Sheryl Berry recently travelled from Kei Mouth via Smithfield back home to Dullstroom where she has a beautiful garden. In conversation, she commented on the amazing climatic diversity in our country; the coastal tropics of Kei Mouth, the bitterly dry cold of the eastern Free State, and the misty, moist Dullstroom winters, with often subzero temperatures.

Here are some of Sheryl’s winter gardening tips.

·        Sheryl does not water after 12.00 midday, and not for two or three days before predicted icy weather arrives.

·        The leaves of deciduous trees are left in situ or gathered for use as a thick layer of mulch (but of course, says everyone at Petal Faire!).

·        Nothing gets cut back until it starts to sprout in spring. Young or frost-sensitive plants - and those which are rare or expensive enough that she doesn’t want to lose them – are provided with some form of frost cover. Sheryl likes to use grass wigwams for a bit of interest in the winter garden.

·        Annuals are sown in situ in the gaps between frosted shrubs. Cold helps with the germination of Linaria, cornflower and California poppies.

·        Sheryl plants frost-hardy vegetables (kale, Swiss chard, beetroot, carrots and artichokes) and herbs to provide leaf interest in otherwise bare flowerbeds.

Sheryl sent me quite a comprehensive list of plants that she has found thrive, survive, struggle or die in her winter garden which I can forward on request. However, she tells me she has changed her mind somewhat since the last cold front and confesses that things are quite topsy turvy these days – cue our IN THE GARDEN section below.

Good luck to all gardeners as we soldier on through the next two months – whether you are just gritting your teeth or bravely experimenting like Sheryl!

IN THE GARDEN

Cold colder coldest – wow, what a winter we have had.  Some days it was almost impossible to go out into the garden, but we persevered and got some things done although there are still plenty of storerooms and hidey holes in this garden that could benefit from a deep clean or tidy.

We do of course get excited when there are signs of spring, but some of our plants have us rather flummoxed considering that we are only just about to enter August. The pink Erythrina which started budding in June is now in full bloom and has been joined by the Chaenomeles japonica and Eranthemum pulchellum – strictly speaking at least a month early. The only plants that seem to be following the rules are the spring-flowering bulbs.

Erythrina - salmon

Chaenomeles japonica

Eranthemum pulchellum

Spring bulbs on their way

IN THE NURSERY

Click here to view all the plants in this newsletter on one website page.

Indigenous plants

Albuca nelsonii (with the unenviable common name of Nelsons slime lily) is one of my favourite shade-loving plants. This rare hardy evergreen grassland bulb is indigenous to the coastal areas of KZN and the Eastern Cape, and has fleshy strap-like leaves and sprays of green-striped white flowers from spring to summer. It grows on average 1m high, and likes shade to semi-shade.

Dietes bicolor ssp Armenica is an interesting plant from the Eastern Cape which was only recently named. A robust clump-forming evergreen perennial that reaches an average height of 1m, it has fan-shaped leaves and pale yellow flowers with orange nectar guides in summer. It is semi-hardy and wants full sun but moist soil.

Helichrysum cymosum is a gorgeous very hardy groundcover with woolly stems, small aromatic silver leaves, and clusters of yellow flowers in late summer. It does best in sun to semi-shade. We have plants in 16cm pots.

Kooigoed (Helichrysum petiolare), on the other hand, wants full sun and dry, sandy soil. This beautiful soft 1m high medicinal shrub with aromatic round silver leaves has sprays of insignificant cream flowers in summer. The plants are in 18cm pots.

Exotic plants

Lophospermum erubescens is a fast-growing Mexican climber with downy heart-shaped green leaves and trumpet shaped pink flowers in summer which attract birds, butterflies and bees. This is a very hardy evergreen plant which reaches an average height of 200cm and is happy in sun or semi-shade

In addition to its very striking white and purple flowers in spring, Neomarica gracilas (the Apostle plant) offers the benefits of being a good house plant and multiplying well. This approximately 40 cm clump-forming evergreen bulb is hardy and likes shade to semi-shade.

Odontonema callistachyum is an upright semi-woody shrub with lush green shiny leaves and year round panicles of fuchsia pink tubular flowers which attract bees and butterflies. It is evergreen and very hardy and grows on average 1.8m high. Plant in sun or semi-shade.

With its long tubular burgundy red flowers all season, the approximately 75cm high hardy Salvia splendens ‘Van Houttei’ is lovely in a mixed border. This deceptively delicate looking evergreen perennial is happiest in shade to semi-shade.

SNIPPETS

July seems an appropriate time to once again provide a rough hardiness index:

·        Very hardy plants can survive a temperature of -5°C or lower.

·        Plants described as hardy can survive temperatures as low as 0 to -2°C.

·        Plants described as semi-hardy cannot withstand temperatures below 5°C.

·        Tender plants will not survive temperatures below 10°C.

“Planttyd” at Petal Faire officially starts on 25 July, so the next season has already kicked off for us. How exciting!

 

Happy gardening!

Leoné

082 482 0257