Things to do this month
THE late summer flowering shrub Plectranthus ecklonii would have finished flowering in most gardens. Cut this shrub back to a third of its size and compost the soil to provide nutrients for the new growth. If you do not cut it back, it becomes very woody and will not flower as well next season.
Pruning has many benefits: removal of dead wood, reducing the plant to the size of your garden, removal of diseased growth, inducing new growth and creating a design form.
Reduce the cutting cycle of your lawns to every two weeks. This allows the surface area of the grass leaves to trap as much light for photosynthesis, thus keeping the grass alive. You can water the lawns periodically in winter.
Plant groundcovers and shrubs that will do well in winter as well as in the shade. A few good examples are Crassula multicarva, Plectranthus ciliatus, Asystasia gangetica, Plectranthus zuluensis, Hypoestes aristata, Chlorophytum bowkeri and Dietes grandiflora.
These flower in late autumn and early winter. Try to plant them in huge sweeps as they give a dramatic display when in numbers.
Many shrubs will be in spike and will flower in winter. Make sure these plants are staked to stabilise them and also to prevent them from breaking. Do not prune them until they have finished flowering. Examples would be Leonotis leonorus and Hypoestes aristata.
Orchids that flower in winter will need to be dried off. Reducing watering stresses the plant, thus initiating flower spikes. Some plants such as Dendrobiums can be dried off completely for the best part of four months. Once these orchids have finished flowering, decide whether they need repotting.
Do not spray plants for insects because many butterflies lay their eggs before winter. I have two plants that are full of caterpillars which, in a few weeks, will provide a garden full of butterflies.
Xylotheca kraussiana or African Dog Rose attracts the Red Acraea butterfly and Gomphocarpus physocarpus attracts the African Monarch. I allow these plants to be eaten by caterpillars because these are their host food plants.