TO-DO THIS MONTH
CUT back all shrubs, such as Leonotis leonoris (wild dagga), Hypoestes aristata (ribbon bush) and Orthosiphon Labiatus (shell bush), that flowered in winter.
Mulch the soil with fallen leaves from your garden or compost. The pruning and the leaf mulch will protect it from drying out and dying.
Refrain for watering in winter unless necessary. Most plants do go into a state of dormancy in winter and need this downtime to recover and prepare for summer. Dormancy is a natural phenomenon for all plants that grow in regions with short days, dry periods, and cooler temperatures.
Do not try to force plants to do something out of the norm as this is part of their natural growth cycle. Only water those plants that are showing clear signs of stress.
No need to cut your lawns until the first signs of spring.
Most lawns go dormant in winter and will recover quickly after the first rains and when the days get longer and warmer. Until then do not mow.
Lift and split some of your groundcovers. This includes Chlorophytum bowkeri (hen and chicken). Once lifted, divide the plants by breaking off some of the side shoots. Cut the leaves in half to reduce the surface area for water loss. Only remove dead and rotten roots. Add compost to the soil and replant. Water well if you have access to water.
This can be done with many of the groundcovers which include
(wild garlic), plants respond well to being lifted, split, and replanted. Make sure once you have removed the plants from the soil that you replenish the soil with compost and fertiliser before replanting.
Most aloe species would have finished flowering. Leave the old flower spikes on the plant until the seed pods dry and split, exposing the seeds. You can collect these seeds and plant them in a seedling tray. Once they germinate and grow to a decent size you can then plant them in your garden.
Take cuttings of the shrubs you prune this year. Soft tip cuttings work well with many of the shrubs. Cut just below a node and place the cutting in a tray of river sand. Keep moist but not over watered. In about a month to six weeks new roots will appear. Remove from the river sand and plant in a plastic packet with potting soil. Water well and keep in a semi-shady spot in your garden.
Once you see lots of new growth you can then plant this shrub in your garden.
Do all your structural work such as pathways, pergolas, and water features. As soon as the rainy season starts this becomes more difficult.
Enjoy the last of the flowering aloes which have been spectacular these past two months.
It’s a great time to plant trees because this gives the roots time to settle and produce new roots before the start of the rainy season. It is also a good time to prune trees as many would have lost their leaves in winter. It is interesting to see how many trees are pushing new leaves, even though we are in the middle of winter, because it has been particularly warm.