Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Tips
Shady damp spots in winter are also a problem. Put in shade-loving plants which like constant moisture, like ferns, baby’s tears ( Soleirolia soleirolii) and fairy primula ( Primula malacoides).
A ground-level bird bath will complete the nook. Remember that this area will need water throughout the dry summer.
There is still time to plant lilium bulbs. To avoid lilium bulbs rotting, plant the bulbs in black bags or in plastic pots. They can then be grouped in a suitable spot, or the containers can be counter-sunk into the garden. FYNBOS: A talk on fynbos gardening with Jacky De Fynne. July 25. Stodels Kenilworth at 10am and Stodels Constantia at 1pm. Contact Deirdre De Wet on 021 919 1108 or e-mail
In winter, deciduous trees and shrubs reveal parts of your garden that were hidden in summer. If the view is not pleasing, or you have lost privacy, screen these parts with evergreen shrubs such as Sasanqua camellia, escallonia, evergreen viburnums or raphiolepis.
If some areas are constantly waterlogged in winter, consider raising the level of the beds with small walls built of bricks, stones or railway sleepers. Fill the raised bed with a mixture of good garden loam and coarse compost to help with drainage and prevent root rot. essential. Contact Eleanor on 021 762 1779. JULY GARDENING: A talk by Sandy Munro on what to do in your garden this month. July 25. Stodels Bellville at 10am and Stodels Milnerton at 1pm. Contact Deirdre De Wet, 021 919 1108, or e-mail Deirdre@stodels.com or visit www.stodels.com
There is still time to plant out winter- and spring-flowering bedding plants, especially well-established robust young plants in six-packs. To make sure all your bedding plants as well as your spring-flowering bulbs give a really tip-top display, they should be given a liquid fertiliser regularly.
The cool, damp weather is an ideal time to plant trees or move shrubs from one part of the garden to another. If you are looking for a new tree for the garden, go indigenous. Try the white stinkwood ( Celtis africana), camphor bush ( Tarchonanthus camphoratus), blossom tree ( Virgilia oroboides) or coast silver oak ( Brachylaena discolor). Among the shrubs, try the confetti bush ( Coleonema pulchrum), plumbago, sage family ( Buddleja species) or dune salvia ( Salvia africana-lutea). Deirdre@stodels.com or visit www.stodels.com ROSE PRUNING: Attend a winter pruning. July 27, 9.30am. Western Cape Rose Society, Durbanville Rose Garden Clubhouse, Durbanville Road. Contact Joy Webb on 083 583 3379. PLANT HACK: Join a plant hack at Pringle Bay. July 28. 8-11.30am. Contact John Whitehead on 028 273 8807. RESTIOS & GRASSES: A talk on growing restios and grasses. July 31, 10am. Morne’s Super Plants, 150m north of Tokai and Main roads, Tokai.