Spring has sprung and it’s time for new life
“AFTER the long dry winter, everything is looking a bit thin and lanky,” one of the country’s leading botanists, Elsa Pooley, said.
“Some plants will have died or are past their best so you will need to (take) a careful look at your garden and identify the spaces which need attention. Before you start planning or bringing in new plants, make sure that all the maintenance matters are under control,” she advised.
Spring has arrived and this is the perfect time of year to breathe new life into your coastal garden according to Pooley – one of the country’s leading botanists, instrumental in creating the indigenous gardens at Renishaw Hills on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
She has outlined the best practice to get the garden in shape this season, starting with the basics – fertiliser. She advised gardeners to use an all-purpose commercial fertiliser which will need to be watered into the soil, or spread when the first rains arrive; or use an organic fertiliser. “Mulch keeps your soil healthy and moist, and your plants healthy too. Mulch breaks down during the year and is absorbed into the soil. I apply a new layer of mulch at least once a year, although sometimes I use my home-made compost for this purpose,” she said.
Pooley advised pruning flowering shrubs and perennials and cutting off old flowers on flowering plants.
Pooley also suggests adding some bulbs into the garden as a great investment. While they generally only flower once a year, they put on a great show.
Renishaw Property Developments managing director Phil Barker said the work done by Pooley and her team was vivaciously evident. “One of the value-added benefits of the properties at Renishaw Hills is that every unit has a beautifully landscaped indigenous garden,” Barker said.