Green up your Christmas
Weed the garden
Weeds are of “particular evil” in times of drought. They utilise unnecessary water, outcompete desirable plants and are quick to seed and spread. Control weeds manually (ie. dig them out) or treat with the appropriate herbicide. Mulching is highly recommended after weeding.
Colour your garden this December!
The quickest, easiest way to add colour to your garden is with annuals. Summer flowering annuals are available in all shapes, sizes, styles and colours… Trends for Summer 2016 vary… single bold colours, in mass remain popular and red traditionally dominates over the holidays.
For a colour display that extends into the new year, buy mixed trays of seedlings and opt for mixed plantings in containers, beds and borders.
Hanging baskets add cheer! If planting your own, remember to add water retention granules to the potting soil. Full sun during December and January can be really intense, so opt for hardy colour options such as zinnia, marigolds, portulaca and alyssum.
Eastern Cape
No summer garden is complete without scented plants, so add more Roses, Gardenias, Heliotropes and Lavenders. One can even use these as festive (and sweetsmelling!) table decor or gifts for loved ones. Trim back spring growth, pinch back perennials such as Fuchsias, Geraniums and Mini petunias (Calibrachoas), and deadhead annuals regularly to encourage more flowers. Stake tall plants with soft ties.
Two-spotted mites (red spider) is a pest on many plants in hot and dry weather. One of the symptoms is light mottling on leaves, which will eventually turn yellow and fall off. Infestations of spider mite is normally caused by bad air circulation and a lack of humidity. They are easy to treat, however.
Summer herbs and veggies to keep on sowing include basil, marjoram, chives, oregano, coriander, thyme, borage, peppers, chillies, eggfruit, and spinach. Pinch side shoots of tomato plants and mound soil up around potatoes.
Control caterpillars with biological caterpillar insecticide. Pick and bottle fruit for later use.