Tasks for July
There are many kinds of heroes: human heroes who fight for justice, winter plant heroes that keep the garden looking good during the bleaker months, and habitat heroes who fight to protect the environment.
This year on 18 July we celebrate the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, a true hero of our country and of the world who has been honoured in many ways. In the plant kingdom there’s a protea, an orchid, a strelitzia and a ‘Madiba’ rose named in his honour. Recently, a second rose – ‘Nelson Mandela’ – was launched to celebrate his centenary.
Plant heroes
We salute plant heroes that brave the cold and those that provide much-needed colour and form in our winter gardens.
Hellebores are among the first flowers of winter. Hellebore orientalis cultivars have slightly pendant, cup-shaped flowers in white, cream, pink or plum. Grow them in semi-shade in moisture-retaining soil.
Ericas, pincushions, proteas and, of course, aloes are heroes of our winter gardens with their gorgeous blooms that attract nectar-feeding birds. Confetti bush (Coleonema pulchellum) with green or gold needle-like foliage produces sweetlyscented pink or white flowers from winter to early summer. Indigenous African dogwood (Rhamnus prinoides) is frost-hardy with shiny evergreen leaves and small red berries that attract birds. Grow as a tree or clipped as a screen.
Conifers protect tender plants in winter gardens. They’re evergreen and come in different forms: columnar, pyramidal or spreading with foliage in green, gold or grey. Spread insecticide granules around their base to control cypress aphids.