Your garden in January
Head outdoors!
The future of gardening in 2019 is positive, with the emphasis on reconnecting and strengthening our bond with nature. Work and social demands for adults, and the central role electronic media has in children’s lives, has resulted in less time spent in the real world and interacting with nature.
Angelique Kritzinger, a lecturer in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Pretoria says “urban dwellers have been separated from nature; there’s a disconnect between us and the environment”. Make it your goal in 2019 to spend more time outdoors – your garden is a good place to start!
Gardeners can reconnect with nature by creating ecofriendly gardens that restore and create habitats for wildlife, by growing bee-friendly flowers on verges and in borders, by building log walls, compost heaps and ‘bug hotels’ for insects, and installing ponds for frogs and dragonflies.
Water-conscious gardeners will continue to focus on low-water landscaping and waterwise plants, installing rainwater tanks under roof downspouts, and by directing and slowing the flow of water to low-lying areas to allow it to slowly soak into the soil.