If used well, colour will help to lead the eye through the garden; drawing attention to focal points and tying together various other landscaping elements like stretches of lawn or background trees and shrubs. Colour will also soften and accentuate low walls and pathways and is used to demarcate various ‘rooms’ in the garden and lead from one to another.
What sets one flower garden apart from another is the structure and design surrounding the flowers. The easiest way to create an attractive and continuous display of colour in your garden is to plant perennials, bulbs, annuals and groundcovers around a framework of shrubs, roses and ornamental trees. The various plants will support each other visually and make a rich patchwork of texture and colour. If you try to create a flower garden without first planting this framework of shrubs and trees it can be likened to painting and decorating the interior of your home before it has even been built!
Landscaping the garden is similar to designing and building your own home, starting with the architectural design of the building. Think of the large trees and shrubs as the bare structure of the building, before the walls and interiors are done. These give the home or garden its specific style. Next, consider hedges, and plantings of smaller shrubs as the walls of the garden; demarcating the various rooms in the design and providing background colour, rather like selecting the paint for your interior walls in the home. These plants will provide year round structure and substance to the garden, providing the perfect backdrop for your flowering perennials, annuals and bulbs, which can be thought of as the interior colours and ornamentation of the home. Lastly plant your ground covers; these should tie the whole design together, rather like carpeting or tiles in the home. Stretches of lawn or paving are used in the same way. If you are revamping an old established garden, work with the existing plants in the garden, adding plants that will enhance the design, or removing those that really clash.
If strategically placed where they will have the most impact pots will transform any area of your garden. Many bedding plants grow beautifully in containers, and groupings of flowering pots and hanging baskets will instantly add a warm and welcoming touch to entrances, patios and other areas.
Please remember that no prize-winning flower garden can be created in the first year and a bit of planning beforehand will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
At this time of the year choose flower seedlings which are reasonably well developed rather than trying to grow everything from seed, as it is getting a bit late for many seed varieties if you want a display in December. Dig lots of compost into the beds and sprinkle with bone meal before planting out new seedlings. Try to plant in the late afternoon when it is cooler, this gives the small plants time to revive before the morning.
You can still sow seeds of fast maturing, water-wise annuals like portulaca, salvia, marigolds, cosmos, nasturtiums, ageratum and zinnias.
The large selection of flowering bedding plants available in South Africa enables us to have colour in our gardens throughout the year. Bedding plants allow you to incorporate a fresh ‘new look’ every season by using different colour schemes and plant varieties. Combine this with the fast-maturing versatility of annuals and your garden can become a canvas with you as the artist.
With the first summer flush of roses almost over it’s time to cut off the dead blooms to neaten the bushes and encourage re-blooming. When doing this, leave as many leaves on the plant as possible because roses need lots and lots of healthy leaves to protect the stems against sunburn. Cut back to a dormant bud that is pointing in the direction in which you want the new shoot to grow. Continue to remove any briar growth that normally shoots from the bottom of the plant. Brair growth can be noticed immediately as water shoots grow very vigorously and look different to the normal shoots. Prune your spring flowering Banksia and Dorothy Perkins roses as soon as they have finished blooming.
Spray your roses regularly with an organic insecticide and fungicide. Never mix fungicides and insecticides together, rather spray with one in the morning and the other in the evening. Be on the look-out for powdery mildew, black spot, red spider and aphids. Feed with an organic 8:1:5 fertiliser and water deeply at least twice a week during dry spells.
Beautiful, healthy lawn will showcase any garden and needs regular attention throughout the growing season. Continue to feed and water regularly with a slow release organic fertiliser like Neutrog’s Blade Runner and try to water in the morning so that the blades can dry off during the day, this will help prevent fungal diseases and applies especially to Kikuyu lawns as they are susceptible to a fungal disease called ‘fade out’. For a lovely fine textured lawn with no yellow spots, mow more frequently but do not cut too short. If possible, mow during the cooler part of the afternoon. Periodically change the direction in which you mow your lawn to prevent ridges and uneven growth. On most soils a lawn requires watering to a depth of about 30cm each week, so to save water, measure how much your irrigation system is delivering and adjust as required. If moles are a problem, continual use of a ‘garlic based’ repellent should chase them away.
Continue to feed your hydrangeas regularly with hydrangea food, to intensify the colour of the blooms. Mulch them with bark chips or compost to conserve water, and water regularly for a spectacular show in December.
Fuchsias can also look at their best in December if they are well cared for now. Continue to feed and water regularly, but do not overwater. On very hot days your fuchsias may wilt even though the soil is still wet; try moving them to a cooler position or simply spray the leaves down with water and they will quickly perk up again in the evening. Spraying underneath the leaves often with water will also help keep red spider and whitefly at bay. Spray early, so that the leaves are dry before evening, otherwise they will be more susceptible to powdery mildew; especially on overcast evenings.
If you have not lifted and divided your winter and spring flowering bulbs yet to store for next season you should be able to do so now. (Read last months article) Lift and divide your bearded irises now if necessary; discarding the rhizome which produced the flowers and replanting only the young pieces into good, well-drained soil to which a sprinkling of agricultural lime has been added. Remove all dead leaves and check for snails. Always plant the rhizomes so they are just showing above the ground. Louisiana irises however, must be planted 3 to 5cm deep and in lime-free soil.
Plant some more summer flowering bulbs and especially dahlias as staggered planting ensures months and months of blooms. Also, if dahlia tubers are planted this month they will bloom in February when the weather begins to cool down and the blooms will last longer. Bedding dahlias are grown from seed and are available in seed packets as well as in seedling trays. Plant dahlias in good, well-drained soil and remember to plant a stake with the tuber for tall growing varieties. If powdery mildew is spotted, spray immediately with an organic fungicide. Plant amaryllis bulbs out now and they should be in full bloom at Christmas time. Feed summer bulbs like canna, dahlia, lilium and Gladiolus, and stake your liliums. Check all your bulbs for the lily borer and treat with Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide.
Most perennial plants are now growing strongly and you should wait until autumn if you have not divided overcrowded clumps yet; but perennial primroses and violets can be divided once they have finished flowering; re-plant only strong healthy plants into well prepared, fertile beds.
Continually pinch out the dead flower heads of your annuals to prolong flowering. Cut back the dead flowering spikes of delphiniums and foxgloves and feed them with organic 3:1:5; this encourages the plants to put forth side shoots, and they will flower again later in summer.
If your hydrangea, gardenia, brunfelsia (yesterday-today and tomorrow) or citrus tree has yellow leaves, water them with Magnesium Sulphate (Epson Salts). Dissolve 5 tablespoons into 10l of water and drench the soil around the plants. For fully grown citrus trees, sprinkle 1kg directly onto the soil and water it in very well. Never apply fertiliser near the stems of trees and shrubs, as this can burn them. Hibiscus plants often show yellow leaves at this time of the year but this is usually caused by cold weather, waterlogged roots or lack of nutrients.
Prune rambling roses and frost hardy shrubs and climbers that flowered in spring and early summer like Deutzia, Abelia, Cape May (Spiraea arguta and cantoniensis), Forsythia, Mock Orange (Philadelphus), Weigelia, Jasmine, and the Snowball Bush (Viburnum). In hot, dry regions do not prune too harshly, mature plants can be cut back about one third. Bougainvilleas can also be pruned when the first flush of flowering bracts has faded. Remove any water shoots that grow from the base of the plant. Prune marguerite daisy bushes (Argyranthemum) and Chrysanthemums after their first flush of flowers to encourage them to bush out and produce more blooms.
November is a good time to take softwood cuttings of small plants like arctotis, renostergousblom (Arctotis); fuchsia, rosemary, Veronica (Hebe), lavender, marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum) and trailing daisy, bergbietou (Osteospermum).
Securely stake your standard plants and trees, to protect them against wind and rain damage. Soft material, like pantyhose make perfect ties. Check your ties every two months and loosen them if necessary or they may damage your plants and trees.
Shade plants that grow near or under large trees need extra care in the summer, because they are competing with the trees for water and food. They will benefit greatly from regular foliar feeding, because fertiliser sprayed directly onto the leaves of a plant is absorbed immediately. They will also benefit from a seasonal mulch of compost and regular, deep watering.
Watch out for the large yellow and black CMR beetles on your flowering plants. They become active in October and populations peak in summer. Many garden plants can come under attack, especially roses; and a single beetle can destroy many blooms in a single day. The flowers of vegetables like, pumpkin, tomatoes and beans are also susceptible. If only a few beetles are spotted you can catch them by hand, but ensure that you wear gloves because they excrete a liquid which can cause blisters. If the infestation is severe, they can be controlled with any organic formulation that contains pyrethrins. The best control is obtained by thoroughly spraying the adult beetles while they are actively feeding on warm days. Adding a wetter or sticker to the spray solution will increase its effectiveness.
Home-made white mineral oilHome-made white mineral oilContinue spraying your deciduous fruit trees against fruit fly and coddling moth. Water the trees very deeply about once a week to ensure a good crop; and feed regularly. A mature peach tree carrying a good crop will require 300 to 400 litres of water a week.
Check your citrus trees for scale insects and spray with a white oil in the cool of the day if necessary. If you see bright green caterpillars with orange horns (orange dog) eating the leaves, pick them off by hand; but if there are not too many of them please leave them alone, as they turn into beautiful black and yellow butterflies.
Feed berries such as strawberries, Cape gooseberries, boysenberries, youngberries and raspberries with organic 3:1:5. Mulch the soil around the roots and water regularly and deeply. Harvest your berries every few days to encourage fruit production. Pinch back the shoots on your Cape gooseberries to encourage them to branch out.
Grapes are susceptible to powdery and downy mildew so spray them regularly with an organic fungicide like Biogrow Copper Soap.
Continue to feed your bananas and paw-paws and ensure that your avocados are watered regularly in dry weather.
Water your vegetables regularly to ensure they are sweet and tender and keep the beds weed free. Feed your tomatoes with organic 3:1:5 when the fruit begins to set. Pinch out the shoots of runner beans when they reach the top of the stakes to encourage flower production. Do the same for cucumbers and train the secondary growth along horizontal supports. Feed your peppers and eggplants with a high nitrogen fertiliser to encourage growth. Mound the soil up over developing potatoes and apply a high nitrogen fertiliser to sweet potatoes when they are in full leaf. Harvest onions that are drying out. If space is limited grow gem squash up a trellis or up the stems of sweet corn.
Sow or plant herbs like Basil, coriander, dill, parsley and Italian parsley, chives, thyme, oregano, marjoram, mint, tarragon, sage, rocket and fennel.
Last but not least, weed because warmer weather and the first summer rains will have those weeds growing rapidly. Save yourself a lot of time next summer by religiously weeding this season and not allowing them to set seed.
* Feature image: Trusty Joe
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