great effect in a reader garden Mass planting An easy and

With mass plantings, large groups of plants can be interspersed to create an interesting look, as in this border. Here, gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) and Cape scabious (Scabiosa africana) have been planted in alternate blocks.

IT’S A numbers game

By Marié Esterhuyse • Photographs Francois Oberholster, Kosie Jansen van Rensburg, Deryck van Steenderen and Martin Bester

Wild garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) and mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) planted in a circular design add visual impact. plants of the month

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Alarge group of one type of plant in a bed or garden room adds impact to your garden and also requires less work. Stellenbosch garden expert Pietman Diener explains: “Mass plantings have many benefits and can be used in both large and smaller gardens. In a big garden like Larisa Brody’s (see page 90), it can become quite overwhelming if you have too great a variety of plants in all the different sections or rooms. By using a group of just one type of plant in some of the areas, you create a more tranquil effect that has bigger impact. It allows you to really see the plants,” says Pietman. >>

Maintenance Another benefit of mass planting is that it reduces your workload and ensures a more economical and waterwise garden. Since the entire bed has the same water requirements, you can irrigate accordingly without wasting water.

“Maintenance is also easier,” says Pietman. “All plants require the same attention at the same time. It’s also more economical to fill up the bed – simply divide the existing plants or take cuttings of them.” Many plants that are suitable for mass planting require very little care after they’ve been planted. Ornamental grasses are an excellent choice and only need to be cut short once a year. With agapanthus, you simply trim off spent flower heads. Dietes need no maintenance and a groundcover such as mondo grass always looks good with the minimum of care. Some plants can be planted in rows and pruned into a hedge. Although they should be pruned from time to time, which requires more work, they look good with relatively little effort. Mass plantings are also a good way to draw attention to garden ornaments such as statues or urns, says Pietman. “By having one type of plant around such an element, you notice it rather than the plants around it.” If your garden is small, large groups of plants can be grown on a smaller scale. “For example, by grouping five to seven plants of the same type together, you not only create an impression of abundance in a small space, but also one of simplicity. And if you only have a stoep or balcony, plant a few of the same plants in pots and group them together. Good choices for this purpose are pelargoniums for a sunny balcony and fuchsias for a shady patio.”

Pietman Diener

Carpet geranium (Geranium incanum )

Suitable plants The following plants work well for mass plantings, each for a specific purpose.

Agapanthus

Plant guide Full sun to semi-shade Waterwise Fairly frost-tolerant Perennial Height and width varies

Clivia Location Rustenberg Wine Estate (rustenberg.co.za)

1 For an indigenous bed

Agapanthus Agapanthus is always a dependable plant perfect for mass groupings and these days there are many different varieties from which to choose. Larger plants with showy flowers such as Agapanthus ‘Blue Flare’ and A. ‘Purple Delight’ are perfect for mass plantings in a large garden, while the smaller Agapanthus ‘Barley Blue’ and A. ‘Double Diamond’ work well in smaller gardens. These indigenous plants are waterwise, easy to grow and bloom all summer long. Plant them about 30cm apart in compost-rich soil that drains well and water them regularly until established; thereafter they need little water. Agapanthus grows quickly and multiplies readily. Divide the plants if they form a too-thick clump and transplant where necessary. Trim off the dead flower heads regularly, but at the end of the season leave some of the flowers to form seeds. The spent blooms are also beautiful and will complement your autumn garden. [ MORE TO CHOOSE FROM ] Wild iris (Dietes grandiflora) and yellow wild iris (D. bicolor) are waterwise and bloom all summer long. Although the flowers don’t last long, they bloom so abundantly that there are flowers on the plant virtually throughout the season. The indigenous ornamental grass Aristida junciformis makes a lovely display and adds movement to a bed. Clivias (Clivia miniata) and spur flowers (Plectranthus spp.) are lovely under trees or on the shady side of the house. Location Babylonstoren (babylonstoren.com)

2 Annuals Poppy (Papaver varieties) If you’d like to change the look of a bed in a relatively short space of time, sow annuals such as cheerful red poppies. They are easy to grow from seed and flower abundantly in spring and early summer. Sow in autumn in compost-rich soil and keep moist until the seedlings are well established. Since poppy seeds are so small, it is difficult to sow them individually.

The seedlings will thus germinate very close together in some spots; thin out or leave as is for a mass of blooms.

Leave the plants in the bed after blooming so that the seedheads can dry out – they also make a lovely display. Cut off the seedheads carefully when dry and then pull out the entire plant. Shake the tiny seeds into a paper bag or bowl or store them, seedhead and all – the seeds will drop into the container. Sow again in autumn. Poppies are not good cut flowers, so just enjoy them in your garden.

Some poppies bloom at other times of the year – check the back of the seed packet for each one’s sowing and flowering time.

[MORE TO CHOOSE FROM ] Other spring-flowering annuals to sow include Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica), cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) or Namaqualand daisy (Dimorphotheca aurantiaca). The latter is a good choice for hot and dry regions.

For summer blooms, sow annuals such as zinnia (Zinnia elegans), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus); do so after you’ve lifted the poppies.

108 home April 2020 Plant guide Full sun Average water needs Fairly frost-tolerant Annual Grows about 30cm tall

3 Perennials and shrubs Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) A mass of these plants together makes a beautiful show with their dainty white and blush-pink flowers on thin stems. If even a light breeze is blowing, they look like butterflies dancing in the wind. These plants are hardy, happy with little water and flower all summer long. Plant them about 30cm apart in well-drained, compost-rich soil. They require little maintenance; cut back lightly after the first abundant flowering season to encourage them to produce more blooms. In early winter, they can be cut back hard. They self-seed readily; or multiply them by dividing the clumps. Gauras make excellent cut flowers. Plant Oenothera lindheimeri ‘Belleza’ if you prefer the dark pink gaura.

In all their summer glory, gauras resemble a mass of fluttering butterflies.

Plant guide Full sun Waterwise Frost-tolerant Wind-resistant Perennial Grows 50cm tall

[MORE TO CHOOSE FROM ] Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), spur flower (Plectranthus spp.), a variety of ferns or Japanese anemone all make a great display under trees. Day lilies (Hemerocallis hybrids), lavender, salvias such as Salvia leucantha and aloes are suitable for a sunny bed. Shrubs such as hydrangeas and azaleas, and a rose such as ‘My Granny’ are perfect for mass plantings.

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The shape and appearance of a plant is much more impactful when lots of the same kind are grown together. – Pietman

Location Eenuurkop Guest Farm (eenuurkop.co.za)

Arctotis hybrids

Plant guide Full sun Waterwise Frost-tolerant Grows 30cm tall

4 As a groundcover Arctotis hybrids Indigenous arctotis has much the same appearance as well-known Gazania hybrids, but grows slightly taller with longer flower stems. They bloom in spring and early summer and have greyish foliage. There is a wide variety of hybrids available with pink, red or yellow blooms. Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil. Choose coast arctotis (A. stoechadifolia) for a coastal garden; it does very well in sandy soil. The plant is drought-resistant and will quickly cover an area.

[MORE TO CHOOSE FROM ] Other groundcovers suitable for mass plantings are fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus), smelly spur flower (Plectranthus neochilus) and carpet geranium (Geranium incanum ). Or plant rock roses (Echeveria hybrids) for their gorgeous foliage. For a shady spot, fairy crassula (Crassula multicava) is a good choice; it flowers in winter. Ivy (Hedera helix) thrives in sun and shade and is ideal if you want to cover a very large surface area.