Garden talk
Spring 2014
Step into
Spring! INSIDE
Flower power • Dazzling décor ideas • Go big on birds • Spring action plan
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Spring!
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Hello and welcome to the most exciting season of all.
Spring is a season full of promise, new beginnings and a kaleidoscope of colour. GardenShop will not disappoint with our garden centres full to the brim with new and interesting plants, and the best and widest selection of the freshest seedlings. Our garden decor will set your garden apart with interest and intrigue.
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Email us on info@gardenshop.co.za Connect with GardenShop! Daily gardening posts, updates on new plants, trending gardening ideas and seasonal pictures from our garden centres.
Delight and share your love of spring with your little ones with quirky, fun and practical gardening tools, growing kits and decorative tea sets. PLUS: enclosed is your free GardenEasy guide with simple, easy to follow, how-to gardening steps. Happy gardening.
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GardenShopSA Editor: Deborah Hele
e-mail: deborah@gardenshop.co.za Publisher & Ad Sales: First Wave Media cc e-mail: gardentalk@firstwavemedia.co.za
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Spring action plan Essential hints, tips and advice for a glorious looking spring garden. Front door appeal GardenShop’s exciting range of container pots. Your flowering spring garden Colour and wonderful scents abound! Discover how to make magic with beautiful seasonal plant varieties.
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WIN! Two return KLM air tickets to Amsterdam! Bring in the birds Don’t miss out on exclusive to GardenShop bird feeders, feeds and feeding accessories for our fine, feathered friends.
Reward Yourself with all the added benefits of being a GardenRewards member
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Garden Rewards 193211
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A 5% Cash back Reward for every Rand you spend (excluding promotional items). It’s free – you pay absolutely nothing to join. Triple Rewards on selected items. Free GardenTalk magazine packed full of gardening ideas, tips, new products and GardenValue offers. • Free GardenMail Ezine. • Enjoy discounts on local deliveries (conditions apply). • Expert advice from qualified staff via our Contact Centre on 0861 G-A-R-D-E-N (427336) or email info@gardenshop.co.za. GardenTalk
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Stepping into spring with quality products from GardenShop
‘Flower Power’ Osteospernum ‘Flower Power’
Spring and summer flowering perennials, with uncompromising colour and hardiness for South African gardens. To enhance the power and glory of Osteospernums, plant amongst other water wise plants that will enjoy and flourish in hot sunny garden beds. Ideal to plant in rock, container, indigenous and water wise gardens for gratifying and beautiful colour splashes.
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General Tasks in your garden
• Once you are sure of no late frosts you can prune your Fuchsia shrubs and plants that have been damaged by late frost.
Spring
action plan
The flower garden
• Plant flowering seedlings like Alyssum, Begonia, Celosia, Cosmos, Chrysanthemum palidosum, Dahlia (bedding), Dianthus, Lobelia, Marigold, Pansy, Petunia and Vinca. • Water and fertilise annuals and bulbs regularly, ideally with liquid fertilisers like Hadeco Bulb Food, Margaret Roberts Supercharger or Multifeed Flowegro. • Fertilise your roses, fruit trees and citrus with Sudden Impact for Roses, Wonder 6:1:5 (22) Flowers and Fruit or Ludwig’s Vigorosa.
The edible garden
• Mulch raspberry canes with compost or manure. • Ideal time to plant herb summer annuals – sweet basil, dill, rocket, chives, mint and coriander and parsley. • Plant vegetable seedlings like celery, lettuce, parsley and spinach.
• In late August, prune summer flowering shrubs to encourage a good show of flowers later in the year. • At the end of September cut back wayward stems from shrubs that have already flowered, including Banksia roses. Wear good quality gloves and use sharp secateurs and a pruning saw for larger branches. • For heavy tree and shrub pruning it is advisable to call in tree specialists.
Lawn
• Your lawn should be cut as short as possible to remove all old and dislodged grass. Rake your lawn vigorously with a metal tooth rake to remove the old grass and to loosen the soil. (The raking should only be carried out every second year). • Feed and boost your lawn with Wonder 7.1.3 Lawns and Foliage Fertiliser, Neutrog’s Upsurge or an organic alternative like Talborne’s Vita-Green 5:1:5 (16) and water well. • Lawn dressing should also be applied every second year. One bag of lawn dressing will cover 4m2. Lawn dressing will not help to level the soil. In order to level the soil, topsoil should be applied.
• Fertilise your fruit trees and citrus with Wonder 6:1:5 (22) Flowers and Fruit, Sudden Impact for Roses or Ludwig’s Vigorosa. GardenTalk
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Stepping into spring with quality products from GardenShop
‘Bressingham White’ Bergenia ‘Bressingham White’
Gardeners want flowers, with ‘Bressingman White’ not disappointing. White flowers in spring that will slowly fade to a pale pink. This is a relatively low maintenance perennial, with a good tolerance to dry shade. The simple glossy leaves will make for the perfect contrast groundcover under ferns and other foliage. ‘Bressingham White’ will be effective in cottage and subtropical garden themes.
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Delight and share your love of spring with your little ones with quirky, fun and practical gardening tools, growing kits and decorative tea sets.
Gumboots
Fu pra n and ctic al n gardeories ss acce
Tools
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Create front door appeal GardenShop’s magnificent range of European and Asian imported pots – from countries including Italy, Germany, Thailand and Malaysia – are a sight to behold. Whether your penchant is for terracotta or a glazed finish, square-shaped, round, rectangular or something truly unique, the selection affords you gardening creativity second -to-none: from simple to elaborate, the possibilities are limitless. Their versatility in adding instant colour – whether you choose individual plants, mix-and-match varieties even vegetables and herbs – means you can adapt your interior or exterior cloudscapes as season change too. And of course they provide bold focal points in your garden and add to the design and architecture of your home.
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Herb gardening in spring
There is nothing like the surge of new growth in spring to awaken the gardener inside us as well! A good place to start is in the herb garden because it only takes a few hours of composting, planting and cutting back for the summer herb garden to be in place. Summer annuals that can be planted are chives, sweet basil (after the last frost), dill, rocket and coriander. Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is in a class of its own with its spicy sweet fragrance that adds so much flavour to sauces and salads. It grows quickly and easily with luscious bright green leaves and white flowers that should be nipped off to prevent the plant going to seed and to keep the bush compact. Mint is another refreshing summer herb that goes dormant in winter but sprouts quickly in spring. Cutting back produces bushy healthy plants. Mint is often grown in pots to prevent it taking over the herb garden. Parsley is a biennial that is best treated as an annual and spring is a good time to replace old plants, especially if they have been harvested during winter. Parsley grows best in composted, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil and needs a minimum of four hours direct sun. It should be fed with an organic fertiliser at least once a month and not allow to dry out. Hardy herbs that have stood their ground in winter like thyme, rosemary and lavender will all benefit from a trim to neaten them up and stimulate new growth. Give them a boost with some organic fertiliser and dig in compost. Oregano, marjoram, and sage will also benefit from feeding and composting.
For more information on the herbs in this article visit Healthy Living Herbs, www.healthyliving-herbs.co.za GardenTalk
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Blooming Marvelous
Scents of perfume wafting on the breeze, a palette of colours to delight! There are few gardening experiences that cram so much magic into a moment as when you step into a spring garden. The secret is to keep this new ‘spring feeling’ all year round. It is easy to bring the best out of the garden when you pamper the plants with their favourite food. A complete balanced organic fertiliser can maintain this spring magic all year long. Nothing uplifts a gardener’s spirit quite like planting a swathe of their favourite colour throughout the garden beds, or glorious hanging baskets, or even into the patio containers. To keep them flourishing do these basics right.
Fertilise For Best Blooms As Follows: 1. Condition spring beds by tilling generous quantities of quality compost into the soil, or potting mix for containers. 2. Spread Talborne Organics Eco-Green ‘All-in-One’ Seedling Food (the ‘pink’ packet) over the area to be planted. A 1kg packet covers 5 square metres of planting area. For containers mix 50g to 80g per 1 Litre of potting mix. 3. Then plant seedlings immediately. 4. Water at least 2 to 3 times per week. 5. Then watch them bloom, and bloom for about 3 months! 6. Sprinkle another top up feed of Talborne Seedling Food and they will continue to bloom for another 2 to 3 months. 7. To prolong blooming, regularly clip or pinch off old blooms to stimulate new flowers. 8. If stems get too lanky trim to shape and they will continue growing and blooming again. 9. When the seedlings start to fade, prepare and plant new seedling beds to continue the colour thrill!
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New decorative mats available in stores soon! Imported decorative plant holders, secateurs, umbrellas and watering cans
Hand tools
Trending!
Garden accessories
This spring GardenShoppers will be dazzled by an exciting range of garden decor gifts and accessories. All the latest trends and ideas to delight and enhance your garden and outdoor areas.
Spring plant gift range
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Flowering
Spring Garden There’s always something quite magical about stepping into spring! GardenShop presents a selection of spring flowers to bring stunning
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colour and fabulous fragrances to your garden.
1. Pansy
Cool weather is just what the cheery Pansy flowers prefer. It is one of the best annuals to plant in spring for early season containers and window boxes. Gardeners delight in the variety of flower colour. Name:
Viola x wittrockia
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well drained soil. Size:
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To 5 cm tall and 7 cm wide.
2. Hellebore
Also known as the Lenten rose. It produces spring flowers of beauty and surprising reliance. Unusual flower colours are available. Name:
Helleborus nigra
Growing conditions: Shade and moist, well drained soil. Size:
To 30cm high and 50cm wide.
3. Banksia Rose
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Thornless, bright green bushy shrub or semi-climber clusters of small pink, white and yellow roses in spring. Name:
Banksia ‘Rosea’
Growing Conditions: Plant in sunny areas in well composted soil. Size:
Vigorous climber.
4. Clivia
Jewel of spring, Clivia flowers proudly on clumps of strappy leaves. Ideal to plant in shady areas of garden. Name:
Clivia miniata
Growing conditions: Plant in shady areas in well composted soil.
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Size:
Height of 50cm with a width of 50cm
5. Jasminum Polyanthum
Jasminum polyanthum, also known as Pink Jasmine (or White Jasmine), is an evergreen vigorous twining climber. It produces an abundance of very fragrant pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by white and pink flowers. It can easily reach a height of 6 metres when supported. Name:
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Jasminum polyanthum.
Growing Conditions: Plant in a sunny position with access to climbing supports. Size:
Climbing up to 6 metres.
GardenShop
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WIN!
Two return KLM air tickets to Amsterdam!
Keukenhof here you come . . . GardenTalk is delighted to announce the launch of its Spring and Summer 2014 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Promotion where one lucky reader stands the chance of winning two return economy-class tickets to Amsterdam courtesy KLM!
Enter Now! Simply answer the questions below and email your answers along with your full name, physical address, office, home and mobile phone numbers to competition@ gardenshop.co.za Closing date for entries is 23 January 2015. Question 1: What 3 types of paid option seats are available on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines? Visit http://klmf. ly/1kpOXwn to find the answer! Question 2: What are one of the benefits of being a GardenShop GardenRewards members? Visit http://www.gardenshop.co.za to find the answer!
So for all those gardening enthusiasts who’ve been wanting to visit the spectacular and world-renowned Keukenhof show – which runs from 20 March - 17 May 2015 – and also explore the fantastic flora of Amsterdam and Holland at large, here’s your chance to get there and experience a feast of the senses second-to-none. Keukenhof not only boasts inspirational gardens but plays host to flower shows with as many as 600 growers presenting prize blooms! Approximately 7-million flowers blossom in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares, with more than 700 varieties of tulips! The amazing display of Dutch flowers is not confined to just the Keukenhof. You can visit the Bollenstreek Flower parade (Bloemencorso) in April while in August there’s another flower parade from Leiden through Rijnsburg to Katwijk aan Zee. And if you visit in January, you’ll make National Tulip Day organizsed on the Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam. And then there’s Castle Keukenhof - a fairy-tale-like mansion set amidst beautiful gardens. In short, blooming marvellous! Prize rules and regulations: All competition rules may be viewed at http://www.gardenshop.co.za/ klmcompetition and by entering into this competition it is deemed that you have read, understood and accepted these rules.
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We offer you … Garden Rewards 193211 •
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*subject to seasonal change
GARDENREWARDS Earn 5% cash back GardenRewards every time you spend.
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For more details or to make a booking go to www.klm.co.za, call 0860 247 747, or contact your travel agent. The website has all the info you need.
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Delivering life to your garden. GardenTalk
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Seeds of success Local seed producers BallStraathof have introduced a range of lawnseed that is suited to our South African climate.
Helpful tips for sowing a successful lawn • Use BallStraathoff high quality lawn seed. • Loosen and aerate the soil. • Apply a thin layer of Culterra Seedling Soil with your lawn soil. This will improve the soil and help your grass grow well. Spread your seed as directed on the box. After spreading it, gently use the back of your garden rake to create better contact with the prepared soil. Now fertilise with Wonder 7.1.3 Lawns and Foliage Fertiliser. This will provide sustained food as it starts to grow and will help develop a deep and dense root system.
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• Loosen the soil, apply fertiliser and spread the lawn seed. The most important ingredient you need now is water. Without consistent watering the seed will dry out. Water lightly with a fine hose spray so as not to dislodge the seed. Continue to water lightly at least twice a day until the grass reaches a height of 4cm. • Once your lawn has established itself and you have mowed three or four times it is advisable to fertilise again with Wonder 7.1.3 Lawns and Foliage Fertiliser. You need to fertilise every four to six weeks during the growing season.
Bring in the birds
It’s always a delight to feed and provide our visiting birds a selection of food and practical, attractive feeding posts, bird baths and feeders. Each season different birds visit and none more so than in spring. Kickstart the new season with GardenShop’s amazing bird feeders, locally produced bird feed and feeding accessories – EXCLUSIVE to GardenShop.
Flip Top Seed Feeder
Flip Top Fat Snax Feeder
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+ GardenShop Raw Peanuts
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+ GardenShop Suet Ball
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+ Black-Collared Barbet
Premium Flip Top Suet Feast Feeder
Cape Robin-Chat
GardenShop Suet Slab
Dark-Capped Bulbul
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Stepping into spring with quality products from GardenShop
‘Organic Gold’ Culterra Organic Range
Culterra has consistently over the last 50 years produced the finest organic materials for the home gardener. Trusted and tested to enhance and optimise the health of all soil, Culterra continues to produce specific organics for all types of planting and natural nutrition for plants. Let Culterra Organics help you create a natural and safe environment throughout the year.
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Heirloom seeds and variety goes hand in hand
Spaghetti con Pomodri Ciliegini
There are many, many varieties of tomatoes and for most of our lives, in South Africa, we were limited to the three or four varieties that were grown here, until Sought After Seedlings, the Sub-Saharan distributors for the wonderful Franchi Sementi seed range, excited our market place by bringing to us over 10 different varieites of these delicious and beautiful heirloom tomatoes and a host of other heirloom vegetable seeds. Heirloom or heritage seeds are original seeds that exist unchanged for a very long time. Some of them are hundreds of years old, some are accepted as heirloom if they are 50 years old and anywhere in between. Heirloom seeds are strong and able to withstand conditions that are not always that favourable, which is increasingly valuable in these times of climate change. They also have a high production rate, high germination rate and produce delicious tasting, beautiful vegetables. Another important fact about heirloom seeds is that the seeds from one season’s crop, can be saved for the following season’s planting. This allows great cost savings and improves food security. Growing your own vegetables in an organic manner will safe guard your health and provide you with many different varieties of vegetables that are not available in your average supermarket. Organically grown food is also very much more nutritious and Sought After Seedlings holds a number of nation wide Organic Vegetabe Growing courses which anyone can attend. To register, e mail linda@soughtafterseedlings.co.za.
Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes is terrific meal! Try it out! Recipe from: ‘From Seed to Plate - Growing to Eat Italian Style’ by Paolo Arrigo. This typical Neapolitan dish uses cherry tomatoes of about 20-30g. Any home-grown variety will be fine. Serves 2. 500g Cherry tomato (Red Cherry) 3 Large gloves of garlic, crushed Pinch of fresh or dried oregano (Perenne Comune) Olive oil for frying 1 Chilli pepper (Cayenna), deseeded and finely chopped 180g Thin spaghetti 30g Basil (Genovese), torn 3-4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/170ºC. Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the garlic, oregano and salt and pepper and bake for approximately 70 minutes, until semi-dry but still squashy. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and lightly fry the chilli. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the saucepan. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, extra-virgin oil and ground pepper. To serve, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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Stepping into spring with quality products from GardenShop
‘Kilimancharo’
Euphorbia marginata ‘Kilimancharo’ One of most rewarding and successful perennials of the last five years! Light snowy airy white clouds cascading gently over a container make this plant ideal in numerous conditions and valued for its performance. It will continue producing fabulous delicate flowers all through the summer and into autumn. It might look and feel fragile, but this is further from the truth, it is extremely tough and while it performs beautifully in sunny areas it grows surprisingly well in shady conditions too.
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Stepping into spring with quality products from GardenShop
‘Agapanthus africanus Lapis var. Lazuli ’ PBR
‘Agapanthus africanus Lapis var. Lazuli PBR’ a new compact, evergreen jewel from New Zealand. Prolific bright blue flowers with small heads will flower over a long flowering season. Highly suited to our South African climate, it will perform well in dry areas of the garden and is an effective container plant for a striking accent on patios.
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