This particular bacterium, or disease, is one of the good guys, keeping fungal outbreaks under control. It’s easy to see things happening in the spring garden: shoots peak out of the soil, leaves unfoil, buds burst open and everything grows seemingly overnight. But...
Optimal Plant Health and Plant Nutrition (EcoBuz Range)
Did you know? A maize plant sets its maximum yield potential within the first seven days of planting. Likewise, in gardening the first seven days of an annual’s growth are regarded as critical growth periods. Across the globe, increased attention and interest is being...
The Carbon Effect in Building Soil and Plant Health
The link between soil health, carbon and healthy plants We’ve always stressed how important soil health is to plant health, but our friends at Madumbi are the experts so we asked them to give us a more in-depth understanding of carbon. Fact: The nutrient content of a...
How to Build and Improve Your Soil
The science of soil By understanding how soil works, we can see the benefits of understanding that soil is an ecosystem that needs as much attention as the plants planted in it. Think of soil as the ocean. You can’t see much on the surface, but once you go below, as...
Putting Soil First – How To Clean It Up
A potato farmer from Harrismith is changing the way we look at soil. Potatoes – just add butter and you have the perfect side dish, whether they are boiled, mashed or fried. We all eat potatoes, and in most households no meal is complete without this starchy tuberous...
5 Reasons Why You Need to Start a Container Garden
If traditional flower beds and large gardens don’t match the amount of time and space you have, don’t rule out gardening all together. Container gardens blend the traditional and the modern, solving a number of typical garden problems: If garden space is at a premium...
Show Your Flowers Some Love This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a florist’s favourite holiday but most of the time these one-day-gifts are forgotten about a week later. Sad wilting flowers definitely do not say eternal love - keep them alive with these tips for fresh Valentine’s Day Flowers. Cut Flowers: The...
General Yard Stuff To Make Your Garden Smile
There are always those gardening tasks we cannot get away from. A little bit of work will be greatly rewarded when the family pops around for the festive season. Prune rambling roses, feed, water well and add a layer of mulch. Stake dahlias as they grow and keep...
Begonias to brighten up all the dark places
Gardening in shady areas can be tricky. Bedding begonias, available in seedling trays, fill that gap beautifully as each plant produces masses of waxy flowers to brighten the darkest of corners. It’s also planting time for gaudy tuberous begonias, which are perfect...
Baskets of Success – How to Plant Hanging Baskets
Thinking of hanging baskets, it only conjures up images of lush planted colour, suspended from filigree brackets, faded red terracotta tiles as mountains form the backdrop. Yes, Europe! We have all seen these pictures and some of us have been privileged to visit these...
Succulents for Any Occasion – A Stunning Centrepiece
You should all know by now that I just love succulents! Their diversity is incredible, and with so many to choose from, they make the perfect collectable. They are tough and require very little attention. The most important thing is enough sun and not to over water....
Taking Cuttings and Dividing – Make More From What You Have
Gardening happiness can take on many forms, but the purest joy is to see new roots on cuttings or fresh growth sprouting from divided perennials - and then to share your bounty with somebody else in the spirit of ‘gardening ubuntu.’ I’ve noticed, when visiting small...
The romance of summer bulbs
When I think of summer flowering bulbs, it conjures up images of frilled petalled flowers, demanding to be seen. From bright colours to delicate hues, blushing among the green leaves. Bulbs have been romanticised over the centuries and as the meaning of the word...
A Little Gardening Story about Gardening
To garden… Geoff Hamilton wrote, “There is nothing like a garden for making you feel small. There you are, right in the middle of the greatest miracle of all - the world of growing things”. Some of you might think that you cannot grow nearly all that you would like to...
If you have a wall, you can have a garden – How To Make a Vertical Garden
Vertical gardens have certainly come a long way in the last couple of years. Few realise that the concept of vertical gardens have been with us for centuries. Climbing roses on trellis work, romanticising the idea of creating a covered wall in a secluded spot. Fairy...
Pansies – The perfect pot companion to brighten up any space
Pansies must be the friendliest flowers. With their bright faces, lifting any dull corner and adding months of joy to your hanging basket. These little plants come in a variety of colours, suiting many a gardeners’ situations. Take care of your little ones To get the...
No water? No worries! How to make your garden beautiful with drought tolerant plants
All living things need water but some need less than others. Thank goodness for that. If you live in a low rainfall area, here is your answer to a beautiful garden. Playing with drought tolerant plants and succulents has never been more fun! The biggest part of this...
Beautiful Bulbs! And Where They Come From
Bursting with promise Bulbs have long been an invaluable asset to humankind, starting off as an essential part of our diet, as we have evolved, so has our appreciation for their many qualities. Often the word bulb is used rather loosely, generally as a reference to...