Braden

November is the time to get busy planting with some colour, mulching those garden beds and maintaining that lawn so the house looks great for the festive season.

Your trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal annuals should all be flowering, your fruit trees and vegetables should be showing promise of crops to come, Your lawn should be lush and green by this stage. If you are planning on laying a new lawn, it’s best to do this before it gets too dry.

Make sure you keep all your newly planted trees, shrubs and plants well-watered during dry spells, especially when they are freshly planted, and add some Wonder Waterwise Crystals to help with water retention within the soil.

• Look at replacing those tired spring annuals with some bright summer colour, there is loads to choose from at Tuingenoot.
• Fill those gaps in the beds with summer flowering plants that’ll keep blooming through to autumn. For the sunny spot choose things like petunias, dianthus, alyssum, zinnias, ageratum, gaillardia, hollyhocks, lobelias, portulacas, salvias and verbenas. And in the semi-shaded areas try begonias, impatiens and coleus.
• One should look at fertilising their roses again with a quality rose food like Flower power or Wonder Colourburst Rose Food. Keep deadheading and feeding your roses to encourage new growth for the next flush in January.
• Why not plant colourful annuals in those containers for decorating your summer entertainment areas.
• Be on the look out for sucking insects on your azaleas and use Efekto Insecticide Granules Plus if you have any pests.
• Fertilise of your plants this month will go a long way, with a balanced 2:3:2 it will help take your garden to the next level.
• Why not dig Wonder Waterwise Crystals into the soil before planting up those hanging baskets, this will help retain some of the moisture in those thirsty baskets.
• Broadleaf weeds and grasses are a common problem on hard surfaces. Spray No more weeds or Efekto Clear UP or Efekto No Weed Paving RTU on existing weeds.
• If you have hydrangeas be sure to apply a final blueing or pinking agent to the soil before they go into flower.
• Plant out amaryllis bulbs now for flowers at Christmas as they can take about six weeks to flower.
• Look at feeding your winter-flowering indigenous daisies like osteospermum; divide and replant those that have outgrown their space. Feed summer bulbs, like, agapanthus, day and Inca lilies and dahlias regularly.
• Trim all those topiary trees and hedges which have put on their spring growth spurt.
• Be sure to remove the shoots on variegated shrubs that have reverted to green, cut them back to the last node that had variegation.

For the kitchen gardener:

• Look at mulching your strawberries with wood shavings or straw.
• Feed your bananas and pawpaws every two weeks will help enhance the strength and yeild of your plant.
• You can still sow parsley seeds; try refrigerate it for a few days first to speed up the germination.
• Constantly nip out the tips of your basil for bushier plants, and try plant them next to your tomatoes for added flavor from both plants.
• Feed those green peppers regularly and keep them well watered to ensure they’ll produce crisp, tasty fruit.
• Continuously pick baby marrows to prevent them growing too big and becoming watery and tasteless.

For the time-pressed gardener:

• Reset your watering system’s computer to suit the seasonal weather.
• Feed the garden with slow-release fertiliser as this way you only need do it two to three times a year. Give a high-nitrogen food to leafy vegetables and foliage plants like lettuce, and Swiss chard; flowering and fruiting plants and root veggies need a more balanced fertiliser like 3:1:5 or 2:3:4.

Lawn care

• There is nothing more rewarding than a lush, thick green lawn. If your lawn feels spongy to walk on, it’s a good sign there’s a mole cricket problem. You can control them with Efekto Plant Protector.
• Is your lawn looking dull and dreary? Get it looking great for summer by applying Wonder Lawn & Leaf or fertilawn both products are found at our nursery.
• If you are struggling to get that pristine lawn without weeds, Efekto No Weed Lawn RTU is the product for you.
• Is your lawn disappearing in patches you may have harvester termites, treat it with Kamikaze or Cypermethrin 200 EC.
  Attract our feathered friends

Birds will enjoy a little splash in a shallow birdbath during the heat of the day. It is also a source of drinking water for them. Keep it clean and filled up with fresh water. Continue feeding our feathered friends. Tuingenoot has a large selection of birdfeeders, birdbaths and food of all kinds.

 

Let us welcome one of the most beautiful months of the year with flowers galore, and your very own potential summer harvest of fresh veggies and herbs beginning to grow up in the veggie patch! Along with a beautiful display of falling blossoms followed by tiny fruits on the fruit trees are an early promise of something sweet to feast on later.

The first strawberries should be getting their lipstick on shyly amongst the leaves, and the sweet scent of star jasmine is in the air. October is also time to feed all your plants and to protect your mid-spring treasures against pests and weeds.

Visiting our nursery, you will find seedling tables groaning under annual and vegetable seedlings, our floors heavily stocked with perennials in season, groundcovers, ornamental grasses and all your other gardening goodies for spring and summer, to help create and maintain those beautiful gardens.

If you are looking for instant colour go for calibrachoas which display a mass of miniature petunia-like flowers. Finding them on our floors won’t be hard, all you have to do is to fill all your containers, hanging baskets and window boxes with them. They are value for money as they flower endlessly in full sun and you will be surprised at the large range of colours and growth habits.

Hot tip: Look at feediing calibrachoas twice a month with a water-soluble fertiliser to keep them in full flower and do not over water, as they don’t favour constant soggy soil.

October is known as ‘rose month’ and the iconic ‘Iceberg‘ is probably the best-selling rose ever! Hard on its heels is a cousin called ‘Burgundy Iceberg‘ – equally free-flowering with blooms in rich jewel-like colours of burgundy with disease-resistant, healthy foliage. If you are a fan of roses, this is a must have – even if it is only one in a pot!  

Combat fungal disease on your roses and encourage strong root systems by watering deeply, early in the morning. 

Newsflash on Seedlings!

Are you ready-to-plant annuals from seedling trays? They definitely are the fastest and cheapest way to turn any garden into a garden of colour, and at this time of year you are spoilt for choice.

Flowering seedlings that you can look at planting today include for a sunny position are: petunias, dianthus allysum, gazanias, penstemons, Chrysanthemum, Sunpatiens and celosias.
In shady areas, plant seedlings of New Guinea Impatiens, begonias, impatiens, hypoestes and coleus.

 For Seedling success be sure to do the following:

• Plant in compost enriched soil.
• Do not pull them out by their stems – rather push them gently out of their punnet from below, with a pencil or stick and firm them down gently in a planting hole that fits the size of their root balls.
• Remember to put out cutworm bait after planting young seedlings to help protect them.
• Pinching off their growth tips as they go along, to make them bushier.
• Be sure to water them regularly afterwards.
• Always Dead-head to support continual flowering.

Be a pro when you sow

When it comes to summer-flowering annuals and most summer vegetables and herbs they can be sown now, seen that night temperatures are higher. Here are some tips when sowing:

• Large seeds – place a piece of chicken wire over the seed tray to make a planting template for sowing evenly. Use one seed per hole.
• Small seeds – fine seeds such as petunia or lobelia can stick to your fingers and are difficult to spread out evenly. Mix them with some dry sand in an old spice bottle and shake the mix lightly over the moistened soil.

Flowers that can be sown now include annuals like: cosmos, marigolds, portulacas, zinnias and sunflowers.   

Bright and beautiful
Remember to add ornamental grasses to your garden as they will supply a lovely show in late summer and autumn.

Perennials to plant include the following: agapanthus, gauras, nemesias, osteospermums and geraniums of all kinds. Also go for gypsophila and why not try masses of pretty but tough angelonias. Plant more summer-loving perennials like alstroemerias, cupheas, penstemons, Aquilegia and echinaceas.

Why not Plant Amaryllis in pots: Use a good quality potting soil that drains well and pots that are just a little bigger than the bulb’s own width. Take note of the planting depth: The bulb’s ‘shoulder’ must protrude above the soil surface and the ‘nose’ of the bulb should reach just above the pot’s rim. Keep the pots in a warm, well-lit position and the soil always moist.  

A Stalwart of the October garden must be Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine). This hardy and versatile creeper with its glossy dark green foliage and aromatic, pure white flowers, can be used to trail over pergolas and fences and if planted in mass, as a fast-covering ground cover under trees. It also grows fantastically in pots and can even be pruned into a weeping standard.

 Lawn care: 

• Look at correcting those small irritations on the lawn (like bald patches) now, you can do this by digging out a piece of turf surrounding the bare patch, and replacing it with one of the same size and shape taken from a less visible part of the lawn. Fill in the excavated piece from where you took the turf, with fine compost, level and re-seed, or plant a few runners of plugs to cover the area again.
• Hollows and bumps can be fixed by cutting out the turf in the affected areas and either taking some soil away in the case of bumps, or adding some compost to level out a hollow. Gently re-place the piece of turf and stamp down lightly with the back of a spade.
• In shady or other areas where it is difficult to grow the usual lawn types, you can consider the following alternatives which are flat growing, fairly hard-wearing and need no mowing ground covers: wonderlawn, penny royal – are both great for wet and shady areas and cynodon for sun and drier conditions.
• Regular feeding of lawns with a granular lawn fertiliser spreader (should be used according to instructions given on the product) and by hand out of a bucket for garden beds.

Spectacular succulents: Clean up succulents like echeverias and Kalanchoe which will have stopped flowering, and divide and replant the babies in other parts of the garden or in bare areas.  

Hunger busting!

Thinking about a veggie garden? Here is a guide of easy-to-grow vegetables to sow and plant now:

Carrots – sow seeds directly several times from spring to autumn to ensure a continuous harvest. The soil must be cultivated deeply to make it loose and friable.

Green beans – plant seeds that are the bush types these plants are easier to manage in the long run.

Cucumbers – sow the seeds directly into the soil. The plants will need sturdy stakes to keep the fruit off the ground.

Squashes and baby marrows – sow the seeds directly. As soon as they emerge, they need to be thinned out to allow ample space for you to trail them up some obelisks made of poles. You can also trail them over a wire fence if you have.

Lettuce – keep on planting lettuce seedlings to have a readily available source for those summer salads – there is a large range available in trays from Tuingenoot.

Radishes – Look at sowing small amounts directly to the prepared bed throughout summer.

Sweet peppers – Plant your favorites, they are available as seedlings for your convenience.

Tomatoes – Did you know? Tomato seedlings should be planted deeper than they originally grew in their nursery trays. The plants will be more anchored and sturdier and roots will develop along the buried portion of the stem. Be sure to pinch off the lower leaves when you plant them.

Spinach – plant a few rows of spinach every few weeks to ensure a continuous supply.

Feed your young veggies every two weeks with a water-soluble fertiliser and keep a sharp eye on germinating weeds between the rows.

Put out snail bait amongst strawberry plants and provide a mulch of saw dust, bark chip to help prevent the fruit from touching the soil. Pick the fruit frequently to encourage new ones.

Water all citrus trees deeply, once a week. Also look at thinning out peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums when they are about pea-size, this will help give a better yield. They will also need a second application of a general fertiliser suitable for fruiting plants look at using flower power or gwano pellets. Continue spraying and baiting against fruit fly and codling moth.

You can also sow more parsley, chives and basil seeds in pots to keep on a sunny kitchen windowsill.

REMEMBER Sunday, 15 October, is SA Garden Day – time to put down your tools, take it easy, have a garden party, bask on your balcony, visit your favourite garden centre … whatever rocks your daisies! It’s all about celebrating, enjoying and patting yourself on the back for all the hard work done in your garden.

 

September has officially arrived, and spring is in the air! So much happens in our gardens during this beautiful time of the year. It’s the season when gardeners plant with great conviction.

September also tends to be a very hot and dry time of the year, so you’ll need to increase on your watering, always adhering to water restrictions, if any. But also try be water-wise and spread a layer of mulch around your plants or grow a water wise groundcover in all the beds and borders to retain moisture, it in turn suppresses weed growth and keeps plant roots cool.

What to Do

• Look at pruning away all dead, weak and crossing stems on your roses.
• Prune back spring flowering shrubs immediately after they have finished blooming, this will encourage fuller growth.
• Hopefully we have had the last of the late winter cold spell, so if you have any frost cover over your plants they can now be safely removed. Look at cutting back any frost damaged parts of the plant.
• Keep an eye on those topiaries as the quick spring growth can affect their shape you’ve worked hard to achieve.
• As the lawn starts to look a little high, give it a mow with the blades set on high. Apply either lawndressing or lawn fertiliser at the recommended rate. (Always check the instructions)
• Water those spring flowering shrubs like azaleas and camellias to ensure a good show, and prevent bud dropping.
• Deadhead your pansies and violas, so that they will continue to bloom through to November.
• Look at staking your alstroemerias and other perennials that have a tendency to fall over.
• Allow Daffodils and Narcissus to die down naturally and go brown; this will help form next years flower bulb.
• Repot any of your pot plants that look as though they could be ‘root bound’, ie the roots are growing out of the drainage holes. Either remove a little of the top soil and replace with new potting soil, or completely repot if necessary.
• After doing this water the plant sparingly, so that the plants do not rot before they have started rooting. Never fill the pot plant up to the rim of the pot with soil, always leave space for watering.

What to Plant:

• September is the ideal month to plant trees and shrubs in the garden. There is a large variety available at Tuingenoot garden centre that will not only bloom in spring, but will attract birds and butterflies to your garden.
• The trees that will add beautiful colour to your garden are the paperbark acacia, fever tree, blossom tree and the forest elder.
• Plant new curry leaf trees when you are sure all danger of frost is over. These plants are a member of the citrus family and need to be looked after in a similar manner.
• Clivias commonly known as bush lilies bring spectacular colour to the shady areas of your garden during the month of September. They are not only indigenous but easy to care for and waterwise too. A great addition to any garden.
• Popular shrubs to look out for and are a great addition to any garden are polygalas, carnations, argyranthemums and pelargoniums, all of which can be found at Tuingenoot.
• Plant those climbers you’ve been looking at, as the soil warms up so that new roots are encouraged to grow and establish.
• Most herbs can be safely planted now. Dill, origanum, borage mustard, water cress, caraway, coriander, mints, penny royal, rosemary, fennel, basil, anise and summer savoury.
• Plant seedlings of cabbage, lettuce, capsicum (peppers), tomatoes, peppers and egg plants.

What to Sow:

• Sow early vegetable and salad crops in seed trays in your greenhouse or bright window sill. When thinning out, use these for salads rather than discard.
• Look at planting new lawn grass seed or grass plugs this month. It’s the best time for establishing a new lawn quickly.
• Sow seeds of cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil, lettuce, rocket and parsley.
• You can also sow beans, swiss chard, pumpkin, gem squash, sweet corn, baby marrow, carrot, turnips, radish, beetroot this month as well all these seeds or seedlings are readily available at our nursery.

What to Spray:

As all the “re-growth” for the new season starts, you will notice an increase in insects (not the “gardener’s friend” type but rather the un-welcome ones) these will be feasting on all the new tender shoots, so be aware while walking around your garden.
Pest to watch out for are:

• leaf gall on azaleas
• thrips on leaves
• snails and slugs around newly planted seedlings
• citrus psylla on lemons
• check for weed growth in your lawn and apply selective herbicides where applicable.
• if you planted impatiens in August, be sure to keep an eye out for impatiens fungus.

There will be an increase in the number of weeds in your garden, so a great deal of the gardener’s time will be spent on these two chores!
But it is no problem though, just pop into Tuingenoot and pick up all the products you will need to protect your garden this spring!

What to Feed:

Time and energy must be spent on feeding the garden during September as plants push out their new growth; try also give attention to your lawn as this will be re-paid with improved and lush growth during the year.

Feed strawberries, raspberries, granadillas and grapes with a general 3.1.5. fertiliser like 3.1.5 from Culterra, or Wonder Organic Vita-Boost.

Add organic slow realease fertiliser like flower power to your fruit trees and shrubs – remove the mulch, feed and replace the mulch watering well after application.

Fertilise all fruit trees now with a general purpose fertiliser like flower power or gwano pellets at the recommended application rates.

Waterwise:

Waterwise flowering plants are hardy and are exactly what the name says, waterwise!

These plants survive on minimal water and tolerate hot dry conditions. One of the easiest ways to save water is to go indigenous.

Look at planting things like gazanias, wild garlic, wild irises and of course the bright and beautiful vygies

Visit us today and find all your Spring gardening necessities and favorites in full flower!

 

August is notoriously the windy, windy month of the year…blowing winter out the backdoor and with it bringing new beginnings, fresh growth and warmer days in the front.  So let’s shake off those winter blues, and get cracking, get planting and get fertilising – spring is right around the corner!

General Gardening Tasks

August is known for it’s between weather and is quite unpredictable.  There is still the possibility of a cold spell passing through, so be cautious with removing frost cover from your tender plants.

The days are warming up and tend to be very dry and windy. Be sure to stake up those standards, young trees and climbing plants and check and replace old stakes to prevent wind damage, from your beloved plants.
This is the perfect time to tidy up and cut back dead branches anything that may have suffered from frost damage on your shrubs and climbers.  Prune and shape shrubs, climbers and hedges that have finished flowering or will flower after mid-summer on new growth. be sure to wait until the second half of August to prune those frost-sensitive plants.

We can still carry on with deviding our perennials like Ornamental grasses, Agapanthus, Hemerocallis, Dietes etc if you didn’t do so in autumn start doing it now, to fill out those empty spots. Cut back the leaves and replant in freshly composted soil. Fertilise with an organic 5:1:5 or 2:3:2 and water well.

Don’t panic There is still time to prune those roses!

If you haven’t pruned your roses yet, be sure to do so during the first week of the month. Look at fertilising them with a 3:1:5 fertiliser, and mulch well along with watering thoroughly.
Winter annuals will be in full bloom now. Feed them fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser of your choice gods options are seagro, trelmix and Nitrosol. Continue picking out all dead flower heads to ensure that their colours brighten up the garden for as long as possible. Remove spent plants and fill gaps with new seedlings or colour pots. A new variety is available weekly on our floors.

The watering needs of your plants will now slowly start to increase. Mulch, mulch, mulch with bark chips, nut shells, peach pips, leaves or a good ground cover;  anything that will keep moisture in without damaging the soil. Adjust your irrigation systems according to your plant’s new needs.

Be sure to remove those dreaded weeds as soon as the little pests appear.  Apply a thick layer of compost on all your beds.  It will help to suppress weed growth, along with providing the nutrients needed for strong and healthy growth and also serve as a mulch. 

You can look at applying an organic 2:3:2 fertiliser along with vermicast according to the recommended dosage to all beds, new plantings and pruned plants to help promote strong new growth.

Summer flowering bulbs should be hitting our shelves at the end of August.  Grab your favourites as soon as you can and plant them for a spectacular summer show.  Feed your spring flowering bulbs and bulbs that have completed their flowering with bulb food or an organic 3:1:5 fertiliser to ensure a successful season next year.  Avoid removing the leaves on bulbs that have finished flowering, as they need these to produce food for the development of the bulb.

When it comes to your Acid-loving plants that are showing signs of chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) should be given an application of Iron Chelate according to the instructions.  After a fortnight, give a them dose of Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salts) and apply a foliar feed of your choice. Mulch with acid compost or pine bark. 

Indoor Plants

Now is the time to Re-pot those indoor plants or fill up with fresh potting soil. Increase watering as days get warmer, but be sure to do think finger test before watering. You can also start feeding with a liquid fertilizer every 3 weeks, rather use half the recommended dosage at first, and you can adjust accordingly as you go along. Be sure to clean those leaves with a soft, damp cloth, or take them outside amd hose them down.

Fruit and Veggies

Time to thoroughly plan and prepare beds and planting for those spring and summer veg and herbs. If you are starting a new bed, be sure to remove all weeds, stones and large clots. Dig in a generous layer of quality organic compost kainosis is a great choice, into all beds and allow to rest for a while until you’re ready to plant.

If you looking at planting spring herbs and vegetable seedlings that are available on our shelves at Tuingenoot. Be sure to spread an organic snail bait around the young plants to deter snails and slugs, as they are on the hunt for fresh growth.

Why not sow beetroot, radish, carrots, bush and runner beans and a last batch of peas before their season has passed.

You can start sowing green peppers, aubergines, capsicums, lettuce, Swiss chard and tomatoes in seed trays and keep well protected. Transplant when all danger of frost has passed.

Fertilise your citrus trees now with an organic 3:1:5 and a cupful of Epsom salts (Magnesium sulfate) spread along the dripline of the trees. Water in well. Then spray with a kelp solution to provide trace elements. Start an organic preventative treatment for psylla, if needed. 

Start feeding those deciduous fruit trees with an organic fertiliser like flower power, or gwano pellets and water every 10 days to avoid those horrible fruit flies. Apply a layer of mulch around all trees to help with moisture retention during the dry, windy months. Your trees should start flowering this month. 

Start cutting back on your autumn fruiting berry bushes and canes and plant new berries as soon as they are made available. This is also a good time to plant new grape vines.

Winter scale can be a problem on fruit trees and berries. A good product to use for this is Oleum. Our staff are extremely knowledgeable should you need any assistance at all!

And thats it, quite a busy month that lies ahead, except, of course, for Wednesday, the 9th of August, when all our beautiful ladies will, well we hope, relax and simply enjoy their gardens.  HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!

 

In bygone days, gardeners would spend mid-winter poring over seed catalogues and planting bare-rooted roses and fruit trees sent to them by snail-mail or rail. Nowadays, we go to well-stocked nurseries in winter to buy what’s flowering and looking good!

Here at Tuingenoot we strive for providing our customers with a wide variety of garden goodies. Along with helping you in making the right choices with tips and tricks to get through the year in your garden. Here are the ones for July. 

Gardening to do list: For the plant enthusiast

• Add colour to the boarders of your garden beds or splashes of color to those pots with snapdragons, Bellis perennis, violas and pansies and calendulas.
• Keep picking and deadheading annuals to encourage them to produce more flowers and further growth.
• Look at feeding your annuals, spring bulbs and clivias regularly with foliar fertilisers (seagro and Nitrosol are good) or apply a slow-release organic feeds like flower power or gwano pellets.
• Keep on picking sweet peas, Iceland poppies and stocks to encourage the plants to continue flowering.
• Water cool season, seed lawns (like Shade Over, Pro lawn and All Seasons Evergreen) well. A light sprinkle of 3:1:5 fertiliser will give them a good boost.
• Rose pruning is done in the second half of July, until the end of August in very cold regions. Gardeners who approach this task with trepidation can relax, as rose pruning is basically the removal of dead wood and weak and old twiggy stems, in order to attain a neat and pleasing shape, to open up space for new stems to grow, and to cut back to a desired height
• Water Mediterranean plants like lavender, rosemary
• Winter is also lavender planting time and here’s a selection of the best lavenders for your garden all of which can be found ag our nursery:
• Lavandula angustifolia – compact and bushy with small, grey-green leaves and long flower spikes in deep purple.
• Lavandula dentata (toothed lavender) – spreading, bushy shrubs with scalloped foliage which are either dark green or grey depending on the variety. Fragrant, purple-blue flowers.
• Lavandula x intermedia (English lavender) – vigorous hybrid with a spreading growth habit and aromatic grey-green leaves. Tall flower spikes covered in small mauve flowers.
• Lavandula stoechas (french lavender) – numerous hybrids available of this compact bushy shrub with slender green leaves. Short spikes of purple or pink flowers topped with two colourful bracts looking like rabbit ears.
• If you would like to encourage butterflies and bees to your garden look at our selection of flowering fynbos plants such as pincushion, and erica varieties.
• If you would like to encourage continued flowering throughout winter and into spring, look at planting annuals like stocks and Iceland poppies.
• After your camellias have flowered, water in a light application of an organic, high-nitrogen fertiliser to promote your plants with new growth.
• When pruning your hydrangeas, cut back the stems which have flowered by about half, ensuring to cut above a thick round green bud. Remove all diseased, dead, or damaged growth.
• Take hardwood cuttings of hydrangeas, hibiscus, buddleia, Chinese lanterns and indigenous shrubs like, Mackaya bella, Duvernoia aconitifolia and D. adhatodoides and Tetradenia riparia, the ginger bush. Trim the base of each cutting straight just below a node, and snip the top at an angle above a node to remind you which end is which.

Gardening to do list: For the kitchen gardener

• It’s time to prune deciduous fruit trees like peaches and nectarines and snip off the long, scraggly side branches of granadillas. Apricots, plums, apples and pears that need a little winter pruning.
• Protect cold-sensitive vegetables like lettuce, celery and parsley from winter frosts with frost cloth.
• Be sure to check on your citrus trees for scale. Add a layer of mulch, but don’t let it touch their trunks. Feed your citrus with 3:1:5 SR (slow release) and water well. Remember that all fertilisers need to be dug into the soil to be effective.
• Growing cabbages in garden beds or pots; their form, colour and shape will add interest to the winter garden. Three types to try are: cabbage drumhead, glory of enkhuizen cabbage and Red cabbage.

For the time-pressed gardener

• Effortlessly add colour to your patio by dropping colour pots of mature bedding plants and flowering bulbs, sold in individual containers, into a single large container. Make up your own colour combinations or try white freesias with pansies and Bellis perennis.

FUN WITH THE KIDS

• Make your own DIY bird snack by stringing pieces of dried fruit on a long piece of string with a large needle, knotting the string at intervals keeping the dried fruit in place – it’s incredibly simple and the birds will absolutely love it.
• Another DIY bird feeder that you could look at making with the kids: mix peanut butter and bird seed and spoon into the small cracks of a pinecone. Tie the pine cone with string and hang in a tree, sit back and enjoy our feathered friends as they snack on your own creation.

 

Avid gardeners will tell you that their lifelong love of gardening and plants probably originated from the gift of a cool plant such as a cactus, bonsai tree, fly catcher, or a little love palm when still only a child. So, as June 16th, is officially Youth Day and a public holiday to boot, bring your teenagers to Tuingenoot and spend quality family time in the peaceful company of plants and flowers, rather than indoors. While you there, buy them a living gift to love and to nurture, the same way as they deserve to be loved and cared for.

Look at Planting an indigenous garden, attracting birds and other wildlife, and neatening up your garden should be at the top of your list this month.

Creating an indigenous garden:

Low-maintenance and water-wise, aloes and other indigenous shrubs and trees come to life this season with spectacular flowers and dramatic foliage. This is why you should invest in an indigenous garden or section of your garden:

• Because indigenous plants are grown in their preferred conditions, they are generally hardy and practical plants that require less maintenance.
• Although not all indigenous plants are water-wise, many of them are. As gardeners, we need to be more aware of environmental responsibilities and recognise the value of water conservation.
• Indigenous trees and shrubs are known to attract birds to your garden that help to manage insect infestations naturally. Look at having a bird feeder and water station to encourage visits from our feathery friends, you can find a wide selection at our nursery.

YOUR TO-DO LIST FOR JUNE

Planting & Sowing

• Look at adding colour to your garden with winter-flowering plants such as pansies, stocks, dianthus, petunia and daffodils.
• Plant things like lobelia, primula and foxgloves in shady areas of your garden.
• Why not plant fruit trees such as flowering peaches, plums and apples. They will settle their roots in the ground ahead of the growing season, giving them a head start to the season.
• Now is the time to harvest winter veggies such as leeks, carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cabbage and peas. Tip: When harvesting Brussels sprouts, remove the lower sprouts first while you wait for the top sprouts to mature.
• Once you’ve harvested, look at refreshing your garden by planting cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, onions, celery and globe artichokes in your vegetable garden. All of these and more can be found at Tuingenoot.
• Add fynbos to your indigenous garden. Popular varieties include Leucospermum (pincushion), ericas and Leucadendrons. We have a wide range waiting for you.
• Also look at planting camellia varieties, Azaleas and gardenia in semi-shaded areas.

Pruning & Trimming

• Prune your vines, plum, peach, apple, pear and apricot trees at the end of June and spray with Efekto Oleum. Use only on plants that have become completely dormant.
• Remove those old flower stalks and stringy stems from your focal plants such as flax (phormium), cordylines, penstemons and aloes. 

Neatening up

• Take your time in June to clean and repair garden tools, especially pruning tools such as secateurs, hedging shears, clippers, saws and mowing blades. So that they are ready for use come the season.
• Neaten up your pathways and paving, remove all the weeds, amd lift those steeping stones that have sunken.
• Why not take this time to refurbish your old pots with a new coat of paint and water features that could use a clean.
• Give your wooden garden furniture such as benches, bridges and trellises a new coat of varnish, bringing them back to life and allowing them to last longer.
• Check on your staked plants and ensure their ties are not too tight, and that the stakes are still secure.
• Mulch, mulch, mulch those garden beds with compost or mulch, the benefits of doing this are incredibly, and your plants will thank you for it.

Feeding

• Look at feeding your citrus trees with an organic fertiliser such as Flower power, or gwano pellets.
• A general feed to the garden beds with an organic 3:1:5 fertiliser will help strengthen the cell walls and control evaporation.
• Evergreen lawns require a 5:1:5 feeding you can find a selection of this feed on our selves.

Pests amd treatments

• If you are noticing your conifers dying from the inside, look at treating those cypress aphids every four weeks with Efekto insecticide granules, or koinor.
• Be on the look out for mealy bugs in sheltered areas of the garden and treat with Efekto Malasol insecticide.
• Australian bugs are also hiding in sheltered areas of the garden and treat with complete, or plant protector.
• Treat those annoying aphids often found on our cabbages at this time of the year with organiced.

Some Other Fresh Ideas

Looking at planting hanging baskets? Why not  add colour to your patio or balcony by planting a hanging basket with mixed winter annuals such as pansies, violas, petunia and dianthus. These are our top tips:

• Add water-retention granules to your potting soil or use vermiculite and add it in with your potting medium to prevent your hanging basket from drying out too fast.
• Since hanging baskets are watered more regularly, they lose nutrients in the soil faster than usual. You can overcome this by adding a slow-release fertiliser such as Atlantic All-Purpose or flower power to the soil when you plant, and feed plants with a liquid fertiliser such as Multifeed Flower Grow once a week.

 

Wondering what to plant in March or which tasks are essential to keep your autumn garden looking good? Hare at Tuingenoot we try give you the best possible information to help you keep your garden looking great all year round!

March is always a busy time in the garden with loads of sowing, planting and planning to be done in preparation for winter and spring. Before you get stuck in, why not take a bit of time and come visit us at Tuingenoot for planting inspiration and get an update on what’s hot in the gardening world right now?

General March Garden Tasks

• Autumn is the ideal time to establish young plants before the cold weather set in. Consider deciduous trees with striking autumn foliage.

• Fertilise all your container plants, hanging baskets and seedlings with liquid plant food like seagro, Nitrosol etc.

• Now is a great time to feed the garden and lawn with a potassium rich fertilizer like 3:1:5. This will help strengthen the cell walls of your plants before winter and its frost arrives.

• Water during cooler times. Watering during early morning will minimise evaporation and allow your plants to absorb the water before the sun dries them out.

• Use more containers in the garden. Pot plants have a smaller surface area for water loss and evaporation, making container gardening one of the best ways to save water in the garden. It’s especially effective when you use water-retention granules.

• You can look at lifting and dividing all summer – flowering perennials such as Agapanthus, Hemerocallis and Iris. Replenish those planting holes with compost and cut plants back. Keep the divided clumps to a fair size, so that the plant can recover in time for next season. Water well.

• Weeds will be plentiful after the rains we have had through the season. Pull them up regularly and more importantly before they go to seed as they compete with your garden plants for nutrition and water.

• Plants like Azaleas, Camellias and Gardenias will start forming their buds now. So be sure to keep them moist to avoid bud drop before they open in spring.

• Fertilise all your rose bushes with a balanced rose fertilizer and water them twice a week if needed. Remember to continue checking and treating for fungal and insect infestations, with products like rosecare plus.

• The plectranthus species is known for its aromatic foliage and its mass of mauve, purple or lilac flowers from February to November, bringing beautiful colour to a winter garden. They require very minimal attention and, once established, are hardy during periods of drought. 

• Deadheading summer annuals that are still in flower and remove the spent ones, is always a good practice to have in any garden. Start preparing your beds for winter annuals by spreading a thick layer of compost and 2:3:2 fertiliser according to the instructions given on the back of each bag.

The Food Garden

• Feed your fruit trees that have finished fruiting with an organic 8:1:5 fertiliser. Spread the fertiliser along the dripline of the tree and water thoroughly, after application.

• Pick the last of your spent summer vegetables like tomatoes, brinjals and peppers and pull up the plants. Prepare your beds for winter vegetables by digging in a thick layer of compost and some organic 2:3:2 or bone meal according to instructions.

• Ensure that cabbages are kept moist and feed them fortnightly with an organic, liquid seaweed- or fish- based fertiliser or once a month with a balanced organic fertiliser, like 6:3:4. This will help them form health balls.

• March is the time to divide and plant strawberries but towards the end of the month in well composted beds or pots.

• Garlic bulbs will be available for planting towards the end of March, one can also use the cloves you can buy at the stores.

• Harvest your annual and frost tender herbs now while they still have zest and flavor. This doesn’t mean you’re in for a bland winter. Look at preserving the harvested herbs by drying, freezing or making a pesto or herb butter.  They can also be preserved in oil or vinegar.

• Keep your citrus trees moist while the fruits are swelling and spray with a kelp solution to provide trace elements. Also thin fruit out if the tree is overloaded, rather have less tasty fruit, than large amounts that can be tasteless, or less so.

• You should also look at feeding all your berries with an organic 3:1:5 fertiliser.

March is the sowing month

It’s the change of season and seeds are on the shelves at Tuingenoot and its a suitable time for sowing now and also in the upcoming cooler months.  Choose and sow your favourites from the following:

• Vegetables: Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuce,  marog, onions, Oriental greens, parsnips, peas, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.

• Herbs: Dill, parsley, borage,  chives, garlic chives, rocket and chamomile.

• Flowers:  African daisies, Alyssum, Snapdragons, Bellis perennis, Calendula, Chrysanthemum paludosum, Dianthus, Bokbaai Vygies, Pansies, Poppies, Primulas, Stocks, Violas and Sweet peas.

• The end of March is also a good time to sow evergreen and shade lawn seed, to cover up those bear patches.

• Prepare beds for bulbs by adding a good portion of compost and bone meal, vermicast or organic 2:3:2. Good drainage is essential. The preferred position will be indicated on the packaging as well as the plants’ suitability to being containerized. Cover planted bulbs with a layer of mulch. Water bulbs deeply every four days and if the bulbs are in pots then more frequently.

• Summer-flowering bulbs will be going dormant now – mark the spots they are planted with things like somatic sticks to protect the bulbs from being dug up.

• Start feeding summer bulbs as soon as they have finished flowering with a special bulb food available at Tuingenoot. You may ask yourself, Why now? Because they will store this food in their little bulbs in preparation for their spectacular show next season

 

General February Garden Tasks

• Remove all dead flowers from summer flowering perennials like Agapanthus, dietes and Liliums. And if you are looking at deviding your plants, Wait for the cooler days of March and April.

• Sweet peas can be sown now. Prepare a trench with well-rotted kraal manure and add a lot of compost, bonemeal and an organic fertiliser to the soil. The key to success with sweet peas is enriched and well-draining soil. Soak the seeds overnight in warm water before sowing directly in the trench.

• Look at giving your summer flowering shrubs a light prune to tidy them up – and if you’ve experienced hail damage through some of the summer storms, you can cut away damaged leaves and flowers to allow for fresh new blooms to be produced.

• Also look at Deadheading your summer annuals regularly and feed them fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser. You acn also start to sow winter-flowering annuals from seed available that you can find available in our seed section now.

• Dead head flowering bulbs, like Dahlias, to extend their flowering time. Feed bulbs that have finished flowering with a good quality bulb food ask our staff to help pick one out for you– now is the time that they store these nutrients in their little bulbs for winter dormancy and to ensure you have beautiful blooms in the next season.

• Be sure to check and spray all susceptible plants for aphids, powdery mildew, black spot, rust and redspidermite – our friendly staff are always willing to assist with suggestions on what products you can use.

• Be on the look out especially in the early evening for snails and slugs and put out an organic bait of your choice.

• Water plants deeply when it’s not raining in order to encourage roots to grow deeper in search of water; this keeps roots cooler and improves the plants’ ability to withstand drought. This also applies to your potted plants, Let the water start to flow out the bottom before moving onto the next pot plant.

• Top up mulch in garden beds where needed to keep the soil cool and retain moisture during the hotter months.

• Water your roses deeply 3 times per week and maintain a thick layer of mulch, keeping the area around stems free. Fertilise with a balanced rose food to boost the their last flush of flowers.

• Feed Azaleas and Camellias with an acid-loving plant food now. Mulch with acid compost and water well to give them a yearly growth boost and to help them set full buds.

• Look at feeding all your plants that are in containers and hanging baskets with a liquid fertiliser every fortnight, this will help with the plants overall health, and encourage beautiful blooms.

• Mow your lawns more regularly on a higher setting to protect roots from the heat. Water well if needed and feed with an organic, slow-release lawn fertiliser. Be sure to Check for lawn caterpillars, mole crickets and lawn fungus and treat appropriately.

In the Food Garden

• Remove your spent summer veg that have finished bearing. A final planting of tomato, brinjal and green pepper seedlings can still be made. Now is the time to start preparing your soil for winter vegetable sowing and planting.  Work a generous amount of good quality compost into the soil in preparation.

• Start sowing your choice of winter vegetable and herb seeds available in the seed section at Tuingenoot now. Rather sow in seed trays while the weather is still so hot and keep the young seedlings under 30-40% shade cloth or in the dappled shade of a tree, helping them with a great start to life.

• Cut back herbs to encourage fresh new growth. Freeze or dry the snippets of summer herbs for use during winter. Bunches of herbs can also be used as insect repellents in your home. Mints deter most insects, including ants. Basil, rosemary and lavender keep flies at bay. Lemon-scented herbs such as balm, lemon grass and scented geraniums are great for keeping mosquitoes away. Tansy is good as a flea repellent. 

• Prepare your beds for strawberries in late summer by digging a layer of compost, bone meal and organic 2:3:2 fertiliser into the soil.

• Water vegetables and herbs more frequently during hot weather, especially those planted in containers. Feed fortnightly with an organic, seaweed -based fertiliser.

• Keep a look out for pests like aphids, redspidermite and white fly thrive in this hot weather. Check plants regularly and spray with an organic pesticide if they cannot be controlled manually.

• You can also look at doing a last planting of fast-growing annual herbs, like basil, dill and coriander now. Still available at our vegetable section.

• Its a good idea to top up on mulch layers around your citrus trees and water twice a week, if needed. Feed with an organic 3:1:5 fertiliser along the drip line of the tree.  Check for aphids and psylla and treat appropriately.

• Now you can harvest garlic and onions you will know when the time is right by the flower heads toppling over and the leaves starting to yellow, but be sure to do it before they dry out completely.

• Once deciduous fruits have stopped producing, shape your trees lightly and remove any diseased branches, in their entirety. Be sure that all fallen fruit are removed from around the tree – this is a breeding ground for fruit fly. You can look at  feeding with a general 2:3:2 fertiliser and water well, any organic choices are ideal.

• Pick the last of your granadillas and feed them with an organic 2:3:2 fertiliser, to help boost the vine for the next seasons crop.

• Water all your berry plants well at this point of the season to ensure a good autumn crop.

For the Love of Bees and Bugs…

Look after your beneficial insects in the garden – they help to keep your garden pest free, and keep a healthy biome.  Only look at spraying pesticides only when it’s really needed and also spray during the late afternoon when they are less active.

 

Ones things for sure we need to weed regularly in this season before weeds go to seed. A thick layer of mulch will also help to suppress weeds.

A warm Welcome 2023! A new year and as always a time filled with new possibilities and opportunities for goals, insights and growth.

We at Tuingenoot hope that you are starting this year with renewed energy and great ideas and we look forward to bringing joy and excitement into your homes and gardens as we enter into the months ahead.

Getting back into the garden…

If you’ve been away these holiday, you might have returned to a very weedy garden and hopefully not too many plant casualties. Start by weeding all your beds thoroughly before the weeds go to seed and top up the mulch if needed.  Keep weeding throughout the month to stay on top of things.

Check your rose bushes thoroughly for any signs of black spot, aphids, red spider mite and chafer beetles and spray fortnightly if needed. Look at Fertilising with a balanced rose fertiliser and water deeply 3 times per week a good ratio to go with is about 15L per week, unless it has rained sufficiently. Give your rose bushes a light prune this month to encourage another flush of flowers.

Continue with the deadheading of your summer annuals, and look at replacing any spent ones to the fill gaps in your beds with new seedlings that are not too ‘thirsty’ and will tolerate the heat that comes with January.  Feed all your annuals in beds, baskets and containers every forth night with an organic liquid fertiliser, Nitrosol or seagro are great choices.

For a colour explosion, annual colours to plant with abandon this month are, for the shaded areas, New Guinea Impatiens, Begonias and Coleus. And for the more sunny spots, choose Dahlias, Lobelias, Marigolds, Dianthus, Carnations and Petunias.

Trim and shape all your unruly topiaries, evergreen hedges and standards.

Trim Fuchsias and Hibiscus to encourage new growth also look at cutting back Salvias that have finished flowering – this will boost new growth and flowers for autumn.

With good rainfall so comes some pros and cons, good rainfall does tend to leache nutrients out of the soil. Fertilise the whole garden this month with organic 3:1:5 for flowering and fruiting plants and 8:1:5 for other foliage plants and lawns.

Don’t mow your lawns too short – keeping the blades slightly longer will protect the roots against the heat and dry winds. Fertilise your lawns now with a balanced fertiliser like 5:1:5 or 2:3:2 to promote a well-developed root system, and continue watering twice a week, unless it rains.

If you’re looking at adding new plants to your garden, plant them early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Water thoroughly both before and after planting. Just a side note that it’s best to wait until autumn to transplant existing shrubs and perennials.

Goodness these pests…

Keep a close eye out for lawn caterpillar, mole crickets or fungus in the lawn and treat if necessary a great trick if you suspect any problems take an old wet towel in the early evening and lay it over the infected area, in the early morning lift the towel you should then see who is causing the problem. If it is insect related.

Ants are out in full force now. Take the necessary precautions to control them.

Regularly check all your plants for aphids, white fly and fungal disease and spray fortnightly with an organic pesticide. Put out snail pellets or traps, the best time is early evenings for snails and slugs as they are nocturnal.

Also, don’t let your guard down as far as lily borers go. They’re still very much out there. Spray affected plants with an organic caterpillar spray. Margaret Roberts organic insecticide is a great choice stocked at Tuingenoot.

Essential:  Watering

It is still the perfect time to take advantage of summer rainfall and invest in a rainwater tank to harvest our precious rainwater to be used throughout your home and garden, and to help save on your water bill!

Water your gardens preferably in the early morning or, if not possible, late afternoon and remember to rather water deeply, less often than a quick sprinkling every day.  Water plants in pots and baskets every day. Also look at water retention granules that can be added to the soil medium.

Consider installing a drip irrigation system to more efficiently water your garden.

Fruit & Veg

It’s piping hot out there and vegetables and herbs could take some strain in this heat of the day.  Provide them with some relief by constructing a simple, portable structure from stakes or plastic pipe and 40 – 50% shade cloth, that can be moved around where needed to protect more sun-sensitive plants like lettuce, brinjal, peppers and most herbs.

Have some fun with the kids and plant sunflower seeds in the vegetable patch.  They will pop up in no time and they grow fast and very tall – just the kind of thing kids like. Birds will also love it when the flowers go to seed.

Give all your vegetables and herbs a quick boost with a liquid fertiliser and follow up with an organic, slow release fertiliser like flower power, which should last them through the rest of the season. Water well and top up the mulch layer around the plants if necessary.

Continue spraying or putting out bait against fruit flies.  Collect all fallen fruit around the trees and dispose of it in the refuse to prevent fruit flies from breeding.

Harvest all vegetables and herbs regularly to promote production.

Look at making your final planting of tomato seedlings. You can also still plant seedlings of beans, sweet corn, leeks, cucumber and zucchini if you provide some protection from this hot sun.

Plant a variety of loose-leaf lettuces in a semi-shade position or amongst taller veg like Swiss chard or runner beans.

Remove all spent or diseased vegetables and plant a green manure in beds that are lying fallow to enrich the soil in preparation for the cooler weather crops of autumn and winter. Look out for seeds for the cooler seasons on the shelves at Tuingenoot. Things like cabbage, cauliflower and Brussel sprouts can be sown now in sowing trays.

If necessary, thin out the fruit on citrus trees and water the trees twice in a week if rain is insufficient.

 

Ones things for sure we need to weed regularly in this season before weeds go to seed. A thick layer of mulch will also help to suppress weeds.

For the bird lovers, your birdbaths will need to be cleaned and topped up more regularly during the hot months to provide a drink and a quick dip for our feathered friends.

Look at spreading a layer of compost throughout your garden which will condition your soil and create a nive layer of mulch. This will help keep the roots of the plants cool and retain moisture – this is especially useful for when you are going away and won’t be able to water regularly.

Christmas is almost here and with it comes the notorious Christmas beetle or chafer beetle, this sneaky little critter hides behind your rose leaves and other leaves. Because they are nocturnal, chafer beetles are quite hard to control manually. During the daytime they burrow into the soil around the plants, so a good control measure would be to spray the soil with an organic insecticide. Things like Margaret Roberts organic insecticide is a good choice.

Be sure to continue that dead heading of your rose bushes and fertilise them with 3:1:5 or a balanced rose fertiliser of your choice. Depending on the rainfall, you should water your roses deeply 3 times per week (±15L per week). Spray fortnightly against fungal infestations and aphids and check for redspidermite, Rosecare plus can help combat against this.

Look at setting your lawnmower on a higher level. Keeping the grass blades slightly longer will protect the roots against the heat and dry winds. Feed with a fertiliser high in nitrogen or a specially balanced lawn fertiliser of your choice and water very well before and after you apply it. Continue watering lawn twice a week, unless it rains.

December Watering Guide

Days are getting considerably hot and the rains are not always a sure thing. If you’re going away try and ensure that someone waters your garden and pots or that the timer on your irrigation system is set and in good working condition. Try group your potted plants together in a semi-shaded spot or the east side of the house to make watering easier.

Look at watering in early mornings during the hot summer months to prevent fungal infestations in the garden and rather water deeply less often.

As it heats up it is important to water your plants in pots and containers more regularly. Look at mixing the potting soil with water absorbent crystals or gel even vermiculite into the soil of containers and hanging baskets to improve water retention.

Nowadays we all trying to save a little so its a perfect time to take advantage of the summer rainfall and invest in a rainwater tank to harvest our precious rainwater which can be used throughout your home and garden, and to help save on your water bill!

Also pay attention to those areas of the garden that receive less rain, for e.g. under roof hangings and against high walls. If the down pipes from your gutter run into a bed, also ensure the drainage in the bed is sufficient.

Things to consider are installing a drip irrigation system to more efficiently water your garden.

December Planting

Continue with deadheading all your spent flowers from annuals and fertilise with an organic 3:1:5 or a liquid fertiliser, like seagro. Fill the gaps in beds and hanging baskets with annuals and water very well. Annuals that are in colour pots are the perfect way to quickly spruce up your beds just in time for that Christmas entertainment.

Plant some Hydrangeas now in those shady garden spots – they are a hot summer favourite! You can pick their pompom blooms to fill vases for your entertainment area.

In shady areas and on patios add a dash of colour with Impatiens, Sun Impatiens, Coleus, Begonias and Hypoestes.

The choice for those sunny areas has more variety – choose your favourites from Dianthus, Lobelias, Petunias, Salvias, Celosias, Marigolds, Gazanias, Zinnias, Alyssum and many more, all available at Tuingenoot.

Plant ground covers to act as mulch during the hot season – ground covers assist in holding moisture and decreasing evaporation which in turn helps to retain the nutrients in the soil.

Look at planting bougainvillea to add beautiful masses of summer colour to your garden –available in various sizes and colours, they can withstand intense heat and will survive infrequent watering. Other popular choices for colour all summer long are Hemerocallis, Mandevilla, Agapanthus and Hibiscus.

For the Festive Table

Look at planting loose-leafed lettuces at weekly intervals for summer salads – plant these in the shade of taller plants, like Swiss chard or in beds and pots that only receive morning sun.

Find all the herbs you need right here at Tuingenoot for your festive dishes, dips and sauces like mint, basil, rocket and dill to name a few.

We also stock a variety of convenient, ready to use vegetables and herbs, including some scrumptious tomatoes and peppers, in various combinations are available in our herb section.

Fertilise all your citrus trees with an organic fertiliser like gwano pellets or flower power along the driplines of the trees and water in well. Top up with mulch around the trees, keeping it well away from the stem. Also be careful not to overwater during the rainy seasons

Look at watering your veg and herbs early in the morning to prevent blight, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases on leaves. Larger plants can be watered twice a week, while those younger plants along with those that have a shallow root system might need a daily watering.

Fertilise your veggies and herbs fortnightly with an organic liquid fertiliser, we stock a number of fertilisers which are great for this, seagro, Nitrosol, kelp to name a few

Look at supporting your vine tomatoes against stakes or obelisks and fix with soft plant tie to prevent the stems from breaking. Also try ensure good air flow between the vines, you can do this by removing some of the leaves and smaller branches.

Get that Christmas Spirit

Buy poinsettias or other flowering indoor plants for decor and table enhancements during the festive season. They will beautify your home and give you loads of pleasure long after the guests have gone.

Give a living gift that will last long after the silly season is over… consider pots or baskets planted up with cheerful colour, a trendy indoor plant or orchid in an attractive potholder, a rose bush for someone special, a window box filled with favourite herbs, a bonsai or a berry bush or a range of fashionable succulents. The possibilities are endless when it comes to living gifts!

If you’re opting for a real live Christmas tree, why not try one of our indigenous Yellowwoods? It will add a ‘feel good’, organic touch to your festivities and the bonus is that you can plant it in your garden or a container to reuse next year.

What is Compulsory during this time, is to put your feet up, have a little siesta in the cool shade of your favourite tree and enjoy time out in the garden. You have earned every moment of it!

From all of us here at Tuingenoot, thank you for your support, have yourself a very merry festive season and happy gardening into the New Year!

Please visit us at Tuingenoot where our friendly staff is always ready to assist.

Open 7 days a week

We Deliver

C/O Lyttleton & Old Jhb Road, Centurion

012-660 0103

www.tuingenoot.com

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