The so-called bleakness of a midwinter garden is a total myth, as many plants (whether indigenous like aloes, or exotic like camellias), flower with abundance in winter.
Pretty foliage reigns supreme too, as the colour spectrum of plants like conifers, coprosmas, nandinas and leucadendrons intensify spectacularly in cool temperatures.
Shades of green
Colour makes the world go around but green (a colour too!) grounds us to the goodness of Mother Earth giving us a sense of wellness and peace.
Create a little “pause architecture” this month on your patio and indoors with soft décor items that have bold botanical prints, and lots of indoor trees such the narrow leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii), fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata), weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) and the cute pseudo bonsai called Ginseng Ficus (Ficus retusa) – all of these are high fashion and very tough indoor plants, which anyone can keep alive, and which are the perfect gift for Father’s Day.
All you have to do is to supply good light, a dust-free atmosphere and watering only when the soil has dried out completely, and they’ll do just fine.
Smart greens for mass planting
Add a permanent 'wow' factor to your garden with the following top sellers as recommended by GCA garden centres across the country:
Scotch moss
(Sagina subulata ‘Aurea’)
A very popular grass alternative which forms a moss-like carpet with bright, neon yellow foliage. Very dainty white flowers appear in spring. Perfect for full sun and remember, it does not like to be too dry or too wet.
Tanika grass
Braai rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Barbecue’)
Evergreen and with and upright growing habit and strong, straight stems which are perfect to use as skewers for the braai. The leaves have a remarkable flavour and aroma and the blue flowers appear in mass. Perfect for low hedges.
Tanika grass
(Lomandra longifolia)
This tough and drought tolerant ornamental grass is evergreen with soft, fine foliage in a fresh green shade. Small yellow flowers appear in spring. It is frost resistant, enjoys sandy soil, and is a perfect companion plant to provide shade to, and cool others in a meadow garden. This highly recommended grass reaches a height and width of 60cm to 65cm. It’s perfect for mass planting in full sun or light shade.
Flax Lily
(Dianella revoluta)
These compact, tuft-forming grass-likes, have blue-grey foliage and produce masses of purple flowers in summer. They prefer full sun, don’t require much water and need very good drainage. Perfect for mass planting in modern landscapes with a mature height and spread of only 30 - 40cm.
* For more information on bringing Life to your Garden, visit our website www.lifeisagarden.co.za or join the conversation on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lifeisagardensa.