"Because Gardening is supposed to be fun!"

www.gardendesign.co.za
Wayne: 083 289 2009

An official HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you! May 2006 be a wonderful year for you and your garden. May IT benefit from some serious tender loving care and may YOUR spirit benefit from hours of therapy that your garden is going to give you!

It almost feels a bit staid to say that now, especially since we are 1/12th of the way through this year!  Never mind though, just enjoy every gardening minute as though it were your last.

....And then God decided that we could get an abundance of rain! My garden is flourishing, as are the weeds which find every opportunity to rear their ugly heads. Just watch out though, although we get good rain every two weeks, we have seriously dry and hot spells in between. Keep your irrigation on, even when you may think the soil has received enough moisture.

 

Your garden colour scheme. Have you given thought to the colour scheme in your garden? Gardening should be very much like decorating a room. When you plan your colour scheme, think carefully about the mood you want to create in your outdoor room. Just like the colours in your home stimulate your senses, the colours you use in your garden will do the same. Blue for example is very restful, and when you add silver or grey shades, you heighten the sense of drama. Red, although also very dramatic, can be very hot and should rather be used as accent colour and not as the predominant one in the garden.	SA Gardening
	Hedges With the great rains that we have received giving our gardens a much needed boost, you may find that your hedges are a little out of shape. Allowing your garden service or gardener to hack away at it could prove to be fatal to your precious screen.The best way to prune a hedge is to put up a gut/string line to which you can prune your hedge to the correct height. On either side of your hedge, place a stake in the ground At the height that you want the hedge to grow, pull a line with your gut/string using a spirit level Anything which is growing above this line should be cut. Anything below the line should be allowed to grow to the level of the line Remember that the more you prune your hedge, the more it will grow. So, even though your hedge is small and not at the height you want it, it's a good thing to stimulate growth by cutting off the growing tips periodically.
A folly in your garden A really nice thing to do in your garden is to create a folly.  This is an area where you have created a quiet corner to sit and relax. Ideally it should have some kind of covering overhead, such as a gazebo or even a tree canopy. What makes a really nice folly is if it is screened from the house or garden, and is completely secluded. A statue or sundial makes a nice addition, and a water feature with quietly trickling water makes it that much more special.	In the magazines this month: SA Gardening: Design a natural garden Set up a garden on a tight budget Succulents Feng shui gardening The gardener: Silver and grey plants A garden makeover Home/Tuis Mediterranean style garden Bath time in the garden! Living works of art
Things to do this month Watch Keith Kirsten's gardening programme on TV2 on Saturday mornings from 8-8.30 am. Start planning your winter garden, even if it is in concept form. Look carefully at your colour schemes and rather use three colours than create a smartie box effect. Take a new look at your patio. While things are going mad in your garden and it's looking amazing, try and rearrange those pots. Put new covers on the chairs. Hose down the plants to rid them of dust. Perhaps your pots need replanting because some of the old ones are a little tired. Feed those plants with some smelly Neutrog bounceback and give them a great boost. Keep spraying those roses.  Don't tire of this because we are getting so much rain that Fungal infections will soon kill your plants. Keep as much foliage on your roses as possible to ensure a good March/April flush. Divide your large clumps of Agapanthus and replant in fresh soil. A tip from a regular reader of the newsletter: Don't forget to water the flower beds below the eaves of your house, even when there has been lots of rain. This area will tend to dry out very fast. Don't cut your lawn too short!	Courtesy SA Gardener

Do you know anyone who would benefit from this newsletter? Please click on the link below and subscribe them by adding their e-mails to the body of the message:

Our Business:

I often wonder why gardeners don't landscape in Winter, since this is a hectic time for landscapers.  If proper planning is done, much of your landscaping can be one in Winter.
I had a potential customer complaining that the landscapers are not getting back to her for quotes. In their defense, i must say that we are run off our feet at this time of the year, and jobs are often carried out Months after the idea was first conceived.

Don't delay if you are thinking of landscaping. Get together with your landscaper ANY time of the year and let them advise you on a phased installation if necessary.

Please click here if you don't want to receive further newsletters:
No Thanks.

"Because Gardening is supposed to be fun!"