The Gardener Magazine

The Gardener is a monthly, national magazine dedicated to inspiring gardeners, providing practical advice and showing step-by-step garden projects. Our monthly features include garden design, in-depth plant features, growing vegetables and herbs, water gardening, garden wildlife and pets, specialist plant articles and much more. We have an extensive database on our website that is growing daily.

WELCOME

Potted fruits of the sun • Add a little zest to your herb garden, sunny patio or balcony with some smart potted trees that will give you a crop of bright little citrus fruits in winter (but basically all year long!) to use in the kitchen for all kinds of delicious delicacies.

Garden GALLERIA AWESOME AUTUMN

Old World CHARM • Amidst rolling hills, vleis and forests lies Waterford Hall, a sparkling gem of a garden brimming with clever plantings, delightful lines and quite a few surprises.

PLANT GALLERY

To DIY or not to DIY • Before you break out the tools and get started on a DIY garden project, honestly gauge your skills versus the difficulty of what you’re about to undertake. Here are some points to help you with the decision.

Absolutely Abelia! • Long-living shrubs that manage to maintain the look of their pretty foliage in all seasons are a strong framework against which seasonal plants can play their temporary roles in a well-planned garden. Modern abelia hybrids are part of the stalwart list to plant.

5 Tall Evergreen Hedges • Surrounding your garden with an imposing hedge is like planting a ‘neighbour’ you have chosen yourself and like a lot!

10 Houseplants For 2022 • The houseplant craze shows no signs of dying down. In fact, it is currently experiencing a revival or revolution: no longer are easy-to-find, beginner friendly plants the goto. Now, houseplant enthusiasts want a taste of the unique, the unusual and the colourful, with some old favourites thrown in to balance the collection. These are the must-have houseplants for 2022.

Why leaves change colour in autumn • Have you ever wondered why certain trees change leaf colour in autumn, and why some leaves are more red or yellow than others? Let’s explore this interesting topic.

Go gourmet with autumn and winter veggies

What do to in APRIL

Timeless elegance • Plant the look that South African gardeners will never tire off…

Using hyacinths as indoor décor • Some of the most popular spring bulbs to grow indoors are hyacinths. They provide a wonderful fragrance to the home and can be styled in so many ways to complement your décor. The best part is that they can be forced to flower in winter to give you that springvibe before spring actually arrives.

Hallelujah, it’s raining flowers!

How to condition compact soil using the‘no-dig’ method

Get the glad eye!

Calendula officinalis

VELVET DAISIES

Quick and tasty

Blue Dart

Italian cypress aphid

Time for hardwood cuttings

Annique

Flower scatterings

APRIL CHECKLIST

Savvy storage

LUNAR Gardening Guide • Gardening by the moon is scheduling garden activities to coincide with the lunar cycle, April’s lunar cycle coincides with the month starting and ending on a New Moon, containing a full cycle. The basic lunar gardening rule is plant above ground produce in the two week growing moon phase from Mew to Full; then plant below ground produce in the waning moon phase from Full to New. The mid month Full Moon favours flowers; 50 the perfect time to fill gaps with flower annuals and to divide/transplant flower shrubs.

The Gardener Magazine

Blight or blessing? • Some thought that another plague had hit us. Others said it was a blessing. But in between, the twain nearly did not meet!