The Gardener


Durban 26 °C

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For everyone who loves gardening

The best thing about winter is a lovely lemon tree, full of butter-yellow fruit – a reassuring sight that always tells me that no matter how cold and miserable it is, all is still well in the garden ... Or is it?
    At our recent The Gardener Live show in Pretoria, the most questions that Gerald and I were asked by gardeners visiting our stand for advice – were about badly-performing lemon trees. Some of the tales of woe we heard were sad enough to make me want to burst into tears!
    Here is a brief description of how to treat a lemon tree (Because no matter the battle you might have, you simply have to plant one of your own!): Full sun and protection against cold winds is a must. Make large holes and backfill them with copious amounts of compost and bonemeal, before planting the tree at the same depth it is growing in its nursery bag. Bad drainage kills! Check that your planting hole drains freely before planting the tree.
    Otherwise you can plant the tree in a large pot filled with quality potting soil, and enriched with compost. Water frequently in summer, but hold back a bit in autumn and winter. Feed four times a year – in April, July, September and January – with a granular fertiliser containing nitrogen and potash. Trees in pots will need more watering and also a regular foliar feed containing macro and micro elements – apart from the four annual, granular fertilising sessions that are recommended.
Stay warm!
Anna Celliers

LAST CHANCE to save a massive 50% on the cover price of The Gardener or Die Tuinier magazines until the 20 May 2013

Arctotis x hybrida ‘Red Radiance'

Instant colour is not just an industry buzz word, it's a horticultural reality. In their busy lives, modern gardeners sometimes want instant flowers and then they look for tried and tested varieties that provide colour fast and that last. This is why you are unlikely to find nurseries that don't have the latest hybrids of the lovely indigenous arctotis available. These useful ground cover and filler plants, with serrated grey-green leaves and large colourful daisy flowers, virtually shout "plant me!”, and you can plant more of them every year, because new hybrids in new colours appear regularly...

Checklist for June

Although we might not think so, there is plenty of gardening to do in winter. Here is our checklist of things to remember in June

Vegetables
•    Harvest crops of winter vegetables like cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli and leeks.
•    Sow seeds of hardy root vegetables directly into the soil – like carrots, radishes, turnips and parsnips.
•    Protect cold-sensitive plants like celery and globe artichokes from winter frosts.
•    Dig over beds and prepare areas for early-spring planting. Apply agricultural lime in areas with acidic soil conditions.
•    Harvest green peas...

Shows

28 June to 7 July

The Gardener Live

at the

East Coast Radio House & Garden Show

Durban Exhibition Centre


Report Time	10:00

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Wind Chill	25 °C
Dew Point	20 °C
Wind Direction	200 SSW
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Wind Speed	4.1 m/s
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Pressure	1011 hPa
Humidity	69.6 %
Humidity Index	33.4 °C
Heat Index	27 °C
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