Spring Into Garden Mode with Fresh Ideas & Finds!
Looking to get inspired this season? From the latest gardening books and brand-new plant varieties to clever cordless tools and must-see events like Stanford in Bloom – this garden roundup is your go-to for what’s new and exciting in the world of South African gardening. Whether you’re a plant lover, a tool tinkerer, or just here for the flowers, there’s something for every green-hearted soul.
Book Club
South African Indigenous Garden Plants
A new book by local gurus Elsa Pooley, Geoff Nichols, and Andrew Hankey is on the shelves. This is the gardener’s guide showcasing 2400 indigenous plants in a beautifully illustrated large-format book. The introduction lays the groundwork, covering climate, various garden styles, spatial planning, and garden maintenance, and offers suggestions for attracting wildlife to the garden. The plant catalogue introduces all the plants, from bulbs to orchids, aloes, shrubs, grasses, trees and fynbos and provides in-depth information on each. This comprehensive guide was compiled over several years and introduces a host of new and exciting possibilities for gardens and gardeners.
New plant
Angelonia ‘Guardian Angel Berry Sparkler’
New for 2025 is this stunning ‘guardian angel’ angelonia series, which is tall and vigorous, perfect for the back of flower borders. Angelonia ‘guardian angel berry sparkler’ has bicoloured pink and purple large flowers against a backdrop of glossy green leaves. They thrive in extreme heat and humidity, making them excellent for hot summers. They will begin to flower in late spring and continue well into summer and autumn. Their impressive height, up to 46 cm, makes them stand out from the crowd. They have an upright habit and require little maintenance and care.
Trim with precision
The STIHL FSA 50 cordless grass trimmer offers versatile lawn maintenance for home gardeners. This lightweight AK-system tool features an adjustable telescopic shaft and a mowing head that rotates 90° for precise edge trimming. With three angle settings, it easily reaches under benches and along slopes. The protective spacer bracket prevents damage to plants, while low noise operation ensures neighbour-friendly gardening. The Auto Cut mowing head allows tool-free line replacement, making garden maintenance effortless and efficient.
Easy to use compressor
The STIHL KOA 20 cordless compressor is a versatile tool for home gardeners. This lightweight (1.5 kg) device features dual functionality for both inflating and deflating, with easy-to-read ergonomic display and automatic pressure shut off. Perfect for inflating garden equipment tires, wheelbarrows, and inflatable garden accessories. The built-in LED light allows for work in low-light conditions, while the rubber feet ensure stability during operation.
Celebrating 10 years
For 10 years, Atlantic Fertilisers has supported gardeners with a full range of organic products. From Bio Ocean to Bio Ganic Lawns, our blends nourish soil, strengthen roots, and boost blooms. Thank you for growing with us. Here’s to greener gardens and another decade of thriving together!
Pruning just got easier
The STIHL GTA 26 cordless garden pruner is a lightweight, versatile tool perfect for home gardeners. At just 1.1 kg (without battery), it features a flexible protective hood for safe branch pruning, non-slip ergonomic handle for comfortable use, and tool-free chain changing for easy maintenance. The LED charge indicator helps plan your garden work effectively. Ideal for pruning branches, shrubs, and even creating decorative wooden projects.
Event
Arbour week
This year Arbour Week is from the 1-7 September. As part of heritage month, planting, particularly indigenous, is carried out across our country. Arbour Week also highlights the importance of trees in our environment and encourages everyone to plant a tree. This year we have the following trees of the year that would all make an excellent choice to plant:
Common Tree of the Year Sideroxylon inerme L. subsp. Inerme
Commonly known as white milkwood, this evergreen tree from the family Sapotaceae is medium-sized (10-15 m) and has dark green leaves, black berries, and small white flowers. It is listed as a protected tree and will attract birds and wildlife to the garden. It is also the host plant for the pallid emperor moth.
Rare or Uncommon Tree of the Year Spirostachys africana
The wood of the tamboti tree has an aroma like sandalwood, and the leaves have a milky latex that the locals use as a toxin or a medicine. This interesting tree has a very rough bark that elephants love to give themselves a good scratch. In autumn, the leaves will turn red, making the tree easy to identify in the wild. The fruit literally explodes with a cracking sound on hot summer days, and the seeds often become infested with the larvae of a moth that turns them into jumping beans. Look out for these wonderful trees in KwaZulu-Natal, the Lowveld and northwards as far as Tanzania.
Book club
Proteas of the Fynbos by John Manning
This new book on Proteas of the Fynbos features 165 of the Cape Floristic Region’s more common or showy species, with pointers to many more. Each species account details diagnosticfeatures, flowering times, habitats and distribution, while colour photographs showcase the beauty and diversity of this charismatic plant group. An informative introduction explores the biology, pollination, origin and conservation status of fynbos proteas, and highlights features to aid identification.
Increase flowers and fruit
Atlantic fertiliser flower & fruit combines an organic fertiliser base with a full range of plant nutrients in a slow-release form to give plants, especially those we want to produce flowers and fruit, all the nutrition they need.
Event
Chelsea Flowers In Stanford
Event: Stanford in Bloom
Dates: 10-24 September 2025
Venue: The village of Stanford, Western Cape
This spring, the charming village of Stanford will burst into colour as it hosts the second Stanford in Bloom festival. The vibrant two-week celebration invites garden enthusiasts, families, and curious travellers to explore the beauty of gardening and the unique biodiversity of fynbos through an array of floral-themed events in Stanford village on the Cape Whale Coast. A highlight of the festival is Chelsea Flowers in Stanford, a replica of Leon Kluge and Tristan Woudberg’s award-winning exhibit from the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It will also include art from the private Grootbos Florilegium Collection
and special plant displays. Four Grootbos Private Nature Reserve staff ambassadors joined Leon and Tristan’s creative build team in London to pull off this artistic floral exhibit, and they will build it all over again in the village of Stanford for all of South Africa to enjoy. Day pass tickets for the display can be bought via Webtickets or at the door. This festival features talks, workshops, demonstrations, a central, permanent two-week market on the heritage village green in the heart of Stanford, music, art, a performance by the Cape Winelands Philharmonic Orchestra, free community events, scarecrow and land-art displays, a mini display garden competition on the village green, workshops, open gardens, and more.
For more information and programme details, visit www.stanfordinbloom.co.za
No-strain hedge trimming
The STIHL HSA 26 cordless hedge trimmer is a versatile 2-in-1 tool for home gardeners. At just 0.8 kg, this lightweight device features interchangeable blades – a 20 cm shrub cutter for precise trimming of evergreen hedges and ornamental plants, and a 12 cm grass trimmer for lawn edges. Tool-free blade changing and ergonomic handle ensure comfortable use, while the 4-LED charge indicator helps track battery life. Optional telescopic shaft allows upright working position, perfect for garden maintenance without strain. www.stihl.co.za
Powered secateurs for fast gardening
The STIHL ASA 20 cordless secateurs offer effortless garden pruning for home gardeners. These lightweight (< 1 kg) battery-powered pruners cut through branches up to 25 mm thick with precision control. The dual blade opening widths allow faster work on thin branches, while the OLED display shows battery level and settings. Capable of 2000 cuts per charge, they significantly reduce hand strain compared to manual secateurs, making them ideal for gardeners with arthritis or those tackling extensive pruning tasks.
Get ahead of weeds the easy way
Protek Weed Destroyer is a potent systemic herbicide that effectively controls weeds and grasses. It is active when applied to the green foliage and green stems of actively growing weeds, targeting various unwanted vegetation for lasting results. The 2-pack size options that are available make it suitable for any garden size. Try the new battery-operated 5-litre container, which makes application easy and efficient right from the start. No more pumping – just aim and spray. Available in 375 ml and 5-litre ready-to-use containers (includes batteries). www.proteksa.co.za
Where garden dreams blossom
Blackwood’s Garden Centres are always brimming with colourful flora for the garden, beautiful house plants for brightening up indoors and topquality herbs and vegetable seedlings for growing your own food gardens. Packed with everything you need for gardening – from tools and accessories to decor products. Visit the website to find a store near you. Sign up for their rewards programme and get huge discounts on plants and garden goodies.
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