How To Sow Bokbaaivygies
June 2, 2025 4:33 pmRead in Afrikaans There is no more cheerful sight than a patch of one of our most famous wildflowers, the…
Managing Your Garden The Water Wise Way
August 19, 2024 12:53 pmDespite being the 30th driest nation in the world, most of our gardens are not planned with water conservation in…
Reuse Greywater For Water Conservation
June 24, 2024 11:26 amWater scarcity is becoming a worldwide issue rather than a remote concern. This is exacerbated by continuous strain on the…
Reasons to harvest rainwater
May 19, 2024 3:06 pmPeople often choose to harvest rainwater for economic and environmental reasons, but there are other reasons too. Let’s take a…
A Guide to Sustainable Lawn Watering
May 17, 2024 10:48 amAs we approach the winter season, gardeners are gearing up for the unique challenges and opportunities that the colder weather…
Compact Aloes For Confined Spaces
April 26, 2024 1:47 pmDuring the course of the last two or three decades aloes have become popular garden plants for a number of…
Climate Resilient Gardens
March 18, 2024 2:09 pmGreener Innovations for the Future Rand Water’s support for homeowners and communities in becoming responsible water consumers is ongoing. This…
Transform Your Landscapes With Rain Gardens
February 8, 2024 11:18 amSouth Africa’s diverse landscapes are both a blessing and a challenge when it comes to managing water resources. With periods…
Navigating Water Conservation
February 8, 2024 9:07 amA South African case study – Navigating water conservation in your garden during the looming El Niño As the sun…
Maintaining Kikuyu the Water Wise Way
October 16, 2023 9:29 amLawn and other turf grasses are often seen as highwater users, especially in the spring and summer seasons before the…
Succulents: Water Warrior Heroes
October 10, 2023 10:54 amRead in Afrikaans Nature has provided plants with a number of adaptations to save water. Choose succulents and plants with…
Sustainable Solutions: Reuse Water
September 13, 2023 12:50 pmRead in Afrikaans Whenever you use water, try to make sure you don’t just use it once. Here are some…
Grow Green, Save Blue
August 29, 2023 10:01 amIn a time where the environment is increasingly under threat, it is critical that we rethink and reshape our relationship…
Spring Into Action As A Water Warrior
August 8, 2023 3:14 pmYou don’t have to use litres of water to make your garden beautiful. Here are some smart techniques for responsible…
Urban Wetland Management In A South African Context
June 29, 2023 9:44 amUrban wetlands are defined as wetlands that occur in and around urbanised areas and these wetlands can either be natural…
Managing Stormwater Run-off for Landscapes
April 21, 2023 3:55 pmStormwater can be described as any accumulation of water from natural precipitation, including groundwater and spring water, that is transported…
How To Stretch Water
April 21, 2023 3:40 pmAs far as water management and keeping plants alive go, a gardener has two main concerns. One is to save…
The Beauty Of Soil
March 1, 2023 10:20 amAlways be water wise! Soil is one of the most important resources on earth. Healthy soil is a living ecosystem…
Saving Water in your Garden
January 23, 2023 10:35 amWater is the driving forceMaintaining a beautiful garden needs water. It is, however, a scarce and increasingly expensive source that…
The Importance Of Creating A Bird-Friendly Water Wise Garden
September 6, 2022 3:35 pmBirds play an important role in our gardens as many plants rely on them for effective pollination and seed dispersal.…
Mini Aloe Guide
August 3, 2022 2:47 pmThe size is diminutive, but the appeal is ginormous! If you are amped to start a collection of succulent plants…
Veggie Gardens, Roofs and Social Upliftment
July 15, 2022 11:05 amProducing fresh, organic and healthy food does not need to be limited by a lack of space. While a lack…
Hydrozone Definitions
May 3, 2022 10:10 amPeople have begun to understand that landscapes can be sustainable and still maintain their aesthetic appeal and function, by hydrozoning.…
Zone your landscape!
March 7, 2022 3:11 pmDividing your garden into high/medium/low/very low water-use areas is responsible and efficient. A hydrozone in a landscape refers to a…
Water Use In Ornamental Landscapes and Gardens
November 3, 2021 9:12 amOrnamental landscapes comprise a variety of aspects, such as design, aesthetics and functionality, and attempting to balance these features in…
The Best Plants for Retaining Walls
January 21, 2021 1:16 pmRetaining walls present unique challenges to the gardener. This is how you overcome them. Dull retaining walls The pre-cast, interlocking…
Border Charmers
December 17, 2020 4:40 pmEdging Plants to Complement Good edging plants that either calmly complement or create a bright colour contrast are just what…
Growing Echeverias
August 14, 2020 8:00 amA word of warning to the gardener who is developing a liking for echeverias. If you start collecting them you’re…
Game changer garden!
July 12, 2020 4:17 pmIf the design brief for a typical, very modern South African garden dictates the use of a limited and tough…
10 top ideas for water conservation
July 3, 2020 9:24 amIn the house: Where to start: Click here to calculate your current water use. Draw up a plan: Take a…
Sedums
January 21, 2020 11:42 amRead in Afrikaans If we had to rate a stone and a stonecrop plant comparatively for low care characteristics, the…
Callistemon
December 2, 2019 11:52 amA beginner gardener who cannot decide which flowering shrub to buy, won’t regret choosing one of the Callistemon (Bottlebrush) hybrids.…
Gazanias Galore!
November 26, 2019 11:23 amWant to add colour to your succulent garden? Don’t know what to plant in your sandy soil? Looking for a…
Silver-Foliaged Plants
July 23, 2019 10:30 amSilver-foliaged plants are mainly planted because of their functionality – they are mostly heat and drought tolerant due to hairy…
How the whole family can save water
July 23, 2019 8:15 amWe need water to survive, and that’s why it’s so important to save this precious resource. If you have children,…
3 Colourful Kalanchoes
June 24, 2019 8:24 amKalanchoe Blossfeldiana Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana (Kalanchoes), less commonly known as the Widow’s Thrill, is often described as a flamboyant and colourful…
Crassulas For Your Water-Wise Garden
May 20, 2019 1:28 pmThe many different crassulas can confuse us no end (and probably some of the taxonomists too!). They seem to change…
Beat the heat
January 15, 2019 11:55 amHelp your Roses to Keep their Cool • Hot nights bother the roses more than the heat during the day.…
Do You Have Stressed Plants?
September 21, 2018 8:36 amUnderstanding the Signs & Symptoms of Stressed Plants by Jenny Slabber A crying new-born baby is bewildering to inexperienced parents,…
Aloe ‘Peri-Peri’
May 23, 2018 10:53 amWe all love aloes, those hard-to-kill, structural beauties that are such a striking part of our natural landscape and this…
Potting by Water Zone
February 14, 2018 12:30 pmPlant lovely containers to match specific water zone needs. Responsible gardening hinges on good water management to get the best out…
Contained to Grow
February 8, 2018 1:37 pmContainer Plants Instant gardening with pretty plants and a variety of containers immediately raises the spirits, and this month garden…
3 Ways to be Water Wise
January 22, 2018 9:11 am1. Build the Humus Content of your Soil to Stay Water Wise. Humus is the dark organic stuff that forms…
Ways To Save Water In The Garden
January 18, 2018 12:47 pmIn our semi-arid country every drop of water counts, and not just in times of drought. There are so many…
Trachelospermum jasminoides
January 12, 2018 2:41 pmConfederate Jasmine, Star Jasmine Trachelospermum Jasminoides is an exceptional cultivar that is not grown for its flowers but rather for…
Senecio elegans
January 11, 2018 1:02 pmWild Cineraria Senecio is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, which is the second largest family of flowering plants…
Photinia x fraseri
January 8, 2018 1:52 pmPhotinia x fraseri is guaranteed to bring a blast of colour to hedges. The foliage is the main feature on this…
Oscularia deltoids
January 8, 2018 12:42 pmSandsteenvygie The Sandsteenvygie is a ground cover that will stand up to the hottest days of our summer and still…
Limonium perezii
January 8, 2018 8:42 amSea Lavender or Statice A member of the Plumbago family (Plumbaginaceae), there are over 600 species of Limonium from around…
Geranium incanum
December 20, 2017 8:32 amCarpet Geraniums True Geraniums or Crane’s Bills – from the Greek word geranos, a crane, owing to its fruit which…
Euphorbia tirucalli
December 19, 2017 9:13 amSticks of Fire In nature Euphorbia Tirucalli often forms almost indestructible thickets which made it a popular hedge plant around…
Arctotis Acaulis and Stoechadifolia
December 15, 2017 9:10 amAfrican Daisy, Gousblom, Silver Arctotis, Kusgousblom Arctotis is a fairly large genus of about sixty species within the daisy family…
Save water with green cubes
November 15, 2017 1:38 pmDo you want to conserve water and grow healthy plants? BERA® Urbanscape Green Cubes are your solution. This non-toxic and…
Tulbaghia violacea
August 31, 2017 12:17 pmSocial Garlic, Wild Garlic The hardy and easy-to-grow Tulbaghia Violacea has always been a very popular indigenous perennial, grown for…
How healthy soil can help you save water
May 5, 2017 12:47 pmHealthy Soil holds Water for Longer Periods, Allowing less Frequent Watering! Healthy soil has greatly been effected by water restrictions…
Leucosidea sericea
April 4, 2017 11:37 amOldwood, Ouhout Leucosidea Sericea (Oldwood, Ouhout) is a very cold-hardy, evergreen small tree that can tolerate lots of water but…
Hydro-zone: Is your Garden Zoned?
March 1, 2017 12:26 pmA Water-wise Garden should have Plants with Similar Water Requirements Grouped Together. This type of grouping is called a hydro-zone.…
Water saving
January 18, 2016 8:38 amWe all know that our fresh water resources are under threat and by saving water at home, we can not…
Tecoma Capensis
January 18, 2016 6:23 amExpect a lively concert from the garden wildlife if, perchance, you end up alongside a Tecoma Capensis, or Cape Honeysuckle…
Strelitzias – Birds of Paradise
January 15, 2016 7:51 amRead in Afrikaans From autumn to spring we know we do live in paradise. This is when the beautiful flowers…
Scaevola aemula
January 14, 2016 11:21 amOne Australian perennial that contributes a new hybrid almost yearly is Scaevola Aemula, and sometimes the new release differs only…
Rose Strategies – Be water wise
January 14, 2016 9:39 amMany gardeners wishing to include roses in their borders might be concerned about whether they are appropriate for a water…
Pelargoniums
September 2, 2015 8:08 amOne can fill pots and barrels with bush and king pelargoniums, and fill hanging baskets and window boxes with ivy-leaved…
Kalanchoes
July 31, 2015 7:48 amKalanchoes are a succulent group of plants that are tough, heat resistant and low maintenance. Most suitable climate for Kalanchoes…
Erythrina lysistemon
June 8, 2015 10:30 amCommon Coral Tree, Lucky Bean Tree Erythrina Lysistemon, the Common Coral Tree, is deciduous, but it has the delightful habit of…
Container Plants that Beat the Heat
March 27, 2015 9:58 amThere are a number of tough waterwise characters that thrive in containers and love being out in the midday sun.…
Coleonema Species
March 26, 2015 12:57 pmThere are two species of Coleonema that feature prominently in most South African gardens. Coleonema Pulchellum, or the white confetti…
Bolusanthus Speciosus
August 21, 2014 9:38 amTree Wisteria The Tree Wisteria is a truly elegant deciduous tree with a neat, elongated silhouette in the landscape. It…
Agave victoriae-reginae
August 14, 2014 9:32 amQueen Victoria agave, royal agave Agave victoriae-reginae is a very long lived, exceptionally slow-growing succulent with short, triangular leaves that are about…
Agapanthus africanus ‘Double Diamond’
August 14, 2014 8:00 amAgapanthus Africanus ‘Double Diamond’ was developed in South Africa and suits most of our climates, except the extremely cold areas.…
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