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

Night aromas • A hot summer night, a full moon and a cute little tree flaunting sweetly scented flowers are the stuff garden romance is made of. Plant one of the following small trees close to your entertainment area or in an intimate courtyard and enjoy wafts of Mother Nature’s purest perfume.

Valentine’s Day in the Garden

Up where we belong • The Covid 19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how we live and work, with many of us spending a lot more time at home. This has led to a boom in gardening, but what do you do when all you have is a balcony? Landscaper Karen Gardelli shares some of her experiences.

Plants for balconies • Following on from our balcony feature, here are designer Karen’s top choices for container plants that can cope with the difficult growing conditions of balconies.

GARDEN DESIGN CHANGES THAT HAVE BIG IMPACT • Embrace change in your garden.

A Touch of Tropical • Want to take a selfie with a bright flower sitting behind your ear and another garnishing your cocktail? Then you should plant a hibiscus today!

Really resilient PERENNIALS • There are those that are pretty but need constant pampering and watering, and then there are those that are equally pretty, if not prettier, but much less needy…

RETRO PLANTS we still love! • Are they gone and replaced with other plants, or will we plant them again if we can?

PLANT BY COLOUR FOR EXTRA-ORDINARY VEGGIES! • Tomatoes are green, beans are blue, if I am confused, I’m sure you are too!

Tidy up the lawn with the GARDENA Grass Trimmer

Flaming celosia

We answer your POTTED ROSE questions

Elegia tectorum • The perfect indigenous rush to plant near water, or anywhere else for that matter!

Sow the slow pokes

Zone your landscape! • Dividing your garden into high/medium/low/very low water-use areas is responsible and efficient.

Beautiful Christmas cactus

‘Little Ruby’

Tough delicacies until autumn

Borage • Borage is a summer annual that grows easily from seed, and self-seeds. Its small, bright-blue, star-shaped flowers are edible and attract bees. The mineral-rich leaves have healing properties, and also benefit the garden as a compost activator and soil-conditioning mulch.

How to grow Brussels sprouts

Braai pot • With summer in full swing, many hours are spent around the fire. Add flavour to any braai with these three herbs.

YOUR ROSE GARDEN

Patio charm and scent

‘Feather Falls’

More arum lilies

FEBRUARY CHECKLIST

Gardening Guide • Lunar gardening is a tool that times gardening tasks, and our guide specifies the best days for particular gardening activities. January is a hot cycle, and gardens in low summer rain regions need increased irrigation, especially for annual edibles and flowers, so note the "irrigate" days. Lunar gardeners report that less water is needed in between these days. Regions with high summer rain and high humidity should use the pest control days to treat infestations, especially effective around this month's barren full moon.

The Gardener Magazine

Love is a splendid thing… • There are many facets to love and many kinds of love between people. It took a virus and social distancing to show me just how much I am loved, and to love in return…