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
Ferns for fairies • If their fronds are in dappled shade and their ever-spreading rhizomes are creeping in rich leaf litter, these three woodland ferns will reign supreme in your garden and give a home to your fairies…
Garden GALLERIA
Natural development • In just three years, this garden has been transformed from a degraded piece of veld into a little slice of heaven packed with lush plants, bubbling water features and abundant wildlife.
PHOTO GALLERY
Lettuce Eat
Pierneef – a distinctly African bonsai style
A cut-flower garden for beginners
Botanical ‘tarts’ with simple needs • If you want to coddle gaudy and exotic plants, keep them warm and cosy in the company of other plants, with dappled light, high humidity and spongy, well-draining soil.
Kloof Conservancy Indigenous Open Gardens 2022 • Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 July
GO EASY ON ME…
Grow our national flower! • Although proteas are not exclusively ours, we do own the unique king protea…
5 popping phormiums • Pop in some dramatic phormiums to change the mundane into the extraordinary. They simply demand to stand out from the rest!
A primula for every corner
Flowers everywhere! • You have got shopping to do for all the glories of July…
How to do Texas-style watering for veggies in pots
Garden Cress
Variegated tickey creeper
Peppermint geranium
Ways with Oranges
Lasting woodland flowers • Turn your lightly shaded spots into a winter wonderland with bergenias and hellebores.
A ‘palm’ which is not a palm…
White Light
Bulbines • Every gardener should have at least one type of bulbine in their garden. Not only are they pretty plants with their succulent leaves and long stalks of yellow or orange flowers, but they are also medicinally useful in quickly soothing a sting, burn or blisters – teach your children to use the sap from the leaves as a quick first-aid kit.
Fleur-de-lis for the vase • Beautiful flowers and a great deal of symbolism make these beauties well worth growing in the garden or in pots for the vase.
BEAUTIFUL WINTER BRONZE
5 Trellises for your garden • Trellises are not only useful, they are vital for growing climbing plants and keeping them neat (and growing where you want them to!). Without them climbers will sprawl over your plants and smother them, and you won't get a good harvest either.
JULY CHECKLIST
Setting a benchmark • Using chunky reclaimed pine and Woodoc 30 in two colours, we made this statement bench that is also very practical.
LUNAR Gardening Guide
The Gardener Magazine
Refund me! • I don't want financial reparation – but I do want to be emotionally refunded for some things…