The Gardener Magazine

We don’t get many chances in life to honour people, especially while they are still alive! You know it’s true! But today I write to honour a friend who I got to know through our world of gardening when I was still a wee seedling. We both grew up in gardening, so to speak, and have travelled a long journey together: committees, tours, trips and many, many long phone calls. This is Wayne Stewart, owner of Eckards Garden Pavilion in Bedfordview, Gauteng. We both served on the board of the South African Nursery Association for over 10 years; I was led by him as the president of the association and worked alongside him as vice president. At the prestigious gala dinner of this year’s annual SANA convention (which was the first…

Dais cotinifolia (pompom tree) A slender tree with a naturally rounded crown with bluish-green leaves and attractive greyish-brown bark. It is evergreen in temperate climates but will lose some foliage during winter in colder areas. The root system is not aggressive. Pretty as a specimen but also handy as a screen plant in beds. It has a wide distribution in temperate summer- and winter-rainfall areas and can tolerate some frost and cold. Plant protected against wind in coastal gardens. The best characteristic is masses of pink round flowerheads smothering the tree for periods of 2 – 3 weeks during November to February. It is a fast grower and very drought resistant when established. Size about 6 x 5m. Halleria lucida (tree fuchsia) This is a very attractive evergreen tree with drooping branches covered in dark green…

Coming soon! New Flanders Poppy seed Mayford Seed is launching Flanders Poppy Seed, the flower that symbolises lives lost in conflict, and used to remember and celebrate them annually on Remembrance Day, 11 November. It has also come to symbolise lives lost globally, not only to conflict in Europe and elsewhere, but also to the debilitating pandemic that might well be described as a true conflict. Look out for the new seed packets in your local stores soon. www.mayford.co.za Potted life Visit www.hobbylifeafrica.com to view their lovely range of topquality plant pots. With a variety of colours and styles to suite your environment and preferences, you will find just the right products to enhance and beautify your surroundings, adding peace and tranquillity to your home or office, both indoor and outdoor. Available from Hobby…

In 2019 we featured a story about life after the Knysna fires of 2017 that touched on the devastation that occurred in the area and the rebuilding that took place and continues to this day. This property, set in the Eastford Private Nature Reserve, was completely destroyed by that fire, both the garden and home. Last year the rebirth of the home and beautifully landscaped garden was finally complete, and House Keller was entered into the South African Landscape Institute (SALI) Awards by the talented landscape team from GvH Landscapes. At the annual awards ceremony held in the Drakensberg in early June, the company, represented by Bridget Robertson, picked up no less than six awards for this garden including the top award - the SALI Shield of Excellence. This garden can…

The 2022 Chelsea Flower Show, held from the 24 – 26 May this year, celebrates horticulture like nothing else can, with blooms at their most magnificent and garden design at its most ingenious. This year was no different, with plenty of celebrities in addition to the Queen’s visit, but it was the gardens and the plants that stole the show. Here are just some of the ideas we got from this year’s spectacle: Out of 20 new plants painstakingly developed by growers and breeders, these are the three that made it into top position on this year’s list:…

Lifestyle College starts their next Landscape Design Course on the 1 August for a full year of top quality learning and at the end of it, producing gardens like these. Enrol today at 084 668 1568 or email marketing@lifestyle college.co.za…