December is the month when we head for sun, sea or mountains. Maybe even a white Christmas.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know that that your garden can cope better with the vagaries of the weather while you are away? Not just for the festive season, but for all those well-deserved breaks during the year.
Here’s how to make your garden just a little more bullet proof
- Watering is probably the biggest headache. Install an automatic irrigation system and before you leave make sure that all the sprayers are working and that the timer settings are correct.
- If you have lots of pots set up an irrigation system for them as well or move the pots into a shady position where they won’t dry out as fast.
- Another long term solution is to plant weather hardy plants that can cope with heat, or excessive rainfall as well as those that are resistant to weather-related diseases like mildew and other fungus diseases.
- Plants will be more resilient in healthy, fertile soil that drains well. Regularly enrich the soil with compost and other organics, especially when planting.
Weather hardy and disease-resistant plants
Sunpatiens ‘Compact’ thrives in sun or partial shade and tolerates all kinds of weather, from spring through to the first frost, and is disease resistant, particularly against downy mildew. Plants will be more compact (36cm high and wide) in sunny beds and may be taller under shadier conditions. Those in full sun need more watering than those in partial shade. The range has 13 different flower colours.
Euphorbia ‘Glamour’ is a spreading perennial that produces masses of tiny white flowers. Plants sail through heat and drought and rebound from wet weather. This is the best euphorbia variety for in ground performance, being easy to grow and disease free. It is a brilliant bed filler that likes full sun but will tolerate partial shade.
Zinnia ‘Zahara’ is a heating loving variety for full sun and unlike older zinnia varieties that are plagued by mildew, it has superior disease tolerance. It has large single or double flowers on compact plants. Plants have very low water needs once the plants are established in the ground making it a good choice for hot and dry conditions. Space 20 to 25cm apart.
Verbena ‘Cadet’ is an upright growing verbena that has proven powdery mildew resistance and has the same heat performance as Verbena ‘Endurascape’ which flowers continually and does not cycle in and out of flower. Plants grow best with full sun and should not be over watered. They are suitable for garden beds or pots and the flowers attract butterflies and bees.
Petchoa ‘BeautiCal’ is a cross between petunia and calibrachoa and recovers from rain faster than traditional petunias. Plants are also more mildew resistant. They boast showy petunia-sized flowers and a blooming habit that is as abundant as calibrachoa. The unusual bloom colours include cinnamon, caramel yellow, French vanilla, sunray pink and Bordeaux. The compact, rounded plants are suitable for pots, hanging baskets and smaller garden beds. Allow the soil to moderately dry out before watering and fertilise monthly.
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Blue Spear’ is an English lavender with tall, big flower spikes that stand upright and close together so that the impression is of a mass of flowers. It is easy to grow, also coping with dry heat. It attracts butterflies and nectar-seeking birds. It can take morning sun and should not be over-watered. Let the soil dry out moderately before watering again. This is a good picking lavender and can be used in pot pourri because of its fragrance.
Marcada™ Interspecific Geranium is a strong growing geranium that flowers prolifically but drops its dead flowers so there is no need to deadhead. It is semi-trailing, tolerating heat as well as cooler conditions, and is drought tolerant, needing to be kept drier than other geraniums. It is suitable for medium-sized containers, as well as in the garden. Pant in a position that receives sun or semi-shade, in fertile, well composted soil that drains well. Water regularly and thoroughly, but let the soil dry out in-between watering. Feed garden plants once a month and pot plants every two weeks.
Dahlia ‘Dalaya’ is a mini dahlia but with big, exotic blooms in a range of vivid colours. Unlike the dahlias of old it is highly resistant to powdery mildew, provided it is grown in soil that drains well.
The blooms appear to be hand-painted, with deeply coloured centres, either bi-coloured or brushed with swirls of colour. The bright yellow stamens attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators.. Being a dwarf variety, the plant is bushy and compact, growing up to knee height. For more information on plants best suited for your lifestyle, visit Ball Straathof.
TEXT & IMAGES: Alice Coetzee.
