Bees, blooms and bold scents!
Indoor plant of the month
Spring is all about fragrance, and you can bring it indoors with pots of flowering Lavandula stoechas Blue Magic. Rubbing the aromatic leaves releases their fragrance, and the bunny ears blooms are just so charming. Indoor lavender likes lots of bright light or morning sun on the patio or close to a window. Let the soil dry out moderately between watering and snip off the dead flowers to encourage more. After flowering, trim the plants and plant them in pots outdoors or in the garden in soil that drains well. Details: lvgplant.co.za
Garden tasks
• Plant summer and autumn flowering bulbs this month. Amaryllis is the most spectacular and also looks good in containers.
• Clivia are starting to flower and this is the best time to add to your collection. They grow best in semi-shade in well-composted soil that drains well.
• Summer flowering annuals that can be planted out this month are begonias, dianthus, bedding dahlias, gazanias and verbena.
• Fertilise shrubs and trees with a general fertiliser and water in well. Dig in compost around the plants.
• Water lawns once a week, and don’t cut too low at this stage to allow it to develop deeper roots.
• Watch out for the very destructive Lily borer, which destroys clivia, amaryllis, and other bulbous plants, and use Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide to kill active young feeding larvae.
• Trim perennial herbs to encourage new growth for spring. Sow annual herbs like basil, rocket, coriander, chives, and dill once the danger of frost has passed.
Herb of the month … basil
This is the month to sow basil, so why not get adventurous with a mix of different basil flavours? Basil Culinary Blend from RAW seeds includes Genovese (the pesto basil), Corsican, Lemon and Cinnamon basil seed all in one packet.
Sow seed into seed trays or compost- enriched soil from mid-September when the soil has warmed up. Basil grows in sun or semi-shade (morning sun, afternoon shade). Keep the soil moist but don’t over water. Basil is the best companion plant for tomatoes. It enhances the flavour of tomatoes and also keeps pests away.
• Basil Genovese is a relative of sweet basil but has larger leaves and is from Genoa, the pesto capital of the world. Used in salads and pasta sauces, especially with tomatoes. Combines well with garlic.
• Cinnamon Basil has olive-green, spicy cinnamon-scented leaves and pink flowers. Use in dishes requiring a sweet spicy taste, add to cocktails or fruit drinks, make a delicious tea with its leaves, and use in baking.
• Lemon’ Basil has clear green lemon- scented leaves which makes it a useful herb for Indonesian cuisine or to flavour fish, and can be added to tea for an interesting lemony flavour.
• Corsican Basil has attractive green and purple leaves and purple stems, and the small leaves have a sweet flavour with just a hint of liquorice. It responds well to trimming.
Details: rawliving.co.za
We’re planting … Bidens Bee Meadow because bees love it, and it is a superb flowering groundcover that spreads quickly to fill up bare spots or brighten garden beds. It has a spread of up to 55cm, so fewer plants are needed to fill a large space. It produces an abundance of crisp white blooms with yellow centres. The vigorous plants need very little care and are also good for filling hanging baskets and containers. Plant in well-composted soil that drains well, and use a good-quality potting soil for containers. Water regularly. Details: ballstraathof.co.za
Article and images by Alice Coetzee.
