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06/12/2007 12:31 PM - (SA) A tidy garden will make a lasting impression 071207
Remember, the first thing as one enters your home is your garden. This will make lasting impressions on anyone who enters. It's not too late. You still have a few weeks to spruce things up. Here are a few tips to get those green juices going. Firstly, your lawn. If it?s green and healthy, the scene is set. If you haven't yet fed, then do so at least two weeks before Christmas to give the lawn time to green up. A good balanced fertiliser with high nitrogen is best, but remember, this needs lots of water (which is okay if one has a borehole). If not, then a sustained release fertilizser will do just as well, except the results will not be as instantaneous. Remember to set your lawnmower on a higher setting, this protects and shades the grass roots from the harsh sun. Rather mow more often than a close shave which could end up looking like a patchwork quilt. Prune spring flowering shrubs eg spirea, allowing fresh new growth. Dead head seedlings. This helps to produce lots more flowers and also keeping the plants more compact. Annuals like to be fed during their flowering season, not only when planting, which we sometimes neglect to do. Take a good look around for any gaps amongst your beds. These seem to stick out like a sore thumb. Fill in with a few perennials like day lilies, Inca lilies, shasta daisies or just a few annuals, petunias, marigolds, dianthus, phlox, lobelias and alyssum, just to name but a few. To light up a "gloomy" corner, plant white flowers. These show up better at night. Also plant some quick growing herbs. Nothing gives one more satisfaction than picking fresh salad goodies from your own herb patch. You can try parsley, basil, watercress, coriander, fennel and rocket. What's a stuffed chicken or better yet, a turkey, without sage, or roast lamb without aromatic rosemary? Ready potted cherry tomatoes are available at the nurseries now. Sow radish seed every two weeks for a continuous supply - just the thing to add crunch to your salad. Also get some sprouts going on your windowsill. These can be bought at most health-shops. All you need is a clean glass jar with a gauze lid. Soak the sprouts overnight in water and rinse off the next day. Keep the seeds moist until germination takes place and in about three days and they will be ready. Use fresh, or in stir-fries. We are known as a nation that love to eat outdoors - whether it be a simple picnic or a traditional braai. Lets face it, who wants to be indoors slaving in the kitchen when nature invites us to be out in the garden? Food just seems to taste better. Create a small boma in a corner of your garden. If you have lots of lawn, then maybe remove some and pave an area surrounded with trellis to create a secluded sanctuary to enjoy your morning tea or your favourite sundowner. Why not go one step further and install a water-feature? It need not be anything elaborate, just a tinkling of water to soothe the senses. This will in turn encourage birdlife and what can be more satisfying than to watch our feathered friends taking a bath? What about after dark? Small areas illuminated turn any area into a fairyland. Spotlight your favourite tree and watch it come alive at night, dancing in the breeze or break-dancing in the southeaster. Place fairylights in potplants on your patio. There are lots of battery operated varieties available. Why not go green this festive season? I would be delighted to receive something "live" for Christmas, be it just a potted herb or indoor plant. There are some "yummy" books on the shelves which should inspire and motivate you. Even better, give a subscription for your friend or family members' favourite garden magazine. May the peace and tranquillity of your lovely garden enhance this, our festive season.
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