The ground colour of the upper side of the adult beetles ranges from yellow through orange to red, with zero to 19 black spots.

Some like it hot!
These phenomenal plants grow in diverse habitats across the globe. During the Carboniferous Period, also called the age of ferns, they formed a central part of the vegetation of the time.

Beetle could wreak havoc in SA
A DREADED invasive insect, the harlequin lady beetle, has become established in South Africa, and it is rapidly spreading through the country. It carries the scientific name Harmonia axyridis and in South Africa is known as the 'harlequin lady beetle' or, for short, 'the harlequin'. This insect, originally from central and eastern Asia, has in recent years become one of the world's worst invasive, harmful animals.

Put an end to slugs and snails
DID YOU KNOW that the word 'mollusc' comes from a Latin word meaning 'soft' The class has over 80 000 species that live in water and on land. You may enjoy the gourmet variety for dinner - oysters and escargot - but the sight of a snail chomping away at your prize plants can strike fear into the heart of any gardener.

Identify garden creatures online
THE gardening section in DistrictMail of 28 March reported an excellent piece of reptile detecting by Stanley Oosthuizen of Strand.

Berei jou tuin voor vir die wintermaande
DIE somer is amper verby en met die skaduwees wat langer word, kan ons koeler dae verwag wat tuinwerk 'n plesier maak. Dis tyd om die tuin te begin opruim terwyl jy die laaste blomme van meerjariges soos Michaelmas madeliefies, dahlias en Plectranthus geniet. Jy sal sien dat die bessies al begin verkleur het.

Use water wisely in your garden
ALL LIVING THINGS need water to live. The human body consists of about 70 percent water. Plants have an even higher water content, with water making up about 90 percent of the total weight. Plants use the water they take up from their roots to transform light energy into food.

Blaas hierdie jaar nuwe lewe in jou tuin
JANUARIE is tradisioneel die tyd vir nuwejaarsvoornemens en as tuinier geld dit nie net vir jou persoonlike lewe nie, maar ook vir jou tuin. Dit is die ideale tyd om jou tuin goed te bekyk en te dink aan oplossings vir probleme wat tydens die vorige jaar opgeduik het, en ook om jou houding teenoor tuinmaak weer in oënskou te neem.

A tidy garden will make a lasting impression
WE'RE all looking forward to the holiday season, but unfortunately our gardening season never comes to an end. There?s clipping, dead heading, feeding, mowing, mulching, spraying and lots of watering to be done.

Don't waste water!
GREETINGS all garden lovers. I hope by now you have all recovered from hibernation. Wow! What a winter we've had. A truly soggy, but well-needed Cape Town "soak". The dams are full, but a heartfelt request: Do not waste water.

New garden centre impresses at show
THE Cape Town Flower and Garden Show returned to Lourensford last month for the annual exhibition of top garden designs of local and international garden designers and landscapers.

The sweet scent of spring is in the air
WITH the wonderful spring days we've been experiencing lately, we are all ready to get stuck into the garden so get your gardening gloves and wellies on and keep a look out for Garden Pavilion's upcoming promotion, Spring Inspiration, which runs from September 27 until October 7.