Autumn: Maintenance Tips

A little time spent in the garden now can save you hassles later.Does it seem like your lawn is always overgrown, weeds are taking over and those shrubs are in constant need of pruning? It doesn’t have to be this way! There are little things you can do to ensure your garden always looks good, saving you from doing all the difficult, laborious work at once. Make a few little changes to your gardening habits and you’ll have more time to relax and enjoy your backyard.

1. Just a trim

Pruning your plants regularly will prevent them from growing out of control and save you having to do annual battle. Trimming often means you only have to nip off the tips of new growth, so you won’t need to get the rake out and deal with a mass of green waste. Instead, you can just let it land on the ground, where it will turn into mulch.

2. Let it flow

Leave groundcovers along walls and in pots to flow over the edge of the wall or pot. Even if your garden is still a young garden the faster growing groundcovers can give your garden a mature and established look .

3. Weed ’em out

A constant problem during the growing season, weeds should be dealt with promptly by pulling them out. Or, if necessary in lawns , spray thoroughly with a specialised weed killer as soon as they appear and before they set seed.An area covered with plants is less likely to get weeds than bare patches of soil, so plant groundcovers or even throw down a couple of vegie seeds or seedlings on the bare spot. You may be able to harvest vegetables, too!

 4. Get the dirt

Mulch is the low-maintenance landscaping hero. Spread over the soil after planting, which will hinder weed growth and prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. It also helps keep the soil cool in summer and insulates the ground in winter – the plants will love you for it!

5. A clean cut

The best thing you can do for your lawn is to mow high and often. Taking off only the blade tips makes the grass much healthier and denser. Plus, you won’t need to use a catcher – just let the cuttings add organic matter to your lawn. Regularly check your mower blades are sharp to make sure they cut cleanly. Dull blades can shred your grass and cause discolouration at the tips, spoiling the look of your lawn.

Autumn: Ground Cover

Other than being colourful and versatile, groundcovers planted in the garden offer a huge environmental benefit. So let me tell you more about how they contribute to the health of our planet, which makes them an asset worthy of care. 

Living mulches

Evergreen ground covers will help conserve water by reducing water evaporation from the soil, prevent weed problems and buffer soil temperatures.

Encourage wildlife

Earthworms and other insects thrive in the cool moist environment, provided by groundcovers. This in turn attracts the birds that forage on the worms and insects.

Carbon credit

Bare soil is exposed to air and to the heat of the sun, which results in the breaking down of organic matter in the soil and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Plants trap carbon in their tissues and increase the amount of organic matter that is returned to the soil. The more groundcovers you plant to cover exposed soil in your garden the more carbon you can trap.

Lawn substitutes

Eco-savy gardeners are replacing grass with groundcovers, to cut out the time, energy and effort used to mow the lawn. With careful selection, groundcovers can provide pretty colourful masses and at different time of the year they will flower and add colour to your landscape.

Softens Paved areas

In terrace or townhouse gardens, where paving occupies much of the available space, ground covers can be used to frame pavers to soften the effect.

Groundcover care

Groundcover care and maintenance involves adequate watering, feeding and some groundcovers even benefit from pruning and clipping like the Wild Fox Glove (Asystasia gangeteca) which can even be cut with a brush cutter!

Autumn: How to transplant a tree

Autumn is a very important planting season in the garden especially for tree planting . Autumn tree planting will certainly pay handsome dividends in the long run because the roots spend the whole Autumn and winter period developing their root network .As spring arrives these autumn planted trees do not miss a beat by growing prolifically from the get go. If you need to relocate established trees and shrubs to a more suitable position in your garden, autumn is the best time to do so.

How to transplant a tree :

Tip 1: In preparation for the big move, always prune trees and shrubs before digging them out, this helps to minimize transplant shock, this gives them a much better chance to make a rapid recovery in their new home.

Tip 2: Prepare the new hole before you even start digging the tree or shrub out. Good hole preparation is key. A general rule for a medium sized tree (of about a man's height) is to dig a 1m x 1m hole and about 800mm deep. Now that is a lot of digging, but worth the effort when you see your tree flourishing. Mix the soil that has come out of the hole with generous amounts of compost, bone meal and a general fertilizer.

Tip 3 : Water the empty hole by filling the hole to the top with water. Allow that water to drain away into the soil and then do the same again.

Tip 4: Very important when transplanting any plant, is to firmly compress the soil around the roots of the plant. You can really be quite tough about it. Even a great big stomp with your garden boots is good. Large air pockets around the roots cause the fine root hairs to dry out and cause the death of the plant.

Tip 5: The "Life and Death" tip: Never plant your tree too deep in the hole. If soil covers the stem of your tree, higher than what it was in its original position, it will die.

Tip 6: Water the newly transplanted tree or shrub about three times a week. Always check surrounding soil first to ensure it is dry and only then water. Be very careful not to over water a newly transplanted tree. 

Paving: When is the best time?

The timing of your driveway paving and paved pathways is crucial to the final look of the paving. If paving is being installed when there are still too many heavy materials being delivered to the site it may cause damage and unnecessary wear to the freshly paved surfaces.  Heavy and dusty base stone are compacted into place, using the noisy and heavy machinery needed can negatively affect trees and plants. For this reason it is highly advisable that any landscape planting adjacent to proposed paved areas be delayed until the pathways and driveway paving have been installed.

Before the base layer of aggregate is compacted into place, and long before any paving materials are delivered , services required to your home need to be accommodated for by installing a plastic sleeves across the driveway. This will avoid having to dig up trenches through your completed paving for last minute Telkom or Eskom connections. The following services should be considered for this sleeve:

·       Telecommunications

·       Garden lighting and driveway lighting  cables

·       Irrigation piping

·       Certain housing estates specify sleeves for the Estates’ various services that need to cross your driveway

·       Mains water and or power supply if necessary

When considering when to lay paving, the only seasonal factor to consider is rainfall. For timeous and efficient paving installations one does not want rain to delay the work schedule. Some climatic conditions such as rainfall plays a very large role in ‘rain day delays'. In those types of climates one would definitely plan to install paving in the dryer months of the year.

The rule of thumb is:

1.     Choose a dry week

2.     Get all the dirty work done as efficiently as possible

3.     Compliment your paving investment with a beautifully designed and layed out landscape. 

Paving: Cobble Stones

Cobbles provide an attractive finish to surfaces that need to be aesthetically appealing. Cobbles in the landscape are ideal for driveways, roadways and walkways as they are both pedestrian user and vehice friendly.

In years gone by Cobblestones stones were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobble", means "rounded lump” and originally referred to any small stone rounded by the flow of water; essentially, a large pebble. It was these smooth "cobbles", gathered from stream beds that paved the first "cobblestone" streets. Now days Cobblestones are available in dome, flat or Tuscan styles

Cobblestones are either set in sand or similar material, or are bound together with mortar. Paving with cobblestones allows a road to be heavily used all year long. It has the additional advantage of not getting muddy in wet weather or dusty in dry weather.

Today’s  cobblestones set in sand have the environmental advantage of being porous, this allows for the drainage of surface water which then permeates into your landscape and garden instead of being washed out into the storm water system.

We are spoilt for choice as there is a large selection of cobblestones available on the market today. The designs are particularly attractive using superior technology and colours enhancing any small garden and yard or large commercial landscape projects. 

Water Wise: Grouping plants according to water requirements

When designing your new garden or landscape let hydroscoping form the basis of  your design. This simply means grouping each plant variety according to their water requirements. A landscape can have four hydro zones: high, moderate, low and a no water usage zone. Planting in these types of zones, will save 30% to 80% of your water usage. That's a massive saving in the long run!

For the greatest water conservation, most of the landscape should be designed as both no water and low water usage zones. Make the moderate zone relatively small and of course the high water zone even smaller, if you really need one.

No water usage zones

These zones comprise of established local indigenous trees, shrubs as well as many succulent species, and this should be your largest zone. In this zone, one can design rockeries using succulent plants and aloes. 

Low usage zone or one-drop plant zone

These plants thrive mainly on the rainfall. Once established these indigenous plants only need a little, if any, watering. In summer they need water once every four weeks and in winter, once every eight weeks. Examples of these plants are Leonotis leonurus, Carissa macrocarpa, Bauhinia tomentosa, Asystasia gangetica, Barleria priontis and Tulbaghia violacea.

Moderate usage or two-drop plant zone

These need to be a small area, as these plants will need more water than that which is provided by the rainfall in our area. In summer these plants need watering once a week and once a month in winter. Examples are PLectranthus ecklonii, freylinia fruitcosa, plumbago auricular and diets grandiflora.

High water usage or three-drop plant zone

These should be confined to as small an area as possible, or even eliminate them altogether, as high water usage plants need frequent watering throughout the year. If it has been included, if possible, position this zone, where it is highly visible, such as a front entrance, where it is easy to water. The following types of plants all have high water needs: lawn, bog or wetland plants, annuals and bulbs. You'll need to water 2 - 3 times every week, and 2 - 3 times every fortnight in winter.

Water Wise: Rocks in your garden

In these times of environmental consciousness and eco-homeownership, rock garden landscaping ideas are near the forefront of eco-friendly design plans. These ideas are timeless, and of course they are low maintenance. Rocks also make wonderful homes for all the creatures that like to live in cooler, darker habitats, thus encouraging other wildlife that feed and seek shelter in this eco system. Using rocks, boulders and pebbles to add interest and focal points to your landscape is a solid investment. Rocks are also ideal to retain an area on a slope or use grouped close together to form a beautiful rockery and even used to line pathways and edge garden beds.

Rock gardens also make perfect backdrops for a water garden or oasis reminiscent of a lagoon abundant with wildlife. Lush ferns, palms and cycads with spiky grasses all come together to create the feeling of a calm and balanced eco system. Perhaps there’s an area in your landscape that is in need of landscaping. Is there a stretch of land on the verge just begging for your attention? Consider placing your rock garden here, creating a layered effect with cleverly placed rocks and plants of various heights and textures. Never underestimate the wisdom of choosing water wise plants, like aloes and succulents especially in a rock garden, so this area becomes a strictly low-watering zone. The use of rocks in your garden design is entirely dependent upon your personal tastes, budget and what you already have to work with. Adding little rock elements here and there and softening them up with bright foliage and other garden accessories will create a space that is attractively warm and interesting.

Water Wise: A water-efficient approach to gardening

We are all aware of the value of our water. Fresh water supply is diminishing worldwide and it’s no different on the Dolphin Coast. Xeriscaping is a conceptual form of gardening that uses drought-tolerant plants and grasses to beautify a home or business. It’s a method of gardening that homeowners everywhere are beginning to adopt as a fuss-free, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional techniques.

Xeriscaping is taken from the Greek word “Xeros”, meaning dry and landscaping. This does not refer to desert, drought or barren landscapes, but rather to gardens with plants that suit the climate, region and conditions where they are planted and therefore do not require additional watering and reduced maintenance.

Try our water-efficient approach to gardening that saves water without sacrificing style .

The goal of Xeriscaping is to build a sustainable garden that helps plants survive dry periods on their own, without heavy reliance on supplemental watering, fertilizer and other maintenance tasks. Here are the key elements that make a Xeriscape garden both successful and beautiful:

1. Get to the root

Shallow-rooted plants are dependent on the gardener for much of their food and water, which is applied to the soil surface. But plants with deep roots are able to find their own sources of nutrients and moisture buried deep in the ground. There are two important ways to help plants develop long roots: add organic matter deep into the soil by digging it in, which helps the plant retain moisture and adds nutrients; and water for lengthy periods less often rather than shorter periods more often so the water can penetrate well into the ground.

2. Conserve water

To help keep moisture in the ground where plants need it, apply mulch, such as chopped leaves, to the soil surface to prevent water evaporation from the drying sun and winds. When watering becomes necessary, the ideal method is a drip irrigation system, to deliver water to the base of the plants where it’s needed.

3. Start them off right

Although plants suitable for Xeriscape gardens are self-sufficient once they’re established, most need some care initially. To ensure their survival, before planting, fill the hole with water and allow it to drain. After planting, water again until the ground is unable to absorb any moisture, but not so much that water pools on the surface. For the first few months after planting, water plants deeply at least once a week.

4. Pick the right plants

Some plants have adapted to dry conditions better than others. These generally include plants with long tap roots that can find buried sources of water; succulents that store moisture in their leaves; and still others with silvery foliage to reflect sunlight, a waxy coating to lock in moisture, or woolly leaves that help conserve moisture.