This time of year marks some of the best times in your garden as all the hard work you put into making things grow will now be evident in the abundant colour and spectacle that comes with summer.
The long days mean you can get up early, before work, and enjoy your garden as it, too, wakes to a new day.
There are few life experiences as enjoyable as an early summer’s morning in a garden of your own creation. The nice thing, too, is that you can do it all over again in the evening, as the sun only sets after 7pm.
Summer is the time for colour and scents in the garden, says Eric Burgess of Burgess Nursery and Garden Centre in Durban.
Hydrangeas, or Christmas Roses, have huge heads of pink, blue or white flowers and are very easy to grow, he says. They flower really well in shade, and are very popular for brightening up darker areas.
“They like a good mulch and regular watering, because their feeding roots are normally quite close to the soil surface, and they can be pruned back to control their height.
“They flower off their ‘old’ wood (namely, last year’s growth), so try not to prune them too severely.”
Plants that love the summer heat and supply heaps of colour include verbena (both annual and perennial varieties) and argyranthemums or marguerite daisies, which come in many colours and are suitable for pots, rockeries and mixed borders, adds Burgess.
“Angelonias, with their spikes of pink, white or purple flowers, are also very popular. They seem to flower forever, and can be cut back at any time to stimulate even more flowers.”
The indigenous hybrid, Plectranthus “Mona Lavender”, with its spikes of jacaranda-mauve flowers, is another plant for bright shade that no garden should be without, he adds.
“We call them Stoep Jacarandas – a name that was not well understood in overseas markets.
“Other fantastic groundcovers for hot areas are the Portulaca oleracea hybrids, or Purslane, which have masses of buttercup-shaped flowers in white, yellow, orange, pink and red. They are edible and contain some of the highest amounts of omega acids in the plant kingdom.”
Scented plants for this season, says Burgess, include gardenias, with their sweet white blooms, which can perfume a whole garden in the evening.
“Lavenders and rosemaries also like hot conditions and make lovely container plants. They are quite pretty enough to be planted in your main garden, and do not need to be relegated to the kitchen garden only.
“Lavender foliage and the flowers are fragrant. Murraya Exotica (or Orange Jessamine) is another favourite scented plant. A member of the citrus family, it has strongly scented, orange-blossom white flowers.
“The plant can be pruned into shapes quite easily and is a favourite for pots and topiaries.
Summer is for outdoor living. You will be spending a lot of time over the holidays on your patio, so plant up containers of summer colour – all of the abovementioned plants are suitable for containers and some are also perfect for hanging baskets, says Burgess.
“Baskets take up no ground space and add an extra dimension to your garden. They are therefore perfect for smaller gardens.
“Remember to feed and water your baskets regularly. Ask your nurseryman for a good flowering fertiliser.”
As for pests at this time of year, watch out for the Lily Borer caterpillar that attacks all kinds of lily, such as agapanthus, clivia, and amyrillis, says Burgess.
“They seem to multiply overnight in hot, wet weather. The Cycad Caterpillar is also very much a problem now. It devours new leaves that emerge at this time.
“Inspect your plants every three days for signs of these pests, and either remove the eggs and young worms by hand, or spray with a recommended insecticide.
“Crickets in the lawn can also be a nuisance – they create a din at night with their chirping and can make bare patches in the lawn where they make their holes.
“There are good insecticides against crickets – ask your nurseryman for advice.” - The Independent on Saturday
* Burgess Nursery and Garden centre’s phone number is 031 266 8918.