BRING YOUR GARDEN INTO YOUR HOME THIS CHRISTMAS



Succulent wreath

 Another year draws to an end. With Christmas around the corner I was was thinking of how we can bring our garden into our home during this festive season. I searched the web and had a few inspired ideas of my own. Instead of rushing off to stores and buying decorations why not make your own original organic decorations? This succulent wreath looks better than any plastic store bought one and much more Eco friendly.If you lucky enough to be by the sea why not make a wreath out of drift wood, or unusual twigs.

an unusual wreath made with terracotta pots!



A Clematine wreath


I love this idea it is unusual and attractive. Instead of air plants you could put dried seed pods in the balls, or fill half the ball with a little water and place red and white roses inside!

Glass ornaments with air plants



place red and white flowers inside for a more festive feel

 We have a huge selection of amazing succulents in our country that really are not used to their full potential. These little water wise beauties make beautiful eye catching decorations!




Succulent ornamental ball

 During these hot summer holidays why not pick a few herbs and berries from your Organic Vegetable herb gardens and make them into ice cubes to decorate all those Christmas cocktails with.

Ice blocks that will glam up any drink

Fill your home with a festive aroma.Oranges studded with cloves not only smell fantastic but will also look wonderful as center pieces in glass vases or bowls.

Oranges studded with cloves

Make your own Christmas table centerpieces with recycled objects from your home and garden. Tin cans cleaned and filled with flowers from your garden create a rustic charm. Small terracotta containers can be transformed with a bit of red ribbon , rosemary and white candles.

disguise your tin can by wrapping twigs or cinnamon sticks around it

What is Christmas without a Christmas tree. Instead of those drab plastic trees why not use one of our indigenous beauties.Get a big terracotta tub and plant it up with an indigenous tree of your choice then plant it in your garden afterwards.Or if you choose the right kind of tree leave it in the pot and place it on your patio so it is ready for the next festive season. Here are a few of my favourite indigenous Christmas trees. What are yours?



Podacarpus henkelii



Gardenia Thunbergia

 

Links: vi.sualize.us, haute-hostess.com, flikr.com, weddingfresh.blogspot.com, thepaintedhive.blogspot.com, libp.blogspot.com, MathaStewart,beeskneesbungalow.blogspot.com,marylenalynx.blogspot.com,potterybarn. Grow Wild.

SOIL THE STUFF OF LIFE

The first step to a successful garden is getting the soil right.



Bark chip mulch always looks good 



With our hot African sun mulching is vital. We are coming to a stage where every drop of water counts. Mulching retains the moisture in the soil. Mulching can be incorporated into the design of you garden whether you are going for contemporary, Informal, Formal, Oriental there is a mulch for each and every style and taste.



Rocks and pebbles create a contemporary feel they also bring in an exciting texture



Living mulches these are ground cover plants they come in an array of colours, textures and shapes the choice is vast. What is wonderful about this choice of mulching is that the plants successfully smother weeds as well as pulling the design together. Pebbles, different coloured gravels, shells and bark chips are just a few of the options if you want to bring another texture into your garden. Whichever mulch you choose it is an essential part of the garden

Arctotheca calendula works well as a living mulch

Working in the maintenance industry bought to my attention that most gardeners have an obsession when it comes to turning the beds and making sure that not one leaf dare be left in them. Both of these practices are very bad for your soil. Turning the beds disturbs the plants roots as well as causing dormant weed seeds to surface and germinate. It also upsets the balance in the soil. Leaves that have fallen onto the bed are one of the best things that could happen in terms of improving and feeding the soil. In fact we should be putting as many as we can onto our beds. As the leaves decompose they make the most beautiful rich and healthy soil. The end result is humus this is made up from all that broken down matter, now you have a soil that is like gold dust to gardeners. Healthy soil equals healthy plants.

Adding a little helping hand. Our company does not use chemical products. Most chemical fertilizers leech the soil of its nutrients and all the hard work that has been put into obtaining healthy humus rich soil is lost. Plants can also get burnt and die off if to much fertilizer is applied. We prefer to go the Organic route by using Neutrogs Organic fertilizer range. It may smell for a day or two but the results are amazing. Another product that works wonders for plants is Fertlies this fertilizer comes from earthworm castings, these amazing creatures are soils miracle workers. There are a number of companies that sell these worms with wormaries that can fit into any space big or small. Whether you want to feed you house plants or your whole garden. All you need to feed them is your kitchen waste how simple is that .In return you get the most amazing liquid fertilizer which will give you strong healthy plants that the neighbours will be envious of.

Resources: Arctotheca calendula image from www.plantzafrica.com

 

CHILDREN'S GARDENS

Children explore the world with their senses

Every garden should have a section set aside just for the children. A magical place where their big imaginations can run wild.

SIGHT

 Colour is very important bright splashes of it! Annuals are brilliant for children's gardens not only do they come in an array of colours but many are fun and capture little ones inquisitive minds. I have childhood memories of opening and closing the mouths of snapdragons and making daisy chains.

Antirrhinum 'Snap dragon'

Peeping from the flower beds these garden objects will trigger any child's imagination and make the garden space that much more magical and fun.

Fairy sculptures a must for a little girl’s fairy garden

Tiered of the same old garden pots, mass produced sculptures and old fading garden gnomes,I went on a search for something a bit more unusual.

The princess and the frog

mushrooms popping out from flower beds



fun garden lighting



Garden elves

peeking from the flowers sits a fairy upon a mushroom

       NATURE

Bring the birds into your children's garden with bird feeders. Feeding the birds will become a fun activity as well as spotting all the new birds that come visit the garden. Little boys love hunting for bugs so don't kill any creepy crawlies on sight leave them and create an Eco garden. Bug boxes are a great way to get your child involved with nature and learning about all the insects that are beneficial to the garden.

Creative bird houses



Bug Boxes



SOUND

 Children are attracted to water. What is better than dipping your fingers into a fish pond or water basin.Watering the little seedlings that you have planted with your own watering can. Nothing is as fun as getting dripping wet in the sprinklers! Some fun water features are wishing wells and shallow basins with little ornamental creatures on the side.When installing water features always consider the safety aspect first.Depending on age there should always be adult supervision.Wind chimes also add sound to the garden as well as different textures such as gravel pathways.



Fun rustic cats and a wishing well

FUN AND ADVENTURE

Jungle gyms and climbing frames are always great fun. I remember spending hours in the garden building forts from branches and banana leaves.I thought this jungle gym was very clever as it incorporates the fun of climbing a tree with all the elements of a traditional metal jungle gym, the best of both worlds.

An fun and imaginative jungle gym

 

A secret fort

A PLACE OF MY OWN

Children love growing things and getting their little hands dirty. Give them a little space of their own in the garden where they can grow their own plants. Choose a sunny area with good soil and plants that are easy to grow with fast results strawberries,sunflowers, beans, pansy's, spinach, radishes and carrots are just a few a great variety of plants. Not only will this space encourage your children to work in the garden but growing their own vegetables will help them explore their taste buds and get them to eat that spinach which is normally hidden under their fork!



'Children have a natural affinity towards nature,dirt,water,plants,and small animals attract children's attention for hours, days, even a lifetime.' Robin C Moore and Herb H Wong

Resources. Friends of the west end, Life is a garden, most beautiful flower.com. To make you smile therapy garden, spottedcanary.com, Goin Pottin,Whisk this

PESTS AND DISEASES, THINK BEFORE YOU SPRAY

At Whirlwind gardens we do not use Pesticides or Herbicides we choose to take a gentler stand against our munching insect friends. Pesticides and Herbicides are poisonous and when handling them one should take care to follow those instructions on the bottle very carefully, keep them far away from little hands and beloved pets. So many gardeners believe that the only good insect is a dead insect. So they spray merrily away , killing our garden guardians which are beneficial in keeping the garden balance and would eat the munching pests naturally unfortunately pesticides and herbicides cannot choose which one they are going to kill so the result is that we often wipe out our lady bugs , butterflies and other helpers in some cases our bird life. I had a client who had a pesticide and herbicide for everything, every week there was another ‘nasty’ bug or disease to spray, it was an ongoing battle with no end in sight, the garden had lost its balance, it was a heaven for pests and diseases there were no beneficial predators to eat them as they had all been wiped out and I never saw any birds in that garden as it was toxic to anything that set foot in it. It is amazing how harmful we can be. No matter how much you spray you will never eliminate all the pests, with the continuous use of pesticides the insects develop a resistance and so the battle is never won. There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ pesticide so why use them when there is a far more responsible way of caring for your garden.

We made the decision to keep our bird and other precious natural predators safe our approach is that you can work with nature to combat pests.  Plant the right plant in the right place; feed the soil, as healthy soil equals healthy plants. Companion plant herbs and vegetables. Mulch and reduce the growth of weeds. If spraying is really necessary we have Margret Roberts’s fantastic range of products. Ludwig’s Insect spray that works wonders on the roses. Ferramol by Biogrow, which does a great job in controlling our slugs and snails. Biogrow has a whole range of products. Or make your own home – made sprays and other solutions. There are so many options so make the transition from using pesticides to going organic. Restore the natural balance in your garden.

If you are going use organic pesticide products that have canola oil and garlic in them keep in mind that if you have a pond nearby and there is a breeze it is not a good idea to spray as an accidental drift from the diluted spray mixture of many chemically and organically – formulated pesticides could kill or cause harm to fish, frogs and other aquatic life. The list of pests and diseases is huge if you want to go into more depth on the subject then I recommend you get a copy of The Garden Guardian’s guide to environmentally – responsible care by Johan Gerber.

‘The irresponsible use of pesticides is contributing to a steady reduction in the number of nature’s wonderful pest controllers and beneficial life forms, as well as the micro – organisms on which our survival depends. Every single organism in the garden, from the most destructive and irritating to the friendliest, has a specific purpose and function. The way we treat them today will, in some small way, help determine the future health of our gardens, ourselves, our environment and planet.’

From The Garden Guardian’s guide to environmentally-responsible garden care by Johan Gerber

COMPOST

‘Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul’ Linda Solegato

Compost is a source of food for our plants and it is simple and very satisfying to make your own.

Composting made easy step by step. You should have lovely crumbly rich compost between six to ten weeks.

·          First clear a space make sure all weeds and grass roots have been removed. Remember not to put your compost heap to close to the house. If you have a vegetable garden this would be a handy place to put it.

·          Then add a layer of twigs and course pruning this layer will help with the heat build up

·          Add leaves, vegetable peelings, lawn mowing.

·          Cover this layer with manure, then cut grass

·          Water the top and let it all soak in

·          Wonderful natural compost activators are yarrow and comfrey so throw a few of these leaves in as often as you can.

·          Then repeat the process as simple as that no more Saturday trips to the dump.

You can buy compost bins to contain your pile. Or you can build a low brick wall, you can use anything as long as it has an open bottom and good ventilation.

Things that are great to add onto your compost heap. Tea bags, egg shells, oyster shells, paper towels, newspaper, all your vegetable cuttings.

Things not to add to your compost heap are cooked food, dairy, fish, meat or pet waste. Here is a list of plants that also should not be added cypress, pines, eucalyptus, juniper and oleander these plants are either to acidic or highly toxic.

Bringing birds and butterflies into your garden

‘The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses’

Hanna Rion



Eco garden in the city



When it comes to bringing the birds and butterflies into your garden you will need the right plants.  By planting indigenous plants you have taken the first and most important step. These plants will attract a whole host of different birds and butterflies to the garden. Mulching also attracts all your woodland birds they love to forage in the leaves for a meal of earthworms and other insect life.

Woodland section

Why not put a small wetland into your garden and invite all the aquatic birds into the garden, create a home for the frogs that are struggling to survive now that many of their natural habitats are being destroyed welcome the dragonflies and butterflies. Stock your wetland with our indigenous fish Tilapia and watch the water lilies open their sleepy heads at dawn. It will bring many memorable moments with its own little eco system in place.



Shallow sections lead to the waterfall at the bottom,the bird love to bath in them!





If your garden is too small to put in a wetland then birdbaths are always a great attraction. Instead of a conventional birdbath try a water feature. Make sure the surface is shallow so the birds can wade and drink from it. Plant a few reeds and bulrushes around the base you will have an attractive area for your wetland birds.

Indigenous trees provide homes for many creatures. Butterflies in their adult form use the nectar of the flowers for food and their larvae (caterpillars) use the leaves and seeds for food. Not to mention a whole host of birds. Food trees for birds are Rhus lancea , Rhus pendulina, Olea europaea and Podocarpus henkelli to name a few. Trees that the birds like to nest in are Combretum erythrophyllum, Acacia tortilis, Kigelia africana. There really are many more ‘Making the most of Indigenous Trees by Fanie & Julye – Ann Venter ‘ will help you .

Create a meadow in a quite corner of the garden. Scatter some indigenous grass seeds and a few of our indigenous bulbs the variety and colours are endless. Place a bench under your tree and watch as between the swaying grasses. Weavers visit to collect grasses to build a series of homes for their fussy wives. Seed eaters will greedily feed upon the seed heads. Butterflies will settle upon the pallet of colours to suck the nectar from the meadow flowers.



grey water feeds into a bed of bog plants



A quiet place to watch the birds

Place bird feeders in your garden; why not make your own unique feeder. Left over fruit such as bananas, paw paw, apples, oranges and avocados will be enjoyed by the Cape white eyes, Lourie’s. Place out the seed for the seed eaters, suet and bone meal for the insect eaters and you will enjoy a huge selection of bird life. Another favourite is peanut butter; if you have any pine cones lying around fill them with peanut butter and hang them by the feeding station the birds will be there in a matter of minutes. Of course they are nature’s natural pest controllers, eating up those slugs and aphids that drive most gardeners up the wall. So bear in mind the next time you spray that poisoned slugs and snails lying on the lawn are the Hoopoe’s and Hadeda’s dinner so avoid using harmful chemical sprays in a bird friendly garden.

Butterflies love nectar and some of the plants that they are attracted to are your Buddleia species not only does this beautiful species attract birds and butterflies many of their sprays of flowers have the most amazing fragrance. Pavetta Lanceolata, Salvia, Protea, Geraniums and Bauhinia galpini will become part of a valuable collection of plants for your butterfly garden. Another way to lure the butterflies into your garden is to plant some larval host plants such as the Cape chestnut ( Calodendrum capense) white ironwood (Vepris lanceolata) are two of my favourites but there are many others that you could plant.

  

A garden would not be a garden if it were not filled with the sounds of bird songs, butterflies and an activity of busy insects and other creatures.

Eco garden designed and built by whirlwind gardens.www.whirlwindgardens.co.za