November in the garden

Summer's here, it is hot outside and gardens will become very thirsty if it doesn’t rain. But there are ways to reduce your garden’s dependence on expensive mains water.

lDo simple redesigning for more efficient water use by zoning your planting into small high-water and larger low-water areas;

Sow seeds of zinnias, verbenas, cosmos, celosias, marigolds and salvias. Feed your garden at least once a month. Feed containers and hanging baskets every two weeks with a liquid fertiliser. Keep lawns looking good with a regular feeding programme, which will also help to suppress weeds.

Agapanthus are at their best in November, so visit your nursery to get new varieties to add to your collection. It is a great time to plant scented star jasmine, flowering hibiscus, Inca lilies, lavenders, carnations, aquilegias, rudbeckias, dahlias, grevilleas, echinaceas, gardenias and bougainvilleas.

Plant all pumpkin-type family crops now, and sow fruit-producing vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and eggfruit. Plant salad plants like basil, lettuce, spinach, rocket and celery.

Use organic fertiliser and sprays for your edible crops.

Spray in the late afternoon when bees are less active.

Hot tips:

lPlant the seeds of squashes near sunflowers or sweet corn and allow them to trail up and over their stems.

lPlants with deep roots have a much better chance at surviving periods of drought. To encourage deep anchorage when planting new trees or large shrubs, insert 60cm lengths of plastic gutter, or thick water pipes, upright into their planting holes before backfilling them. Short lengths of these pipes must stick out above the soil level.

When watering by hand, you can simply insert the hose into these openings to water deeply. Another way to keep the water where it is most needed is to create a soil basin around each plant.

After watering deeply at ground level, apply a thick layer of mulch around the plant. Do not allow it to bulk up against any stems or trunks as this can cause rotting.

lThyme is a good choice for lush covering in a medium-to-low water zone. You can cook with thyme, bath with thyme and walk over thyme. What more can one ask of a plant? If you have a sunny spot in the veg patch or just need to add some more groundcovers to a well-drained area in the other parts of the garden, consider some of the low-growing thymes like Thymus ‘Coccineus’.

lKitchen gardening – if you have planted brinjals in the veggie patch or in pots, add the following companion plants, which will complement their taste when your harvest is ready and you start cooking with them: oregano, marjoram, thyme, sweet basil and rosemary.

lWaterwise lawn care: Long grass sends down deeper roots and provides more shade for itself, so can cope far better with drought. Raise the cutting height in summer. When watering, do it early morning or late afternoon.

lSound water-saving advice: Use water-retention granules in flower beds when planting young seedlings. Water-retentive products break the water-resistant layer of certain soils, draw the water deeper into plants’ root zones, and keep the soil moist for longer. Also treat all your container plants with water-retention crystals, water well and finish off with a decorative mulch like bark nuggets.

lFor more information on bringing Life to your Garden, and other stories on this page visit www.lifeisagarden.co.za or join us on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ lifeisagardensa