|
 | Windbreaks If you live in a cold or windy area, plant a substantial windbreak before you do anything else. Buddleja salvifolia and Brachylaena discolor are particularly well suited to this purpose. |
 | Attracting birds Not only do bird baths make an attractive feature, bu the birds enjoy them too. Regular cleaning keeps the mosquitoes awayy. Shallow water is essetial, as most garden birds have short legs and will not wade in deep water. |
|
| Pruning large trees Do not try to turn a large tree into a small tree by constant pruning. It will always look contrived and tortured. Rather remove the large tree and plant a smaller tree in its place. |
| Planting time The ideal time to plant in summer rainfall areas is spring, as soon as the frost danger is over. This allows the longest possible time for the young plant to grow before the next winter sets in, bringing with it cold and drought. |
| Weedeating dangers Beware of weedeaters as they can do fatal damage to trees, especially young trees. If used to close to the stem of a young tree the nylon will cut the bark all they way round and the tree is soon cut of from its food and water supply. The tree is in effect "ring-barked". |
| The right dose of fertilizer for indigenous trees Indigenous trees do not enjoy too much fertilizer. An initial dose of superphosphate and 2.3.2 mixed into the soil when planting is sufficient. Additional fertilizer after this can be fatal. |
| Avoid moving shrubs Careful initial planning of planting positions will svae you from having to transplant your shrubs later on. As a rule of thumb, shrubs do not like being moved and will often take a long time to flourish once moved. |
| Prunning your climbers Climbers and twiners should be pruned regularly. Check them each week in the growing season and make sure that they are growing where and in the form that you would like them to grow. |
| Do not over tidy your garden Fallen leaves provide natural mulch. Guard against being too tidy by raking up every fallen leaf, because you could create a rather sterile garden. Many harmless little creatures will find refuge in amongst the leaves. |
| Make your own compost Every garden should have a corner where compost can be made. Use vegetable peels and fruit waste from the kitchen as well as grass cuttings, leaves and other soft garden refuse. The addtion of animal manure (excluding dogs and cats) will also speed up the decomposition process. |
| Mulching This is an excellent way to keep the ground moist while at the same time limiting the growth of the weeds in your garden. A 5cm layer of well rotted compost, decayed leaves of leaf mould is ideal. |
| Use good garden tools All gardeners need a strong spade and fork, sharp secatures, long handled loppers, hand trowel, hand fork, hand weeder and wheel barrow. A "ladies" spade and fork are very useful as well. Always clean your garden tools after using them by brushing or rinsing off soil and stains, then wipe them down with an oily rag to prevent rust and be sure to store them in a shed or garage. |
| Keep a chemical free garden Before applying any chemicals be sure that they will not harm the wildlife in your garden. Appreciate the creepy-crawlies for their beauty and adaptation to life, and the fact that many of them will have a beneficial effect in your garden. For example, some will help to pollinate plants while others such as earthworms help to aerate the soil. |
| Watering new tree and shrubs Always water trees and shrubs well while they are still in their containers before you plant them out. After planting make a shallow basin around the stem to keep the water from running off in all directions. Water deeply and provide a mulch of compost within the basin to help moisture retention and to keep the soil cool. |
| Gardening for wildlife Most birds and butterflies prefer indigenous plants for nesting and feeding activities. Plant a selection that will provide fruit, berries and nectar throughout the year and not only during one season. Bird feeders are a good ideas for smaller gardens. |
| Keep out the aliens It goes without saying that alien invader plant species that are banned by law should not be planted in the garden, and if already present they should be removed. These plants have caused considerable problems in natural areas, often causing local extinction of rare indigenous plant species. Click on the link below for a list of declared weeds and invader plants in South Africa Declared weeds and invaders listed by common name |
