Gardening this Month

Arbor Day was first celebrated in South Africa in 1983. The event proved so popular that in 1999 the National Government decided to extend the celebration of Arbor Day to National Arbor Week. From 1 to 7 September every year, South Africans are encouraged to participate in tree-planting events to improve the health of our environment.

This year, as has become a tradition at Stodels, you are once again invited to claim a free tree for every bag of old newspapers that you bring to one of our three branches in Bellville, Kenilworth or Milnerton on Friday 3 September.

We’ll make sure the newspapers are recycled and you’ll have a new tree to plant in your garden or community.

We would like to wish all our valued Muslim Customers well over the fast and hope to see you in one of our branches soon. Until then, happy gardening!

Nick Stodel
Contact Me
Tel : 021-9191108

CALLING ALL PENSIONERS
save 15% on 25 August at all our Garden Centres

Come to Stodels with your senior citizens club card on the 25th August and enjoy a 15% savings on all purchases. We work really hard each month to get gardening basics like compost, fertiliser, garden care products and seasonal plants at really affordable prices because we believe gardening should be accessible and affordable to everyone.

On the 25th August take advantage of a further 15% discount on all products with your Senior Citizens Club Card at all our branches.

TREES 4 SCHOOLS
reducing our country's carbon footprint

Trees4Schools is a non-profit organisation that aims to plant as many trees and vegetable gardens as possible in local schools and orphanages. The schools are expected to take ownership of the gardens and ensure that they are well maintained, whereby increasing awareness among the youth about the importance of sustainable gardening and reducing each individual’s carbon footprint.

Stodels is a proud supporter of Trees4Schools. Together with our customers, we helped raise in excess of R85,000 for this very worthwhile organisation. This photograph was taken at a recent tree and vegetable planting at Bongolethu Primary School.

TALKS AT STODELS
creative fun and care of indoor plants

Lynton Johnson. Lynton - a radio announcer, landscaper, lecturer and highly entertaining personality, will share his colourful suggestions and tips for happy indoor & patio plants. This talk will tackle some of the FAQ’s and basic steps with regards to Indoor & Patio Plants.

He will be visiting us on 26 August 2010 at Stodels Bellville at 10am and Stodels Milnerton at 1pm.

For a full list of events at Stodels, please click here.

WIN A R1,000 VOUCHER
nominate and you could win

Nominate someone at a business other than Stodels who has given you outstanding customer service and stand the chance to win a gift voucher valued at R1,000. If the person you nominated is selected as the Service Excellence winner of the month, you can shop for R1,000 at Stodels Nurseries. What is more, your nominee will also receive a gift voucher valued at R1,000 to spend at Tafelberg Furnishers, so click here to enter.

Please note that you cannot nominate any person related to the competition sponsors

MEET GARDENING GURU - CHRIS BEARDSHAW
contemporary garden design

TV personality Chris Beardshaw is best known as the presenter of Gardener’s World on the BBC. Chris will be visiting South Africa for a lecture tour in September and you can attend his lecture entitled “Contemporary garden design and planting for sustainable gardening”.

Chris holds an MA in Landscape Architecture from Cheltenham University and has won several prestigious gardening awards including a Gold Medal for his “Dig For Victory” garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and a Gold Medal at RHS Tatton Park.

He will be visiting on Tuesday, 14 September at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at 10am. Cost per person is R200 which includes snacks and the opportunity to mingle with Chris after the lecture, for bookings and more information contact 011-3170903 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

STAFF MEMBER OF THE MONTH
service with a smile

Each month we recognize one staff member at each of our three branches for their excellent customer service, positive attitude and enthusiasm. Please help us identify these staff members by letting us know when you’ve received exceptional service.

Bellville Branch : Nicolette de Vos - Nicolette is the prime example of the saying “Dynamite comes in small packages”. She is always willing to assist our customers with heavy trolleys and approaches all her tasks with energy and enthusiasm. She is very friendly not just with our customers but also with her colleagues and is a great team player..

Kenilworth Branch : Keenan January - Keenan is a young individual that has grown within the our team. He is an ambitious young man that started out as a weekend trolley assistant and has advanced and shown great interest in the fish and pet department in which he currently works. Keenan is knowledgeable on the products in the fish and pet department and gives sound advice to all the Kenilworth customers. He is a valuable member to the store.

Milnerton Branch : Hendry Maarten - Hendry is a new staff member who joined our team early in June. He has a sparkling personality with a “go get-it” attitude. Hendry is our courier and if not busy with deliveries he lends a helping hand to our customers in the store. Hendry is a caring, friendly person that will go more than the extra mile for our customers.

OUR SHOPPERS
guess who shops at stodels ....

Stodels staff members and customers got a big surprise recently when they noticed Stian Bam (Dawid Greeff from 7de Laan fame) buying plants at our Bellville branch.

So keep your eyes wide open next time you come to stock up on seedlings. You never know who you might bump into ….

FISH AND PET CENTRE
simple steps for a happy hound ....

When you bring a dog into your family, you are taking on a serious responsibility. This creature will depend on you for food, shelter and love. You will also be responsible for making sure that your dog is as healthy as he can be at any given time.

To read more click here

GARDENING IN AUGUST
gardening tips and so much more

Herb of the Month - Thyme

Thyme is an attractive evergreen herb that produces pink or purple flowers in spring. It has a long history, dating back to Ancient Egypt, when it was used to embalm mummies. Later on it was used during the Middle Ages in Europe to ward off nightmares (those who had trouble sleeping placed it under their pillows!)

For more information visit www.stodels.com

Grow your own Lettuce

Nothing perks up a salad like fresh lettuce leaves picked from your garden. August is the ideal time to start with succession planting of lettuce, which can continue until October. After October the weather becomes too warm and lettuce leaves tend to turn bitter.

For more information visit www.growyourown.co.za

Petunias - Pretty and Pratical

If you’re looking for an affordable way to brighten up your garden, you can’t go wrong with petunias. Mid August we have will have a wide range of petunias in stock at our three branches in Bellville, Kenilworth and Milnerton and, thanks to the efforts of our buyers, we’re offering them to you at the very low price of R15,95.

Petunias are very economical plants as they do not require much water and they have a long flowering period. They are also incredibly versatile and can be planted as a border, in pots or in rockeries. Simply water them once a week, feed with 3:1:5 fertiliser once a month and you’ll be rewarded with blooms for months to come.

Here are a few of our favourite variants :

• “Prism” forms a compact, bushy plant ideal for small spaces.
• “Super Cascade” is a spreading petunia that will cover empty garden beds in a flash.
• The “Frilly” and “Dreams” series form spectacular giant flowers, with a diameter of about 7.5cm.

Local Plant Focus : Clivias

There are no less than 6 indigenous clivia species, of which clivia miniata is the best known to gardeners. Clivias are a must have for shady areas of your garden and, as an added bonus, they don’t require much water or attention. They also make beautiful, long-lasting cut flowers, if you can bear to pick them.

Caring for clivias - Simply feed them monthly from October to April with 3:1:5 fertiliser and water them weekly in summer and monthly in winter.

Clivias can be planted in pots or in the garden – If you plant them in a pot.

• Place the pot on a shady patio.
• Add potting soil and finely crushed pine bark – clivias like slightly acidic soil.
• Make sure the pots have good drainage holes so that the roots of the plant won’t rot.
• Water once a week.

If you plant them in the garden.

• Choose a shady area of your garden.
• Clivias grow well in most types of soil, but clay soil will need to be enriched with compost and river sand.
• Space the plants 50cm apart and plant at the same height as in the packaging.
• Look out for signs of lily borer (holes in the leaves). Spray with Garden Ripcord or Margaret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide if required.

Save water this Winter

One of the most effective ways to conserve water is to improve the water-retaining capacity of your soil.

Here are a few ways that you can rejuvenate your soil so that it retains as much of the winter rain water as possible:

• Dig in plenty of homemade compost into your soil. It will improve the texture of your soil and also help to keep the temperature constant. Organic mulches (such as straw, bark or pine needles) will also help to feed your soil.
• Incorporate water-retaining granules like Aquasoil or Saturaid into your soil and containers.
• Plant fast-growing groundcovers to keep the soil cool and damp. Try lamium varigata, trifolium repens, vinca and polygonum capitatum.
• Let the falling winter leaves form a natural protective layer in your garden beds. They’ll help to prevent the loss of moisture from the soil due to evaporation.
• For more information visit www.stodels.com

Nature's insect repellents

Plants with naturally strong aromas function as natural insect repellents, driving away flies, mosquitoes and other pests.

Here are some ideas of how to get rid of unwanted insect visitors the natural way :

• Plant creeping mint between paving stones. When it is crushed as people walk on the stones it will release its scent, helping to ward off flies and mosquitoes.
• Marigolds are an excellent companion plant in vegetable gardens. Their strong scent helps to repel many pests that would otherwise munch on your veggies.
• Make an eco-friendly insect-repelling solution by collecting clippings of aromatic plants. Crush them to release the scent and then soak them in water for 48 hours. Strain the liquid from the leaves and spray the solution on sensitive plants. Good options for aromatic clippings include mint, basil, buchu, wild garlic, lavender and lemongrass.
• For more information visit www.stodels.com

How to care for flowering indoor plants

Flowering pot plants are a long-lasting substitute for cut flowers in the home. Many pot plants have blooms that last for 4-7 weeks, some even longer. In general, flowering pot plants need bright, cool conditions and moist soil. Warm air is usually their biggest enemy.

Below is a description of the care requirements of a few flowering pot plants :

• Azaleas - enjoy bright light, but no direct sun. Keep the plant cool and mist daily when flowering. Keep wet at all times, not just moist. Without the proper care, the flowers can wilt and leaves drop off within 2 weeks. After they have bloomed, move the plant to a cool room and continue to water.
• Chrysanthemums - are available in a large variety of colours and should last 6-8 weeks. Bright light is crucial for these plants. They enjoy cool temperatures and should be moist at all times. Chrysanthemums can also be planted in your garden. If you have received one lately, it can be planted in the garden this spring.
• Cyclamen - are one of the most popular winter-flowering pot plants and with the appropriate care can last several months. They do best in a north facing window and do not like direct sun. Cyclamen prefer cool temperatures and high humidity. Cyclamen should be kept moist at all times and only watered by immersing the plant in a bowl of water so that the cyclamen takes the water from the bottom up. When the cyclamen has finished its bloom, reduce watering and stop feeding. Place the pot on its side and keep dry until summer. Then repot with fresh compost, planting the tuber to half its depth. Allow to stand in a cool, well-lit spot and water to keep moist.
• Kalanchoe - can be purchased in bloom year around, though in nature the plant is a spring bloomer. Kalanchoe are available in white, yellow, orange, lilac, pink and red. From spring to summer they prefer an east- or west-facing window and a south-facing window in the winter. They require warmth and should be watered thoroughly, allowing the surface to dry out between watering. After blooming, prune the tops and place in a shady window. Keep dry for about a month, then place in a well-lit spot and water as usual.
• Liliums - enjoy bright light, but no direct sun. Liliums prefer cool temperatures during the growing season. Place the plant in a bright spot and keep moist at all times.
• Roses - are difficult to maintain indoors. They need lots of light, airy conditions, high humidity and water on regular basis.

The Last Words ...

"Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush.” - Doug Larson