OCTOBER GARDENING IN GAUTENG

There’s no better month than October to get stuck into your spring garden and prepare it for the harsh heat of summer. Here are some gardening ideas and tips to use this month.

SPOTLIGHT ON: GROWING WATERWISE ROSES

October may be the month for roses, but roses are incredibly heavy on our most precious natural resource: water. These are our top tips for taking care of them while remaining waterwise:

• To prevent moisture from evaporating too fast, fill the soil around the roses with rich mulch.
• Use grey water to keep your garden looking lush – just be careful to use grey and not black water.
• Remove weeds from your rose garden regularly to prevent them from soaking up water.

ON YOUR TO-DO LIST FOR OCTOBER 

Plant & Sow

• Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as amaryllis, dahlias, Galtonia, gladioli and tuberoses.
• Plant summer-flowering seedlings in sun-exposed areas, such as celosias, gazanias, penstemons, petunias, sweet alyssum and SunPatiens.
• Sow the seeds of summer flowers such as candytuft, alyssum, Californian poppy, cornflower, cosmos, dianthus, phlox, verbena, zinnia, marigold, cineraria and lobelia.
• Grow summer veggies from seed, such as beetroot, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, parsnips, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and tomatoes.
• Focus on planting a drought-resistant garden that’s sculptural in form. We’re loving cacti and succulents because of their waterwise properties and low-maintenance upkeep.

 Feed

• Give indoor and outdoor plants extra sustenance with a liquid fertiliser such as Multifeed or Seagro.
• Fuchsias, bulbs and other spring annuals should be fed with a 3:1:5 fertiliser every 2 weeks.
• Established lawns could do with 4:1:1 fertiliser. We recommend a handful for every square metre.
• Apricots, peaches, plums and quinces would all thrive with a 3:1:5 fertiliser.

 Prune & Trim

• Tidy up bottlebrush, butterfly bush, confetti bush, conifers, hibiscus, plumbagos, poinsettias, potato bush, proteas and tea bush.
• Cut back flowering apricots, peaches, plums and quinces to encourage stockier, sturdier growth and enhance light exposure.
• Deadhead pansies and violas regularly to keep them flowering for longer.
• Remove faded flowers from spring annuals and bulbs.

 OTHER FRESH IDEAS Grow your own: Aloe vera

Aloe vera (also known as Aloe barbadensis) is the most commonly used medicinal plant in the world: there are over 250 species of aloe, most of them native to Africa. This short-stemmed succulent grows best in dry conditions, making it the perfect plant to grow in a drought. Aloe plants should be grown in full sun or light shade and should not be overwatered.

Set up a Stodels Online Shop account

As spring kicks in, you may find you have less and less time to head to the nursery. Keep your garden renewal going by browsing your favourite plants, seeds and garden accessories on our online shop. We’re especially loving the 6-packs of flower seedlings and tree saplings to fill out the garden.