Flourish members have loved the creative and inspired book called Jane’s Delicious Garden. Visit http://gardenplanner.janesdeliciousgarden.com for a free vegetable garden planner for South African gardeners
Visit http://www.janesdeliciousgarden.com/ for Jane’s own website.
1. Venue.
The meeting was held at Sarah Hodgson’s home in Claremont. Many thanks to Sarah for hosting the meeting.
2. Apologies
Angila Kent, Ally Reidy, Ilse Meershoek, Nicky Louw,Debbie Turberville
3. Visitors
None
4. What to do in the garden this month
Roses must be pruned by mid August
Prune Hydrangeas now
Tidy up summer flowering shrubs
Don’t touch anything that will be flowering in Spring
Give fuchsias nitrogen rich fertilizer now
5. Whats on
Alphen Spring show is on the 3rd and 4th Sept. (Cherise will be doing a talk on Streptocarpus!!)
6. General
7. Speaker
Thank you to Avril and Emile from the company ywaste. Avril gave a very interesting talk on worm farming. Here are some of the things Avril spoke about :
The worms to use for worm farms are called Red Wigglers. The average household can recycle about 5 kg of kitchen waste per week in the wormery.
Feed worms anything from banana peels, to egg shells and egg boxes, tea bags and any other organic stuff. Avoid meat, citrus, dairy, onions and potato peels. Limit tomato as its very acidic. If the wormery is too acidic or too wet it will attract fruit flies. If you manage the worm farm properly, there shouldn’t be any fruit flies. Its preferable to cut food into bite sized pieces as you get quicker results. If you put something bad into the wormery which the worms dislike, they may escape and leave the wormery.
Mealie meal is good for worms, but not flour.
Soil must be added to the worm farm as they use soil to digest their food. If you leave the worms in the pure vermicompost, they will die (it happened to me!) as its their poo. You must add soil.
Harvest the vermicompost about 4 times per year, then add a spade full of soil.
The wormery must be moist at all times as worms breathe through their skin.
To start the wormery :
Put plain paper at the bottom of your vessel and wet it. No glossy printed paper. Put soil at the bottom and add some vermicompost in it to give it a kick start. Put worms in. Wet some newspaper and fluff it up to let the air in or use old underfelt and cover the wormery. Keep it dark. The worms live in the top 5cm of soil.
To harvest the vermicompost:
Wait for at least 6 months before the initial harvest of vermicompost to let eggs hatch and for the worms to settle. Worms have no eyes, but they are light sensitive. Put the worm food aside and place the compost and worms on a tray. Make a mound of compost. Leave this for about 1 hour in good light, but not direct sun or your worms may dry out and die. Take the compost from the top and sides and put worms back into wormery. Any clumps of yellow mass are the cocoons of eggs. Be sure to place these back into the wormery. Another way to harvest vermicompost is to feed only half the surface area and worms will migrate to the food area. Remove the compost from the non-food area. This takes more time though.
If the wormery is too wet, put dry leaves or dry newspaper into the vermicompost and mix it in, this will absorb some of the moisture.
Worm Tea can be used to activate your garden compost heap. Dilute the tea 1 -100 with water for this purpose. Dilute 1 – 10 with water for your plants and pour on with a watering can.
Use 25% vermicompost to 75% garden area and dig it in a little. This can be done every 2 months. You can also use vermicompost to put onto pot plants. 1 teaspoon into a small pot every 2 months.
Bokashi was also discussed. This is a process where microbes are used to break down anything from meat to citrus to onions and dairy and even cooked left over food. A similar system is used whereby one bucket is full of holes and then placed into another bucket containing a tap. You then decant the liquid which falls though the holes and use it on your garden in a very diluted state (1 – 100). When the bucket is full, dig a hole in the garden and bury the contents. This stuff will turn into compost at a much quicker rate that a normal garden compost heap.
Avril can be found at the Porters Market every Saturday from 09h00 till 13h00.
Her number is 082 439 6395 and Emile is 082 823 0757
Email : ywaste@telkomsa.net
Web : www.y-waste.net
8. The next meeting.
The next meeting will take place at Jo Austin’s home in Clovelly on 3 September at 09h00.
Compost from Flandorp Gardening Supplies (Tokai Rotary). They charge R6/bag or R180 (1 cubic m – which is equivalent to 30 bags). Trailer is R100. Delivery R50-R70. (Contact Richard 083 597 3689 or Alistair 082 519 6130).
See the (indigenous) wood for the trees this Arbor Week
Cape Environment, Newsletter of WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) – Western Cape Region, Issue 3 – August 2011
It is National Arbor Week from 1 – 7 September, however it is important to note that this is not the best time to be planting trees in the Western Cape considering the dry Summer months, which will require additional watering to ensure that newly-planted trees survive and become well established, are still ahead.
The tree of the year for 2011 is Pappea capensis
Family: Sapindaceae (litchi or soap-berry family).
Common names: Jacket Plum, Indaba tree, bushveld cherry (Eng.); dopprium (Afr.); iliTye, umGqalutye (Xhosa).
Pappea capensis is a long-lived, hardy, evergreen, small to medium tree with a height of 2-8m. It grows at a moderate rate but is slow-growing under dry and/or cold conditions. It is useful as a street tree or for shade in parking lots as it does not have an aggressive root system. The delicious and very juicy fruit with a tart flavour is used to make preserve, jelly, vinegar and an alcoholic drink. Fragrant, non-drying golden yellow oil is extracted from the roasted seeds. It is also used as a purgative and for lubrication, as a cure for ringworm, to restore hair, as well as for making soap. Leaves, bar and the oil extracted from the seed are used medicinally against baldness, nosebleeds, chest complaints, eye infections, and venereal disease. The root is used orally or as an enema.
Further information on Pappea capensis may be found at www.plantzafrica.com but note that neither this species nor the two secondary trees of the year are indigenous to the Western Cape, so if you are looking to plant a tree (during our wet season) rather select an indigenous tree that is well adapted to your local environment.
Arborist – Willem Avenant recommended by Debbie 072 434 2126
Avril and her son Emile, from Ywaste recycle, showed great passion and knowldege on the subject of food waste management and earthworm farming as they presented to the group at our August meeting.
Avril also introduced us to bokashi bran which is used to assist in composting all other food waste which is not suitable for the worm bin. This is also an excellent way of breaking down dog faeces.
Their products are affordable and they offer worm bin installations and servicing.
Ywaste recycle
Avril: 0824396395
Emile: 0828230757
www.y-waste.net
ywaste@telkomsa.net
Mark Joubert spoke to our group this month (sept 2011). His passion and enthusiasm for grey water recycling was evident and his talk was practical and informative.
GardenResQ: Grey Water Systems
0827823927
info@gardenresq.co.za
www.gardenresq.co.za
gardening practices. Well worth a trip!
Old Ottery Rd, Ottery, Cape Town
Tel: 0217038689
Web: www.hartnursery.co.za
Email: bushbaby2865@mweb.co.za
One of our knowlegeable and talented members compiled this list of restios with descriptions, height and growing conditions.
She also added some ideas for companion palnting.
Thank you Cherisse. Enjoy!
|
RESTIOS for the GARDEN |
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| NAME | Height | Description | Growing conditions | ||||
| Calopsis paniculata | 1.7-2.5m | Spreading rhizomes forming large groups or “bamboo” like thickets. Soft feathery foliage. Old culms can be cut out to keep looking neat. | Full sun to very light shade. Will tolerate moist to wet conditions. Prefers more watering than most restio. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Damp loving: Dissotis princeps, Erica verticillata, Freylinia lanceolata | ||||||
| Cannomois grandis | 1-3m | Lovely focal point plant with interesting new culm growth. Soft foliage with inflorescence born at the tips of culms. | Full sun. Moist well drained areas. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Accompanies large Leucospermums such as L. cordifolium softening their tough texture. | ||||||
| Elegia aggregatum | 1.5m | Tall neat upright tufted habit. Structural plant which adds strong vertical lines and colour to the landscape. Dark brown inflorescence. | Full sun. Moist to seasonally dry well drained areas. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Colour contrasts with grey foliage and yellow flowers: Stoebe plumosa, Salvia repens, Syncarpha gnaphaloides, Leucospermum reflexum var. luteum, Leucospermum oleifolium | ||||||
| Elegia capensis | 2m | Fast growing, spreading habit. Lovely interesting new season growth. “Horsetail reed” | Full sun. Wet to dry. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Drought tolerant to wet conditions: Phygelius capensis, Otholobium labiatus, Melianthus major | ||||||
| Elegia cuspidata | 0.8m | Tufted habit with slightly lax culms. Very attractive dark orange brown bracts on new culms. Dark brown inflorescence | Full sun. Moist to seasonally dry well drained areas. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Picks up beautifully on orange and bronze colours: Leonotis leonurus, Dimorphotheca pluvialis | ||||||
| Elegia equisetacea | 1.2m | Thick growing tuft. Papery bract surround inflorescence. | Full sun. Well drained soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Compliments strong hard leaf/flower structures: Leucospermum erubescens, Mimetes fimbriifolius | ||||||
| Elegia fistulosa | 0.5m | Tufted attractive upright growth habit. Planted en mass looks like a field of barley with its golden inflorescence. | Full sun. Well drained acidic soils. Moist areas, but not water logged. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Lovely addition to mixed garden adding structure and textural change: Fynbos garden with varieties of Leucospermums, Serruria, Pelargonium and Phylica | ||||||
| Elegia stipularis | 0.4m | Stunning purple to pink new season growth. Light golden flowering bracts. Dwarf restio with tufted habit. Older growth slightly lax. | Full sun. Well drained acidic soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Used as groundcover at base of Protea & complements pinks / reds: Protea cynaroides, Salvia africana-lutea, Leucadendron tinctum | ||||||
| Ischyrolepis gaudinana var. gaudinana | 0.3-1.5m | Dwarf shrub restioid, scrambling habit. | Full sun. Well drained soils. | ||||
| Ischyrolepis subverticillata | 2m | Ornamental neatly spreading habit. Foliage has a softening affect in the garden. Bears small flowers and capsules which gives seasonal varience. | Full sun to light shade. Well drained to moist sandy soils. | ||||
| NAME | Height | Description | Growing conditions | ||||
| Restio bifurcus | Errect tussock with reddish bracts. Occurs on the peninsula. | Full sun. Well drained sandy soils. | |||||
| Restio festuciformis | 0.5m | Very attractive dwarf restio. Golden coloured foliage. Short lived species and will need replacement approx every 3 years. | Full sun. Well drained sandy soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Functions as grass look within a cottage type garden: Berkheya purpurea, Salvia repens, Erica verticillata, Anchusa capensis | ||||||
| Restio quadratus | 2m | Lush soft green feathery foliage. Spreading habit. Square stems. | Full sun. Acidic soils. | ||||
| Restio tetragonus | Erect dense tussock with dark brown seedheads during summer. Plant in small groups for good effect. | Full sun, well drained soils. | |||||
| Rhodocoma capensis | 1.2m | Feathered soft foliage. Neat compact habit. Female’s foliage tips edge off in pink when flowering. | Full sun to light shade. Well drained to moist sandy soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Full moisture range to compliment drought tolerant to wet conditions: Salvia africana-caerulea, Kniphofia tysonii | ||||||
| Rhodocoma foliosa | 1-2m | Attractive weeping feather foliage. Tall upright flowering culms. Wonderful accent plant for season flare. | Full sun. Well drained moist soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Softens hard structural plants such as Leucospermum cordifolium “Yellow Bird” with its light green feathery foliage | ||||||
| Rhodocoma gigantea | 1-2m | Attractive finely branched foliage forming tall tussocks with golden brown inflorescence | Full sun. Moist to seasonally dry well drained areas. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Use to compliment and highlight other strong accent plants: Aloe arborescence | ||||||
| Thamnochortus cinereus | 0.5 – 1m | Silvery foliage and inflorescence. Neat tufted habit. Soft feathery foliage. | Full sun, well drained soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Use the silver highlights as a backdrop to bring out the pinks and yellows of other flowers: Serruria aemula ssp congesta, Leucadendron spissifolium | ||||||
| Thamnochortus insignis | 1.5-2.5m | Very ornamental upright tufted plant. Golden brown inflorescence. | Full sun, well drained to moist soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Combinations of similar flower structure to highlight form and texture: Melianthus major. Use as tall structural backdrop for larger shrubs such as Protea susannae | ||||||
| Thamnochortus lucens | 0.5m | Beautiful soft weeping inflorescence with hints of gold. | Full sun. Moist to seasonally dry well drained areas. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Filler between shrubs without much lower foliage as Leucospermum muirii, compliment flower structure such as Erica sessiliflora and colour combinations with smaller Proteaceae such as Leucospermum bolusii picking up on the bronze new bud growth. | ||||||
| Thamnochortus pluristachyus | 0.8-1m | Upright tufted habit. Dark green foliage with dark brown almost black inflorescence. | Full sun. Well drained soils. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Wonderful rich chocolate colour will highlight light coloured flowers: Syncarpha, Agathosma | ||||||
| Willdenowia incurvata | 1-1.2m | Spreading rhizomes forming large groups of multi-branched culms. Very attractive inflorescence. Pollen attracts insects, especially bees. | Full sun. Well drained soils. Will tolerate coastal wind. | ||||
| Companion plants: | Hardy, strong ground covering plant to cover tough areas. Use at base of tall shrubs: Protea repens or to complement yellow coloration in smaller shrubs like Leucadendron | ||||||
The 2009 Red List of South African plants was published in April 2010. Over a year has passed since this publication was produced and the status of many plant species has changed. SANBI’s Threatened Species Programme has therefore just produced the first online version of the plant Red List. This website contains all information associated with the species assessments included in the 2009 Red List of South African plants. In addition, this new version also includes additional information on 3 604 species, 1 075 assessments have been updated, 3 283 photos have been added, and we have included distribution maps for 7 228 species. 79 newly described species have been added to the Red List, and 219 species’ Red List statuses have been updated. To access information on the conservation status of South Africa’s plants please visit http://redlist.sanbi.org
