What flowers during November?
Summer-flowering annuals: Marigolds, Aquilegias, Alyssum, Carnation, Aster, Dahlia, Gazania, Impatiens, Zinnia, Californian Poppy, Nasturgiums, Chrysanthemums, Cornflower, Lavatera, Lobelia, Nigella, Statice,Petunia, Portulaca, Delphiniums, Sunflowers, Hollyhocks, Forget-me-not, Foxgloves, Violas, Pansies, Scabiosa, Verbena
Shrubs: Geraldton Wax, roses, Tecomaria, Salvias, Cuphea, Coleonema, Heliotrope, Hibiscus, Viburnum, Lavender, Mackaya bella, Chrysanthemum, Weigelia, Bletila, Phygelia, Watsonia, Dietes, Felicia, vygies, Plectranthus, Raphiolepis, Spiraea, Gardenia, Brunsfelsia, Peony, Scabiosa
Climbers: Pandorea, Petrea, Mandevilla, Banksia, Bougainvillea, Jasmin (Trachelospermum jasminoides and Jasminum multipartitum)
General garden maintenance
Lift winter and spring bulbs once the leaves have turned yellow. Dry in the shade, label and store in a cool dry place. Onion bags work well. In sandy soil, some bulbs like Freesias and Babianas can be left in the ground
Maintain beds for summer by adding compost, bone meal and chicken manure
Continue mulching to retain moisture and suppress weed growth. In the Clanwilliam area, try discarded rooibos as mulch.
Feed Gardenias, Brunsfelsias and star jasmine with a micro element fertilizer if they appear yellow
Feed Camellias and Gardenias with ammonium sulphate, 2 tablespoons per bush. Mix in with 5 lit of water.
The colour of blue Hydrangeas can be enhanced with a solution of aluminium sulphate (25 g dissolved in 5 lit of water)
Pink Hydrangeas can be fed with a handful of agricultural lime scattered evenly around the bush
Fertilizer should always be washed in after application. Spray a foliar feed, early morning or late afternoon, in a fine mist at least once a month
Feed perennials and other flowerings shrubs with 3:1: 5 (26)(SR)
Pinch back chrysanthemums to encourage bushy growth
Stake dahlias, hollyhocks, foxgloves and delphiniums
Continue feeding summer-flowering shrubs, annuals and ground covers
Lift Spring bulbs once the leaves have yellowed, and remove remaining
winter annuals. Seed should be stored in a marked paperbag/envelope
(name, date)
Collect seeds from spring annuals and keep it in marked envelopes
(name, date) for next year
Take slips of a.o. daisies, Heliotrope, Pelargonium, Dusty Miller,
Santolina, Lavender
Remove or cut annual weeds before they set seed
Mulch your garden beds to save water with bark chips, leaves, nut shells,
sea shells, pebbles, rock shards, gravel, discarded rooibos in the
Clanwilliam area. Low-growing groundcovers will also do the trick
Watch out for aphids, woolly aphids and white fly – use Koinor
preventatively
Remember to put cutworm and slug bait out
Roses
Water roses sufficiently – about 15 – 20lit per week, deadhead, and keep
them well mulched
Add 5 heaped spades of compost when planting, add compost on top of
the soil every season
Use 2 cups chicken manure pellets, 1 cup bone meal and a half cup of
3:2:3 when planting
Keep feeding with 8:1:5 once a season, foliar feed with Guanoboost
twice a month
When planting new roses, drench the plant well before planting
Spray insecticide and fungicide twice a month
Discourage red spider mite by spraying a sugar solution under the leaves
Shorten red water shoots and remove suckers at ground level, with
standard roses any suckers under the graft point
When planting new roses, choose the right type of rose – for fragrant
roses, try English or Antico Moderno varieties. For beautiful cut roses,
choose hybrid tea varieties, and for small gardens, choose standard
roses
Roses usually need at least six hours of full sunlight. In the hot Western
Cape weather late afternoon shade or filtered sunlight are preferable
Don’t plant them too close to other shrubs, as poor air circulation can
lead to fungal diseases
When planting from a bag or pot, remember to maintain the soil level as
it is in the plant container, just cover with a mulch layer
Companion plants to roses are Geranium incanum, Iberus sempervirens,
scabiosa, Brachyscombe, Alyssum. Plant Rosemary, Thyme and Chives
around your roses to keep pests away
Succulents
Informative article on soil, planting, propagation, plant list, etc in the
TUIS Werf Special Edition 2023
What to sow
November is still a sowing month. Snapdragons, Asters, Begonias,
Lavateras, Marigolds, Petunias, Portulacas, Impatiens, Phloxes,
Verbenas, Zinnias
Use coarse chicken wire over the soil and place the seeds in the middle
of each opening for an even distribution of plants
Add fine seeds, eg Lobelia, to dry sand and mix thoroughly. Distribute
over prepared bed
Seed that germinates slowly, eg Snapdragons, Delphiniums, Foxgloves,
Poppies should be sown in a seed tray
When and how to sow – check out the TUIS WERF magazine, Special
Edition 2023 page 157 for instructions on how to sow
What to plant
Summer flowering bulbs such as Albucas, Arum lilies, Crocosmias,
Dietes, Spider lilies, Liatrises, Montbretias, Nerines, Chincherinchees,
Scadoxus, Aristeas
Gladioli at intervals of three weeks for an extended flower season
Rotate annuals – don’t sow the same plant in the same space every year
Fragrant shrubs close to a bench or patio – Jasmine, Gardenia,
Brunsfelsia flower this time of the year
The Geraldton Wax plant flowers profusely this time of the year. Plant at least one more to the back of your garden bed. Easy-to-grow cuttings with hormone powder
Indigenous beauties – Phygelius aequalis, Candydrops, Polygala,Petite
butterflies, Euryops pectinatus, Nemesia fruticans, Nesia, Pelargonium grandiflorum
Diseases
Put out bait for snails and slugs where they are spotted, or try crushed
egg shells. Do not scatter snail pellets over the whole area. Rather place
it in small heaps under seedlings
Watch out for Australian woolly bug and scale insects. Use a systemic
insecticide eg Koinor to drench the soil around the plant. Do not use
brackish water to mix with
Start spraying for American bollworm, Astylus beetle, white fly, ants
A preventative spraying programme that Nan Steyn from Swellendam
use against fungus onroses: 1 tablespoon baking soda, 5 drops Oleum or
Canola oil, 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid. Mix with 5 lit water, spray
early morning or late afternoon
The all-in-one option for aphids, thrips, powdery mildew, black spot, rust
and redspidermite on roses is Rosecare 3 by Efecto. Can also be used on
other shrubs
When spraying plants, check that the pressure in the tank is high – the
mixture should be sprayed in a fine mist, not droplets
Lawn
Feed lawn with special lawn fertilizer once a month, eg. 3:2:1 at 60g/m²,
alternatively 2:3:4 or 3:1:5
Distribute fertilizer after mowing the lawn, and water afterwards
Spot-treat the lawn with broad-leaf herbicide where needed.
Wait two weeks after fertilizing before applying the herbicide; this will
give the lawn a head start.
Oversow weak grass in shady areas with ‘All Seasons Evergreen’ or
‘Shade Over’, or replace with Buffalo or LM lawn
Don’t mow shade lawn too low
Fill up sunken areas with topsoil for an even surface and rake in
Mow regularly, never take more than one third off the blade
Vegetable Garden
Plant seedlings of artichoke, lettuce, broccoli, pak choi, basil, beetroot,
brinjal, cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, leeks, lettuce, pumpkin,
radish, spinach, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes, turnips, baby marrow,
Cape Gooseberries
Do not sow the whole packet at once, rather sow in successions every 4
weeks
When sowing seeds, add super phosphate for root development at a
rate of 90g per m². into a depth of 150 mm.
Propagate sweet potatoes with tubers or cuttings
Vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day
Spray tomatoes preventatively against white fly and red spider mite with
neem oil
Check out the heirloom veg varieties and order seed from
Livingseeds.co.za. Also lots of info re seed germination and seedling
treatment
Propagate strawberries by: cutting the suckers from the mother plant,
add a layer of gravel at the bottom of a new pot, mix two parts potting
soil with one part peat moss, add plants and water. Once the new
growth appears, add soluble fertilizer
Herb Garden
Plant seedlings of dill, chives, coriander, mint, origanum, basil,
marjoram, rocket, lemongrass, thyme, fennel, tarragon
What Is Herb Companion Planting?
If aphids, spider mites, and leaf miners usually take over your garden, or
certain plants die quickly, you may be planting the wrong flora nearby.
Companion planting is when two or more plants complement each
other during their growing stages. Some of the benefits of companion planting
include:
Delivers natural pest control with fewer pesticides
Improves soil fertility
Attracts beneficial bugs and pollinators
Provides greater yields
Reduces plant diseases
You can practice companion planting with flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
While pests may gravitate toward particular herbs and vegetables, others repel
them. That’s why knowing what herbs should be planted together can enhance
your garden’s health and vitality to last you the season.
Additionally, allowing your herbs to bloom fully will draw beneficial insects to
tackle whatever pest control problem you face.
Herb Combinations for Gardening
Before planting your herbs, consider the following four pairings to promote
healthier, thriving plants.
1. Basil, Tarragon, and Oregano
Mediterranean herbs tend to pair well due to similar growing requirements, and planting oregano alongside basil and tarragon may help prevent pests. Basil and tarragon are especially vulnerable to aphids, which oregano’s peppery potency deters.
2. Lemon Verbena, Dill, and Cilantro
Lemon verbena, dill, and cilantro attract beneficial bugs that prey on pests. For instance, dill and cilantro lure ladybugs, whose larvae feed on spider mites, aphids, and beetles. Tachinid flies are also attracted to dill and consume caterpillars known to destroy the plant.
3. Lavender, Rosemary, and Thyme
Three of the most deliciously potent herbs pair relatively well together.
Lavender, rosemary, and thyme can be planted together due to requiring
nearly identical growing conditions, such as ample sunlight and weekly
watering. Rosemary and thyme are also bug and worm repellents and will
protect your other herbs from pest infestations.
4. Parsley, Sage, and Chives
Parsley is a versatile herb that you can plant with just about anything. Sage and
chives are just two of the many possibilities for companion planting with
parsley, while you might also stick it near rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, lavender, or basil. Just be sure to separate parsley from mints, as their aggressive growth patterns usually hinder parsley’s blossoming.
Environment.co
Fruit Orchard
Thin out grape bunches
Keep spraying for codling moth on apples and pears
Spray preventative for Fruit fly on peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines
Feed fruit trees with a handful of 3:1:5 per tree once a month
Citrus can be fed with a micro element fertilizer when leaves appear yellow
New on the Market
JJ on the RSG garden talk Groenvingers suggested the following new plants:
o Low growing groundcover with blue flowers – Evolvulus ‘Blue my Mind’
o Vigorous, mat-forming evergreen succulent – Delosperma ‘Wheels of Wonder’
o Upright spreading bright pink rose – Hannon (Glam Guru) Rose
INVASIVE PLANTS
Patersons’ Curse (Echium plantagineum) is taking over the Western Cape. Don’t be fooled by the beautiful blue flowers,
it is an invasive weed, poisonous, and must be removed on your property.