Gardening in November

• Hydrangeas are the most popular plants in the Garden Centre during November. They fare amazingly well, especially in coastal areas. Hydrangeas are easy to grow in a lightly shaded position, such as the Eastern or Southern side of the house where they will get morning sun and afternoon shade. They need ample water. Gardeners who have left it late to feed their Hydrangeas should now use Starke Ayres Acid Loving and Hydrangea Food to help intensify the blooms.

• Pamper your lawn by feeding it with Blade Runner from Neutrog and water well. Maintenance includes regular mowing, taking care not to remove too much of the leaf blades. A thin layer of lawndressing will cover all exposed roots and level the lawn again. Continue to use selective herbicides, Makhro Home and Garden MCPA, to treat persistent patches of broad-leaf weeds if necessary.

   
• Microgreens are a wonderful easy way to include healthy, tasty greens in your diet all year round.Micro greens are basically densely grown seedlings that are cut at the four/ six leaf stage. It’s simple, and takes up a minimal amount of time and space. To enable you to grow your own Microgreens, Kirschoff’s have 3 varieties of microgreen seeds variety packs available, Old Mexico, Oriental mix and Rainbow Blend. Grow your microgreens in seedling trays with Palm Peat and feed it with Seagro or Nitrosol.  

• Go Green ! Have some fun and grow beans. Beans are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, they are a good source of folic acid and heart protective calcium and fibre. If you are struggling with low energy or low metabolism – then green beans are the magical food you need. You can experiment with some exciting colourful beans from the Kirschoff’s Raw range, the yellow Cannellini Pole and Mardi Gras blend with yellow and purple beans. 

• In the coming Summer months, mulch flower beds with a good quality mulch to help with water retention in the soil. It will also help with keeping the plants roots cool and aid in optimizing the growth potential of your plants. Adding a good handful of Gold dust or Volcanic rock dust will also improve the drainage and mineral composition of your soil and reduce chances of water evaporation and run-off. 

• Carnivorous plants are slowly emerging from hibernation. Carnivorous plants derive their nutrients from trapped animals and protozoans, mainly insects. Energy is still created through the process of photosynthesis. There are more than a dozen different genera in the large group of plants. Varieties which are becoming available in the garden centres are Drosera (Cape Sundew), Nepenthes (Monkey Cups), Sarracenia (Pitcher plant) and the most common of all the Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytrap). Watering tip – use filtered, distilled water or rainwater instead of tap water.

Starke Ayres, West Coast Village Shopping Centre
Tel: 021 554 8450/1