The winter garden

How to enjoy your garden (both outdoors and indoors) during winter.

Bring your garden indoors

“Transform your indoor space by incorporating a variety of blooming and non-blooming indoor plants, constantly refreshed with the introduction of new varieties. Enhance the ambience further by pairing them with your preferred indoor pots, pot covers, or baskets. This combination not only invigorates your home but also helps dispel the winter gloom.” – the Lifestyle Home Garden Info Team

Plant annuals

“Plant colourful winter-flowering annuals to instantly and effortlessly fill gaps in your garden beds, add volume to hanging baskets or pots, and generally liven up the garden. Choose from the many winter annuals currently available, including Calendula, Viola, Pansy, Primula, Primrose, Petunia, Snapdragons, and frilly Kale. To ensure continuous blossoming, remember to regularly pick and dead head flowers. Additionally, apply a foliar feed fortnightly.” – the Lifestyle Home Garden Info Team

Feed your garden

“Continue feeding your garden! Replace your regular fertiliser with one that is higher in phosphorus, which plays a vital role in promoting robust root development. Phosphorus aids in stimulating strong growth, ensuring your plant’s resilience during the winter months.” – Polné Viljoen, marketing and sales co-ordinator at Plantland

Mulching

“Mulch is organic material, often bark chips, leaves and grass clippings, that is spread over the plant beds. It should be applied in a thick (5cm or thicker) layer. It assists in protecting the plants’ roots from the cold during winter. It also reduces evaporation and in turn reduces the amount of watering that is required.” – Craig de Necker, managing director of The Friendly Plant

Protect the young and tender!

“Cover your plants with frost guard if they are susceptible to frost damage. Frost is nature’s way of pruning, so don’t stress about covering all your plants. Most of your garden will be just fine – we even install new gardens in the middle of winter. However, it is recommended to cover younger trees and frost-tender plants.” – Craig de Necker, managing director of The Friendly Plant

Be water-wise

“Collect as much rainwater as possible to use later on in the year in case of Day 0 water. You can use tanks and buckets to harvest and store rainwater. You could also look at hydrozoning your landscape. Group plants with similar water requirements together and always apply a thick layer of mulch to prevent wasteful evaporation.” – the Life is a Garden Info team

Cheerful colour

“The so-called ‘bleakness of midwinter garden’ is a total myth as lots of plants, whether indigenous or exotic, flower with abundance in the cooler months. Plant these top picks below in focal point containers, in barren beds, or along walkways for a bright border – Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Gold Crest’, Aloe ‘Bushwhacker’, Aloe ‘Little joker’, Aloe ‘Peri peri’, calibrachoa (mini petunia), pansies, and sweet violas.” – the Life is a Garden Info team