The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 19 Summer 2016/17 | Page 27

The summer Garden A water wise Shasta ‘Crazy daisy’ Celosia ‘Ice cream’ mix Marigold ‘Taishan’ mix bulb absorbs nutrients back from the leaves. chemicals but don’t damage you or your beneficial garden organisms. ANNUAL SEEDLINGS LAZY COMPOSTING IN THE RAINS In December and January, plant alyssum, angelonia, begonia, Busy lizzies, celosia, coleus, gazania, New Guinea impatiens, lobelia, marigolds, nemesia, pansy, phlox, salvia, viola, verbena, vinca and zinnia. Boost your soil health for the year to come by sheet composting, which is basically layering organic matter directly onto the garden bed like thick mulch. It saves on labour and takes advantage of the rain. Wet soil conditions lend themselves to more rapid degradation. Here’s how to do it: 4. Top with another 1cm thick layer of soft material. 5. Leave it to degrade by itself and work its way into your soil. Make sure you don’t apply any chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides, as they will kill the worms, fungi and bacteria that are doing all the work for you. In February, plant alyssum, antirrhinum, begonias, cineraria, dianthus, petunias, pansy, phlox, primula, Sweet peas, and viola. ROSES AND SHRUBS Give your shrubs and roses a good cutting back before the holiday period to make sure they don’t get leggy. They might need a brave cut back in February as well if they’ve bolted in the wet weather. Practise good pest control with the range of organic pesticides available in leading nurseries that are just as strong as 1. Apply a 5 to 10cm thick layer of soft garden material such as leaves mixed with lawn clippings. 2. Apply a layer of ‘activator’ in the form of vermiculture compost, which is available at most nurseries. Avoid using the common heated compost, as it doesn’t contain worms and beneficial fungi. 3. Apply a 5cm thick layer of harder composting material like flower stems and thicker leaves. No sticks or pods or wood chips. USING THE RAINY SEASON WISELY Use the rainy season wisely by making your garden more water wise so that it can cope in the drier climate. • This is the perfect time to reorganise or redo areas of your garden to make it more water wise. • Scarify lawn while the soil is softer. Then apply organic fertiliser and compost to keep it going into the next dry season. • Make the most of the rain and trap it in your soil by adding more organic matter now. Don’t have raised flowerbeds and rings around trees. Cover all bare ground with ground covers or mulch to stop excess runoff. Lindsay 0772 573 489 [email protected] www.thegardenclub.co.zw 27