Your summer garden is in for a real treat with these three show-stopping new hydrangea hybrids in bloom now.  Magical revolution (Hydrangea macrophylla magical) is an absolute must-have. This compact, bushy, deciduous shrub bares clusters of flowers that change colour as time passes. Every day is a magical experience with a rainbow transformation of hues to look forward to.  Grow guide: Semi-shade or full sun, moist but well-drained soil, good for containers, beds and borders. Disease hardy but look out for red spider mite and scale. 2. Endless summer (Hydrangea m ..read more

Picture your next swim; chemical-free and full of life - that’s the sort of posh pool we’re after! Success means different things to different people, but we’d like to think that a living pool is one of those grand stamps of achievement and style for the gardener. Known also as eco-pools or Earth pools, these swimmable (and often drinkable) mini wetland-lakes are the perfect waterway back to Mother Nature. Get connected and join Life is a Garden with top South African experts as we splash into the magical world of biofiltered, living water!    Swap the chlorine for nature’s green A ..read more

It’s holiday season, and a jolly good reason to celebrate! Live life to the fullest surrounded by the ones you love and a gorgeous garden to host them all in. Life is a Garden’s got a fully loaded, super fun summer entertaining and planting guide to get you in the spirit of things this December.  Warm welcomes Wet vines from the garden can be transformed into gorgeous decorative wreaths, which you can secure onto your front door. Try ivy varieties, grapevine, and big num num (Carissa macrocarpa) with ornamental grass strands that’ll maintain colour for longer too. Add to the friendly vi ..read more

Poinsettias, also known as Mexican Flame Leaf, are traditionally associated with the festive season owing to their bright colours and sweet charm. With a selection of vibrant pink, red, white, cream, purple, yellow, orange, and bi-colours on the market, your holiday collection would be incomplete without one of these sweethearts. Join Life is a Garden as we explore this fiery foliage plant further.   Did you know? The ancient Aztecs used poinsettias to make red dye, and they turned to poinsettia sap to control fevers. Humble beginnings The legend of the poinsettia dates back t ..read more

SANA water warrior campaign Detailed monthly plan November 2023 The post SANA water warrior campaign appeared first on Life is a Garden ..read more

Become a water warrior Choose plant heroes    The post Become a water warrior: Choose plants and veggies appeared first on Life is a Garden ..read more

Responsible water usage is multifaceted: we’ve broken it down into three steps to make it easy. You might assume that the beautiful open gardens on the pages of this magazine all require a river of water to keep them at their peak. Actually, many of them have been planted and are managed with responsible water use at heart. These tips will help you to plan your own show garden without emptying lakes to keep them alive. 1. Reuse Water Water is a finite resource, so use it more than once. Grey water – don’t pour water down the drain. Water from baths, showers and the laundry can be used in th ..read more

Let the Water Warriors show you how… Whenever you use water, try to make sure you don’t just use it once. Here are some ways you can stretch every drop of precious H2O. There’s a finite amount of water on earth, meaning that every drop we use has been used countless times before and will be used countless times again. That’s why it’s important to keep it unpolluted, and to use it as wisely as possible. Here are our top 3 water recycling tips:   Veggie Water Kitchen water is not recommended for use in gardens – except for the water you use to steam or boil veg with. That is brilliant for ..read more

Nature has provided plants with a number of adaptations to save water. Spot these traits and you’ve found a water warrior winner. Succulents In plant terms, a succulent is a plant with fleshy leaves or stems that it uses to store water in. Each leaf is a little JoJo tank that adds up to enough water to get the plant through from one rainfall to the next. Since we live in an arid country, there are hundreds of succulent species that spring to mind, but here are three succulents to look out for: Aloe: From the tiny guineafowl aloe (Aristaloe aristata) to the massive tree aloe (Aloidendron barb ..read more

Water is a scarce commodity and has to be used in the most efficient way to get the most out of every drop. One of the easiest ways to conserve water is to grow plants right next to your braai that you can pick fresh to add flavour to meals and by having them in containers, very little water is used. Wick Watering There are containers available now that have a very efficient watering system that uses a wick – usually a rope or fabric – to carry water from a reservoir to the roots of the plants where it’s most useful. It works using capillary flow that can move water slowly from the water sou ..read more