Red is not only the colour of Christmas, it is a lively, energising colour that gets the party going. A bright red flower for borders, beds and containers is Cuphea ‘Sweet talk’. Its nectar rich bright red flowers make it the perfect pollinator plant. Other flower colours are deep pink and lavender splash. These heat tolerant plants are low growing and compact. For a neat and colourful border, space plants 20 to 30cm apart. Plant in full sun, water regularly and deeply, and fertilise once a month.
If red clashes with the garden’s colour scheme then a container or hanging basket is the answer because it can be re-done after Christmas.
A nice combination for Christmas is a mix of red and white Impatiens ‘Beacon’ (single flowers) or ‘Glimmer’ (double) that look good in hanging baskets or containers. Both are highly resistant to downy mildew and will flower through to winter. Hang baskets in a position that receives bright light or filtered sunlight or some morning sun. Water daily in summer and feed with a liquid fertiliser once a month. Click here for more info
Whether for indoors or on the patio, there is nothing more vibrant than the brilliant red of a post-box red anthurium. With the proper care, these hardy indoor plants flower all year round. Once they have done duty in the house they can be moved onto the patio in a warm, sheltered spot that receives bright indirect light or filtered sun. They are forgiving of neglect but with monthly liquid fertilising in summer they will always look good. Let the soil dry out slightly before watering.
Amaryllis is another Christmas speciality, with its red trumpet shaped flowers. Amaryllis displayed indoors prefers bright, indirect sunlight, while outdoors plants prefer partial sunlight or full shade. They like well-drained soil that is kept lightly moist. Avoid wetting the portion of the bulb that is above the soil.
As outdoor plants amaryllis perform well in beds, borders when planted in groups, or as features in outdoor containers.
Grow your own veggies
There are still plenty of vegetables that can be sown in November in summer rainfall areas. These include bush and runner beans, beetroot, brinjals, chillies and sweet peppers, carrot, celery, cucumber, melons, all summer squash, parsnip, radish, spinach and Swiss chard, sweet corn/mealies, and tomatoes.
A heirloom variety that is available in seed packets is Squash ‘Bennings Green’. It is a quick and easy to grow patty pan squash, that is regarded as one of the tastiest of the summer squash varieties with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour. The saucer shaped fruit has scalloped edges and is pale green when young, maturing to a creamy white. The medium sized bushy plant is a prolific producer throughout summer, with the first fruit ready to harvest within 50 days of germination. Click here for more information
Garden tasks for November
- Feed roses and hydrangeas once a month and water more often if it gets very hot. Renew mulch to keep the soil moist for longer.
- Succession sowing of most vegetables can be continued up until the end of this month.
- In the absence of rain, water deeply at least once a week.
- To prevent fungus diseases in the lawn, do not water during the hottest time of the day. Rather water early in the morning or late afternoon.
Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee.
For more on gardening, visit Get It Magazine.
