Here are some of the top trends for the year to inspire you and help support adjusted lifestyles at home. Let mother nature work its magic to lift those spirits and make every space a place for life to shine.
Trendy colours that celebrate life
The pantone colour of the year is grey and yellow; grey representing fortitude and yellow symbolising happiness. Together, these colours send a message of positivity, supported by a solid foundation (grey) upon which to build joy (yellow).
Cultivate resilience and hope by planting these beauties below:
Sun in your pocket:
- Yellow canna lily: full sun in beds or containers, bold and bright, frost-sensitive.
- Alstromeria (Inca lily): full sun or semi-shade, good cut-flowers, needs winter munching.
- Anigozanthosbush bonanza: full sun or semi-shade with bright, golden-yellow flowers.
- Marigolds: full sun or semi-shade, drought-tolerant, attracts butterflies, repels pests.
- Sundial yellow portulaca: full sun annual, fine-textured foliage, low ground-hugger.
- Yellow capsicum: a full sun veggie, sprout seeds indoors in spring.
- Cape honeysuckle: full sun or semi-shade, attractive ornamental shrub, good for hedges.
- Snapdragons: full sun for beds or containers, beautiful horizontally-growing blooms.
Grey for greatness:
- Senecio cineraria or silver dust: create contrast with this fine, low-growing sub-shrub.
- Senecio angel wings: robust in size with an angelic silver/ grey sheen.
- Dichondra silverfalls: drought, frost and salt-hardy for full sun spots in beds and pots.
- Lamium: grow best in partial/ full shade to avoid scorching the leaves.
- Lavender varieties with grey foliage, Petunias with silver flowers, as well as succulents from the Echeveria family with interesting thick-leaved rosettes.
- Salvia lanceolata: hardy and water-wise, this grey-green aromatic shrub is for full sun spots.
Uplifting utopias in small spaces
Balcony, patio and container gardening allows everyone to become part of the eco-tribe, regardless of space limitations. You can always go vertical or experiment with hanging baskets too. Include these lovelies to your small-space haven for a gorgeous breath of fresh air and tranquil vibes.
Easy indoor elegance:
- Peperomia: a favourite ornamental foliage with intriguing, fleshy leaves, easy to care for.
- Philodendron: available in vining and non-climbing varieties with large, glossy foliage.
- Spider plant: produce a rosette of long, thin, arched foliage, good for baskets and texture.
- Fiddle-leaf fig: has a tropical feel with eye-catching, large-veined, violin-shaped leaves.
Ideal outdoor delights:
- Zinnia marylandica: a drought-tolerant, full sun hybrid for beds, borders or containers.
- Impatiens: for shady areas, a brightly-bloomed annual available in many colour varieties.
- Pansies and violas: super cool-season contenders for colour in semi-shade or full sun areas.
- Begonias: stunning foliage and lovely blooms for pots, baskets and beds with gentle sun/ semi-shade.
The collector’s dream:
- Senecio angel wings: salt and drought-tolerant with incredible silver/ grey foliage.
- Novelty petunias: decorate with candy wheel, crackling fire, moonlight eclipse and more.
- Carnivorous plants: sundew, venus fly trap, the American trumpet pitcher and the tropical pitcher plant are simply fascinating plants to collect and admire.
Have your permaculture and eat it
South Africans are rediscovering the pleasure of growing food and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs of their labour. Any open space is an opportunity to unleash your inner permaculturist and start a victory garden, which benefits not only your own family but also the community around you.
Cool-season crispy crops:
Spinach and leafy greens, thyme, spring onions, garlic, peas, cauliflower, cabbage and microgreens.
Scrumptious summer harvest:
Tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, watermelon, cucumber, peppers, berries, squash, basil and sage.
*Grower’s reminder: Make sure to plant and sow according to your province and season.
Tiny plants for desk delights
- Tiny plants are the sweetest little solutions to green-up your workspace and help soothe the working mind. They are fast-growing and will still look lovely as they get bigger. Baby greens are also a great choice for beginner gardeners who are still learning the tricks of the green trade. Keep your babies in small pots to limit their growth or replant them outdoors later. The polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) brightly spotted leaves in shades of pink, purple, white, red and other hybrid colours.
- Calandiva or flowering kalanchoe: profuse long-flowering blooms available in many colours.
- Fittonia: perfect for indoor décor with striking contrasting veins running through the leaves.
- Succulents from the sempervivum family are fab no-fuss plants and they produce offsets.
- Microgreens: super cute seedlings of edible plants and you can snack on them.
- Mini tomatoes and pot peppers are must-haves to add to your tiny edible collection.
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