Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers, by Keith Kirsten

Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers, by Keith Kirsten. Random House Struik Lifestyle. Cape Town, South Africa 2012. ISBN 9781431700943 / ISBN 978-1-4317-0094-3

How to use the new and updated guide Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers (ISBN 9781431700943 / ISBN 978-1-4317-0094-3)

Garden specialist Keith Kirsten trusts that everyone will enjoy Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers. It shall assist both seasoned and novice gardeners in choosing plants for their gardens, whether these are newly developed or well-established. Happy gardening in South Africa!

Keith Kirsten  

Shrubs provide a garden with body and interest, and are by far the most significant feature in helping to create a maintenance-free garden. Because shrubs are long-lived plants, with most achieving their full potential in less than five years, very few have to be replaced in an average lifetime. Once planted, most shrubs need little care or attention beyond periodic pruning and occasional trimming. Shrubs with interesting foliage are an ideal way to supply year-round colour, while those that produce flowers and berries give excellent offerings for the vase, with the added bonus of attracting birds and butterflies. Shrubs are extremely versatile: they can be used to define boundaries or screen off different areas, they make good windbreaks, help to deaden intrusive traffic noise, and blend walls and buildings with their surroundings by softening hard outlines and hiding foundations. When planning a new garden, it is a good idea to follow a general design or theme in order to create a harmonious and pleasing picture. Don't plant shrubs too close together though, or have too many different varieties in the same bed, or the overall effect may be spoiled. Before planting shrubs, dig decent size holes, and provide enough organic compost and fertiliser to give the plants a good start in life. A little extra time invested in preparing the planting area will reap rich rewards in the long run. You will find a suitable shrub for every aspect, be it sunny and north-facing, or on the cooler south side of the house, for every soil situation from boggy or rocky to dry and sandy, and for every climate, no matter how harsh.

Shrubs

ABELIA x GRANDIFLORA 'FRANCIS MASON'
Glosssy abelia; Blink-abelia
Size: 1.5 x 1.5 m

Growth habit: 'Francis Mason', a medium-sized bush with arching canes, is excellent for colour contrast In the garden. It has shiny, variegated golden-green foliage, with white, trumpet-shaped flowers from spring to autumn. It is fast growing.

Planting: Abellas prefer weli-dralned soil. Dig a hole 60cm square and deep. Mix two thirds topsoll with one third compost In the bottom of the hole, add a cup of superphosphate or bone meal and mix well. Large plants can be transplanted successfully In late winter If cut back to one third.

Watering and feeding: Water regularly In summer. Fertilise during spring with a general fertiliser.

Pruning: Can withstand heavy pruning. To retain the variegated foliage, remove any branches that revert to green.

Uses: Good for hedging, deal for flower arranging.

Varieties: 'Confetti' has creamy-white-green foliage In summer, oecoming pink-tinged In colder weather. It bears small, white flowers In summer. Excellent for the foreground of borders or for tub culture. 'Dwarf Queen' makes an effective small hedge, 'Prostrata' (0.7 x 1 m) is fine for banks and as a ground cover. It nas spreading branches, shiny green foliage and white flowers. New growth is tinged with red.

This is an excerpt from the guide: Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers, by Keith Kirsten.

Title: Keith Kirsten's Garden Plants & Flowers
Author: Keith Kirsten
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Lifestyle
Cape Town, South Africa 2012
ISBN 9781431700943 / ISBN 978-1-4317-0094-3
Softcover, 22 x 28 cm, 128 pages, 300 photographs