I
t may still be a little chilly but we know
that spring has arrived! Oh yes, the first
signs are here and you can smell it!
Probably the most well-known and iconic
symbol of spring is the much-loved white
jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum). This
vigorous creeper has found a home in many
of your gardens, and deservedly so. Simply
out of nowhere, this jasmine starts creating
clusters of reddish to bright pink clusters of
buds, which explode overnight into white
blossoms! What a sight and delight; who
would have thought that such a ‘plane Jane’
plant could bring such joy to so many of us.
If you don’t have one in your garden you are
missing out (unless you can still enjoy at least
half of the joy because your neighbour has
one, and wafts of sweetness still enter your
garden). So this is the official green light: go
and get your own!
This issue is all about celebrating spring,
from the do’s and don’ts to gorgeous
hanging baskets – yes, we should all have
one or two! You have to give hanging
baskets a try – we have put together the
perfect soil recipe for you (which is where
it normally starts to go wrong – if the soil is
Tanya and Garth
clothed by:right the rest just falls into place!). We have
potting combos that you are going to love,
that are simply bursting with colour. There is
also some sage advice on how to look after
those much-loved indoor flowering plants
after their prime time is over. Remember –
they can be planted in the garden for a
second chance at life!
It’s also the start of Open Garden season,
so get the diary out and start planning those
trips, folks. There is so much to see, learn and
experience. You can take a sneak peak at the
first gardens that are open, on pages 50 and
51, and of course you can get the complete
guide in our Open Gardens magazine, which
is available now at your local retail outlet or
on magzter.com, where you can download
a digital copy. Can you believe that there
are over 200 gardens open this year? I know
you are going to have a tough time deciding
which ones to visit, because I certainly am!Some other events to diarise are the
Builders Warehouse Garden Masterclass
sessions that take place across the country.
They’re all on a Saturday, so there is no
reason why you can’t make it! Keep track of
where and when they are on Facebook (at
TheGardenerMag or TanyaVisserGardener).
Bring along your unidentified, troublesome
and badly behaved plants and I am sure we
will be able to help!
Shew, it’s finally time for The Gardener
to be back on your tele: season 18 starts on
Tuesday 10 September. We’ve got a garden
full of ideas ready for you, so don’t miss it!
Till next month,
Happy gardening.TV show starts on Tuesday 10 September.