Fleetwood Estate Times

Gardens by Di

Spring in the Garden …….

 Essential Spring 

After an intense winter and lockdown blues its time to get out and about and what better place than to start with a beautiful Spring garden

1. Examine your garden – Each garden has its own unique conditions that determine which plants will thrive in it. It’s worth paying attention to these, as while some of them can be altered or improved, it’s always best to work with nature rather than against it.

A few considerations:

Climate and microclimate: Do you live in a warm or cold climate? Each garden also has its own microclimate and sometimes a few microclimates. Some plants are more adapted to cold conditions and will tolerate frost, while others prefer a warm climate

Rainfall: How much rainfall do you receive in a year and does it fall in winter or summer? By selecting plants that are adapted to your rainfall patterns, you’ll reduce your watering time.

Soil type: Examine the soil in your garden to determine if it’s clay, sandy or loam. Some plants grow in all types of soil, but others will only flourish if planted in their preferred soil.
For more on testing soil click here

2. Choose a design – This is the fun part; let your imagination run loose and choose a design that suits you and complements the style of your house. An abundant cottage garden with flowing borders and colourful flowers is ideal for a traditional house, a gravel and succulent garden will suit a modern home, while a formal garden with symmetrical beds and topiary is perfect for a Tuscan or Provençal home.

3. Choose a colour scheme – Try not to include more than three colours in a border (apart from the obvious green), and think about adding white to give the scheme a lift. The texture of foliage also plays an important role as it forms the backbone of the garden and looks good even when nothing is in flower. Choose plants with a variety of foliage shapes and sizes and in different shades of green.

4. Make a plan – Put your ideas on paper. Your plan doesn’t need to be to scale, just draw the beds and borders as well as the hard landscaping elements like pathways and water features. Water features make great focal points, and pathways add a sense of mystery and encourage further exploration.

5. Go shopping – After all your careful planning, it’s time to visit the nursery. Before you go, consider these pointers:

Look for plants with healthy green leaves.

Choose plants with lots of unopened buds rather than those that are already flowering.

Avoid plants with yellow leaves and spindly growth.

Look for shrubs with a good shape and many branches.

Avoid plants with exposed roots or roots that are matted and growing out of the bag or container.

Make sure there are no weeds growing in the container or bag.

6. Prep and planting – Soil preparation is key to the success of your garden. Compost is an essential component of healthy soil, and well-rotted kraal manure is a good option if you want to give your plants a head start. Work these organic materials into the soil with a garden fork, remove any unwanted plants, rocks and stones and dig the soil over to a depth of at least 30cm.

7. Caring for your plants – New plants need regular watering, but once established this can be reduced to two to three times a week, depending on your climate, rainfall and plant choices. Deep infrequent watering is better than light frequent watering as watering deeply encourages plants’ roots to grow deeper towards any moisture, enabling them to go for longer periods without water. *Water for about 20–30 minutes at a time.

Spring time interesting facts

  The vernal equinox is the first day of the year when we have twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night. 

  If you stand at the equator on the first day of spring, you will see the sun pass directly over head. This only happens twice a year; first day of spring and the first day of autumn. 

  Baby birds learn to sing during spring. Although they are born with the ability to sing, they must learn the specific songs of their species. They often learn their songs within two months of being born. 

  Arizona and Hawaii do not follow daylight savings. They already have enough sunlight and hot weather, so it doesn’t make sense to confuse the sleeping cycle of their residents. 

  The Great Sphinx in Egypt points directly East towards the sunrise on the vernal equinox.

  Spring fever is a real syndrome. When the temperature rises during the warm spell after a long winter, there is a dilation of the blood vessels so blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly. People experience an energetic feeling when this happens

How to save on electricity

Reduce Laundry

In SA , particularly summer,  this should be a great time to save on electricity . Below find some helpful hints on how to save electricity 

Reduce Laundry – Doing a washing every day is not always necessary. Cut one or two loads of washing per week. In addition, running a tumble drier uses a lot of electricity, so hand dry your laundry as often as you can. 

In The Kitchen – There are a few ways you can reduce electricity consumption in the kitchen including insuring that your freezer is regularly defrosted and you keep the fridge and freezer doors properly. The appliances lose air quickly which means that a lot of energy will be used to cool them down again. 

Set Your Pool Pump Timer – A swimming pool pump uses a lot of electricity, so only use it when necessary. Ensure that you have set the timer to run for only a few hours a day.

Use Less Hot Water – The amount of electricity used to heat water in your home is also considerable. If left unchecked, it could result in excessive water accounts. Instead of bathing, take a short shower to save electricity. You should also invest in a geyser blanket to insulate and keep the water warmer for longer.

Use Less Hot Water – The amount of electricity used to heat water in your home is also considerable. If left unchecked, it could result in excessive water accounts. Instead of bathing, take a short shower to save electricity. You should also invest in a geyser blanket to insulate and keep the water warmer for longer.

Use Efficient Lighting – Instead of incandescent lamps, use the compact fluorescent ones or change to CFL (energy saving) globes. You will save more than 75 percent of the power you use on lighting alone. This will contribute a great deal to reducing your overall electricity costs. If you have outside lighting, place these on a day/night switch or better yet, convert these to solar powered lights.

Install Solar Panels – It is becoming more common to see solar panels on roofs which definitely will help you to reduce the electricity consumed in your home. The system will heat up your water as well as generate electricity. Installation of the solar system may be costly, however in the long run, you will save a large amount of money and electricity.