flower garden
Planting flowers will decorate any garden. If you buy flowering plants from a nursery, they will often already have flowers on them, so they are a ready-made solution for a tired garden.
Not only do flowers enhance the beauty and aesthetics of your lawn, but they also do double duty by attracting pollinators. Planting a pollinator-friendly garden will ensure that your garden is home to a variety of insects and birds.
A flowering bush
The presence of flowers in the garden is not only the presence of many flower beds. Shrubs, trees and even vines can add structure to a garden design and add color and texture to foliage.
Shrubs are also very hardy and can only be used for one season as a last resort. They also attract birds and butterflies and can be used to divide garden areas along planting borders or even to provide privacy and security.
ornamental grass
Even if you can't tell them apart, ornamental grasses are a great addition to any garden. The type of texture they can provide and the ease with which they grow, especially in KZN's hot and humid summers, can be a great backdrop to the rest of the garden.
They can add color to the garden all year round. It's a great way to expand your garden in the fall while creating many types of lawns, and some even in winter, for your enjoyment.
Nature's litmus test
Large flower heads of hydrangea are hardy and grow in almost any type of soil, but require moisture.
Many people do not know that natural litmus paper and flower color change depending on the pH of the soil. The white variety remains white regardless of soil acidity or alkalinity, while the colored variety turns blue at pH below 5.5 and pink at pH above 5.5. If you want to change the pH of your soil, it's helpful to remember some basic chemical principles.
Technically, any soil with a pH above 7.0 is alkaline or "soft," but most garden plants can tolerate a pH below 7.5. Alkaline soils are usually composed of basic (high pH) parent materials such as limestone (calcium carbonate). So, planting hydrangea can give you an idea of the pH type of your soil, which will help you decide what else to plant in other parts of your garden. Soil pH affects plant nutrient availability, and iron, zinc, and phosphorus deficiencies are common in soils with a pH above 7.8.
Lowering soil pH is a slow and difficult process. Either use sulfur to quickly change the pH, or go the gentler route and add annual organic matter to the soil, such as compost or composted manure, and mulch with acidic organic mulch such as pine needles. Adding organic matter gradually lowers pH over time, increasing microbial life and improving soil structure.
