Random Harvest Newsletter Archive

Dear Indigenous Enthusiast,

We have been so lucky! It was freezing cold, as you can see from the sheet of ice Timothy is holding up and almost no damage from frost. Whew!  This shows the benefits of growing the plants to be tough rather than molly coddling them in hot houses. It also translates into plants that will grow and thrive in your gardens.

IN THE NURSERY

I am living up to my name of ‘Bou en Breek’ (Build and break) by renovating a storeroom into offices and refurbishing our Accommodation storeroom.  

Washing the solar panels is a constant job, in winter when it is so dry and dusty.  It is quite astounding how much difference this makes to the amount of electricity we are able to generate.

We are finding that the irrigation pumps are using a huge amount of electricity so are changing to submersible pumps.

To do this we had to make filters which are bags of crushed stone to stop the pumps clogging up.  

There is always something new to learn and do here at Random Harvest – keeps life interesting.

Not only do the cows give us delicious fresh milk but they also help with their manure.  In the area where we feed them we collect all the grass mixed with manure to add to our compost heaps.  The manure helps to activate the compost, and this is what makes our compost so fertile and good for the plants.

We have been upgrading and tidying the retail nursery.  What a big job, but this is essential if the nursery is to look shipshape and beautiful for spring.  My staff have been very hardworking and dedicated to this job.

EVENTS

We are open on and on Women’s Day 9th August and Heritage Day 24th September

WOMEN’S DAY

Visit us on Women’s Day when we celebrate all the strong women in our lives.  At Random Harvest we will have a little gift awaiting all our woman customers, to show our appreciation for all the support we have had over the years for both the nursery and the kind donations to our Food Parcel Drive.

FOOD PARCELS

David and Jeffrey were amazed at how the ladies we made small loans to have run with the business advice given by David.  After doing this exercise for 4 weeks it was as if a light went on and they are going forward full of optimism.

They have religiously kept their records of sales and purchases

We also distributed 100 Food parcels and 100 ‘Meal in a Bag’.

The social workers in these informal settlements make lists of the needy and make sure that the parcels are distributed to the truly needy, most of whom would love to work.  The sad reality is that there are so few job opportunities in the area at the moment, thus people are desperately in need of help.

Please could I ask once again for your support of this initiative.  We happily receive help by depositing a donation of money or sending up nonperishable groceries which we can distribute.  

I want to assure you that the money you donate is spent wisely and solely on food and nothing else whatsoever.

The finance for the small businesses comes from Random Harvest and not the donations for food parcels.  If anyone would like to help with this please mark you donation as business initiatives.

Our banking details are:

Random Harvest Nursery, FNB 51441129818 Cheque account:
code 25 07 41, Reference: Food Parcels or Business initiative.  

DONATION BY 67 BLANKETS

This group of wonderful ‘Knitwits’ who love knitting get together to knit scarves and blankets to distribute warmth on Mandela Day.  They say - ‘This annual activation, is a joyous way of spreading  “Good Wool”.

Over the years thousands of scarves and beanies have been knitted and distributed to the needy.  

This year we were given the scarves and beanies which Jeffrey, David and Ronald distributed in the local informal settlements much to the joy of each recipient.

If anyone would like to get involved or donate any wool, hooks or needles or maybe do some knitting for them please contact Michelle Burton on [email protected] or call 083 953 7107

BIRD WALKS

The August bird walk is probably the last time to see the Fairy Flycatcher before they head back to the Highlands of Lesotho where they spend the summers.  Very wisely they leave the freezing mountain temperatures, and this is when we have the opportunity to see them here.  We are lucky as they take up residence here every winter.

Date: 10th August with Lance Robinson

Date: 7th September with Lance Robinson
Time (for both walks): 7h00 for 7h30
Cost: R195.00 per person, this includes a delicious breakfast buffet 

Booking is essential - please contact Ronald on [email protected] or Tel. No. 066-587-3077

COFFEE MORNING

The whole trend in Europe and America is about naturalistic planting to encourage biodiversity.  Naturalistic planting can be done in even the tiniest of spaces and still make a difference to the wildlife in the area.  Jonathan will share his ideas with you.

Date:  Wednesday 7th August at 10h30
Topic: How to create a naturalistic garden

Even though people are living in smaller and smaller gardens they can still make a difference to the wildlife in their area.

Date:  Wednesday 4th September at 10h30
Topic: Creating beautiful containers that are also wildlife friendly

Be inspired to combine plants in containers to not only look beautiful, but also to include species that can nurture locally occurring wildlife.

Coffee Morning Cost: R25.00 per person towards our food parcel drive and includes a cup of coffee.  No booking required (a donation of nonperishable food for our food parcel drive would be greatly appreciated.) 

PRACTICAL GARDENER TRAINING

Practical Gardener Training 
Give your gardener the gift of knowledge! This full-day workshop is perfect for gardeners working in the residential, corporate, hospitality and school environment. 

The knowledge imparted plus the practical component will help gardeners at all levels to reach their full potential and understand the importance of their work.
 
The cost includes course material, beautiful certificate of attendance, tea/coffee on arrival, breakfast and a cooked lunch! An enjoyable, inspirational day for these invaluable men and women.

WhatsApp Lindsay on 0824499237 or email [email protected] to book your gardeners’ place

Course dates: the following Fridays, from 08h30 to 15h30 - 16 August; 11 October

TEA GARDEN

Women’s Day

To spoil the ladies in your life bring them along to the tea garden for a meal or book a high tea. 

We have now started to take bookings.  Be sure to call us early to ensure we have a table booked for you where you can sit and relax in the Boma or under the giant Acacias and enjoy good food and each other’s company.  It is seldom in our busy lives that we have time to relax and reconnect.

The Tea Garden is a great place to celebrate your special occasions and events.

To Book please contact Ronald on [email protected] or Tel. No. 066-587-3077

RETAIL NURSERY

With spring just around the corner, we are busy sprucing the retail nursery up and putting together some interesting plant combinations to inspire you to recreate them in your own gardens,  These will not only give you the pleasure of seeing the beautiful plants thriving in you garden but will also keep you fascinated at the creatures that visit them and rely on them for the wherewithal to survive.

The children who came along to plant up their succulent pot loved the activity.  This has inspired us to arrange a tree planting exercise for the children in September.  They will be able to plant a tree seedling into a pot where they can learn to nurture it and either plant it out into their garden or donate it to be planted at their school or church.

WHOLESALE NURSERY

We thought it would be great to take some of your staff who are involved in landscaping on a tour through the nursery.  This will include plants from seed and cutting stage up to 100L trees. We’ll also show them how we conserve water in the nursery, make compost and many other processes.

This should give them an idea of what it takes to grow plants and give them a deeper understanding of how to handle plants and what plants need. 

The tour to be followed by tea and cake and a question-and-answer session.

Date: Saturday August 17th 
Time: 9h00

Booking essential contact Ronald on [email protected] or Tel. No. 066-587-3077

COTTAGES

This month we decided to feature a story from one of our happy guests.

“On arrival I got the immediate impression that this setting could only be a nature reserve or a botanical garden.  I was directed to a parking area, then taken to the reception desk where I experienced a painless process of checking in.  The guest house manager Ronald took me on a golf cart to my cottage and along the way I felt the positive energy of the place.  My unit had a braai stand in the garden and upon seeing that I knew what I was going to have for dinner that evening.  

The following morning, I made myself a cup of coffee with their complementary kitchen amenities and I was blown away by the taste of their farm milk, they have ruined shop milk for me.

Ronald offered me a farm tour on a golf cart the following morning and I could not resist.  He took me to the dam through the nursery area, what a peaceful place they have.  On our way back from the dam, I told him that I am going to cancel my trip to the Kruger National Park as the serenity I was travelling to look for, I had just discovered this closer alternative.”

SHOP

I am pleased to let you know that ‘at last’ the floating pots are back in stock.  This is a perfect way to add plants to your pond or if you don’t have a pond fill a container with water and add another dimension to your garden with this feature.

I thought I would remind you of the beautiful ‘Cape Orchids’ set of books.  It makes a wonderful addition to a book lover’s library. 

It is almost time to start sowing your seeds.  The end of August to beginning of September is the perfect time.
Highveld grass mix seeds R45.00
Vegetable and herb Seed sticks R19. 50
Bonsai kits R184. 00 
Any time is a perfect time to plant healthy microgreens to add to your salads.
Microgreens grow kit R72. 00
Also available: 
Pot Covers R175.00 These beautiful nature themed pots will grace your home.

PLANTS LOOKING GOOD

Acacia rehmanniana - Silky Thorn 
Hardy, drought resistant, semi-deciduous Acacia with beautiful red bark on the young stems that glow in the sunlight while the mature bark has dark brown, rough strips with a red background.  It has small, attractive grey-green, velvety leaves.  The white puffball flowers have a silvery sheen, and are grouped at the ends of branches from Nov. to Feb.  These are followed by clusters of beige, woody pods that persist on the tree. 

It matures into a lovely flat-topped tree that can be used in medium-sized gardens instead of Acacia sieberiana (Paper Bark Thorn).  Besides making a wonderful garden plant, this beautiful Acacia attracts birds, insects and butterflies.  Try and plant the tree where it catches either the rising or the setting sun, when the glowing stems are a sight to behold.   Plant in sun or semi-shade in well-drained soil. Size: 2 to 10m   

Faidherbia albida - Anatree 
This hardy, drought resistant, fast-growing, large thorn tree is deciduous at various times of the year - sometimes summer and sometimes winter.  This seems to coincide with seasonal flooding.  It has a beautiful silver-grey and brown stem and zigzag white branches.  The crown of small blue-grey leaflets on zig-zag tiny branchlets is particularly attractive.  The pale cream, scented flowers appear in spring and attract many pollinating insects as well as being the host to a few butterfly and moth species. The twisted pods that resemble slices of dried apple are another attractive feature of this majestic tree. This widespread tree also grows in the Namib Desert where the seeds and pods are a staple food of the Bushmen.  As with all Acacia sp. all parts are nutritious and provide valuable fodder. Plant in sun or semi-shade. Size: up to 30m

Freylinia visseri - Honey Bell Bush 
Hardy, evergreen, drought-resistant, upright, multi-stemmed shrub with fine, pointed leaves.  The spikes of gorgeous, tubular, red-maroon flowers are borne from Sept. to Nov.  The flowers attract Sunbirds and insects to the garden.  This plant has become very rare in its natural habitat and is classified as threatened.  It makes a good small screening plant and should be pruned right back to ground level at least every 2 years as it is a re-sprouter.  This encourages flowering and keeps the plant looking neat.  As it is a coastal plant, it needs well-drained soil and should be planted in full sun. Size up to 2m

Flueggea virosa - White Berry Bush 
Hardy, deciduous, much branched, multi-stemmed shrub with thin, round, soft, blue-green leaves.  The small greenish, sweetly scented flowers appear from Oct. to Dec and attract a whole host of pollinating insects.  This is the host plant of one of the beautiful Charaxes butterflies.  Male and female flowers on separate plants.  The small, fleshy, sweet tasting white berries are edible and attract birds to the garden.  Can be used effectively in a mixed planting or for a hedge in sun or semi-shade.  A great addition to a bird garden. Size 2 to 4m

PLANTS ON SPECIAL

Pavetta lanceolata – Weeping Brides Bush 
Hardy, small, evergreen shrub or small tree with thin, pointed, glossy, dark foliage.  Spectacular, large clusters of pure white, pincushion-like flowers with long protruding stamens are borne from Oct. to Jan.   The plant bears so many flowers that you cannot see the leaves. They are strongly scented and contain nectar to which butterflies and many other insect species, are irresistibly drawn.  The flowers are followed by small, black berries that attract fruit-eating birds to the garden.   This plant is attractive as a foliage plant, making for year-round beauty.    Use as a small specimen tree, plant in groves or create a beautiful hedge and screen. Plant in sun or semi-shade in well composted soil. Size: up to 3m

Trichocladus ellipticus subsp. Ellipticus - Splendid Underbush 
Hardy, evergreen, tree or shrub has beautiful dark-green, glossy leaves that are silvery-grey with velvety brown hairs below, making it a magnificent foliage plant. The yellowish-green flowers which are borne from Sept. to Dec. are carried in clusters and although quite inconspicuous, are sweetly scented.  The seeds pods are velvety brown with seeds that look like ivory.   This beautiful plant grows well in sun or shade in well-composted soil. Size up to 5m

Vepris lanceolata - White Ironwood 
Hardy, evergreen, very attractive tree with smooth light to dark brown bark, and trifoliate apple green leaves.  From Dec. to Jan it blooms with a myriad of small, white flowers, which give the tree a lacy look.  The black berries ripen throughout the autumn and winter and are an important source of food for the birds.  The tree is host to the Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly.  The timber is even-grained and white.  It has many medicinal uses. A beautifully shaped tree and a very good garden subject that can be used as a screen or container plant for outdoors or indoors.  The non-aggressive root system makes it ideal for smaller gardens.  Plant in sun or semi-shade in well-composted, well-drained soil. Size: 5 to 10m

Othonna capensis - Othonna 
Hardy, evergreen, fast-growing, drought resistant, creeping groundcover.  It has narrow, cylindrical, succulent, grey-green leaves that are arranged spirally on trailing stems.  It produces masses of yellow, daisy-like flowers from Oct. to Jun.  These attract a myriad of butterflies to the garden during summer and well into winter.  Planted in containers, rockeries or mass-planted, this is a rewarding little plant.  It can also be used to stabilise banks as it roots at the nodes.   It grows best in full sun in well-drained soil. Size: 7 to 10cm

GARDENING TIP

How to care for Clivias

August is a good time to plant Clivias, just in time for a rewarding show of colour in spring. Plant them en masse in the shade of a tree or use them to brighten up a dull corner.  Clivias will take deep shade, which makes them very useful for this challenging garden space.  Clivias also look beautiful in pots on a shady patio. When not in flower, their bold foliage provides good textural and colour contrast to create interest in the garden.

Plant in well-draining, loose soil that has lots of air spaces and is rich in compost.  Water regularly during the warm months. Clivias like water, but they don’t like their roots to stay wet or waterlogged, as they rot very easily. Feed with a good organic 3:1:5 fertilizer after planting to encourage strong plants with robust blooms.  Don’t split your clumps of Clivia now, as this sets flowering back significantly. When they are finished flowering rather move the intact clumps further apart rather than splitting them.

Once flowering is over, don’t be hasty to remove the flowering heads, as their bold, round fruits rien to a deep red, and are in themselves highly decorative. Both the flowers and these beautiful seed heads are wonderful subjects for the vase.

Amaryllis worm (caterpillar) control – Of all the lily family species, Clivias are particularly susceptible to the Amaryllis worm (caterpillar).  They can be effectively controlled with Margaret Roberts Caterpillar Insecticide, this is a bacterium that stops caterpillars from eating.  Because it leaves no residual poisons in the environment, this form of control is environmentally safe.  One does, however, need to be extremely careful using this, as it will not discriminate, so is capable of killing all caterpillar (therefore, potentially all butterfly) species that it comes in contact with.  Using this bacterium exclusively on Clivias is okay, as there are no other butterfly or moth species other than the Amaryllis caterpillars that feed on Clivias, so it will most likely kill only this species.  Use this product with a sticker (wetting agent) like Ludwigs Spray Stay to stick the bacterium onto the leaves for this dreadful pest to eat.

Staking your plants

This is a windy time of year. Stake the standards, young trees and climbing plants in your garden and check and replace old stakes to prevent wind damage. Old stakes may have rotted off below ground, so dig a little to check if they have.

Check where the tree stem is attached to the stake, that the tie is not too tight or causing damage to the plant. When plant ties get too tight, they can cut into the cambium (area just under the outer bark that carries nutrients up and down the plant), preventing the movement of food and water and therefore killing or severely damaging the plant.

Have a look at our article on how to stake your trees and other plants that need support.

ON THE FARM

We have a new addition to Random Harvest – ‘Dixie’.  As you can see Ronald is totally in love with the puppy, so she has to live in the office much to Abby’s disgust, although I am amazed at how little trouble Abby has given me.

We only landed with her after a long saga with residents of an informal settlement nearby.  She was expensive but well worth it,as she is a real character and very cute.

The most amazing thing about living on a farm is the rhythms of life and nature that you experience.

At this time of the year, we cut and bale the grass for the cows to eat and to use to make compost to grow our plants.

After the veld was cut the Cape Longclaw become more visible and also less skittish – I think this is because the visibility is good on the short grass, which is their chosen habitat.

Then we burn the veld to ensure the health of the grassland in the coming season.  This is also a time to see the Black Headed Heron stalking the burnt areas to check for a handy cooked meal.

This picture is of a mushroom that was burnt in the fire.  I thought fungus would just turn to ash and feed the soil, but this huge one was turned into a coal.  There is always something to marvel at in the grassland.

When the trees are leafless one sees other interesting interactions, like this wasp’s nest hanging in an Acacia robusta (Splendid thorn).  When the trees are in full leaf one is oblivious to the many biodiverse interactions going on in nature.

We have foiled the bees with our netting bags over the flowers. They can’t get to the flowers to pollinate and thus hybridise all the aloe seed.  Our efforts seem to be successful. 

Not that we are that cruel as we have left lots of Aloe flowers for the hardworking bees to collect the sustenance for their hives.

The Aloe parvibracteata are in full flower with their beautiful salmon orange flowers.  Aloe time is so beautiful and colourful, both with the flowers and also seeing the Sunbirds that celebrate the copious nectar they offer.

The vibrant Thunbergia alata (Black eyed Susan) are also particularly colourful at this time of year.

The Red-winged Starlings are frequenting the bird feeding station in the retail nursery.  I just love it when I hear their gentle, melodious calls start coming closer and closer to the food.

Nature is really wonderful – I think the closer you are to nature the more serene and happy you are with your life.

The Erythrina lysistemon (Common Coral Tree) are starting to flower – this is the harbinger of spring and I hope that by the time I write the next newsletter everything will be budding and blooming in the nursery.

Here’s to celebrating the coming of Spring.

Sincerely

Linda