JHB West - July 22

Tantalise the senses with fragrant pot lavender
‘Blue Magic’. The blue flowers and aromatic
silvery-grey foliage is the perfect winter pickme-up.
Pot lavender likes a warm, sunny room,
or even a windowsill that receives some morning
sun. Let the soil dry out slightly before watering.
Why not use the leaves to make a calming
lavender tea. Put a sprig in a cup, pour over
boiling water and let it infuse for two or three
minutes and remove. Add some honey for a sweet
treat. A spray of leaves under the pillow will help
you sleep at night. At the end of its flowering
period, cut back and plant in full sun in the garden
or in an outdoors container. Details: lvgplant.co.za
Garden tasks for July
• Prune the roses from mid to end July and refresh
the soil around the roses with lots of compost and
a slow release fertiliser. • Feed winter flowers and
veggies with a liquid fertiliser. • Water spring bulbs
for 40 minutes once a week. • Water the veggie
garden once a week and protect frost-tender
veggies with frost cloth • Turn the compost.
• Put out food for the birds
Veggie of the month
Here’s a great way to intrigue the kids. Let them
sprout garden cress on water-soaked paper towels
and then gently plant the sprouted cress in a pot
or hanging basket that’s kept in a sunny sheltered
area. It’s a natural and healthy way of supplying
the family with vitamins A, B, C, K, and Manganese.
Kirchhoffs Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) unlike
watercress, is not invasive so gardeners can grow it
all year round. It’s a fast grower with a peppery tang
and aroma, great for garnishing, in salads and in
sandwiches. Once the garden cress is planted out,
feed with a liquid fertiliser, like Margaret Roberts
Organic Supercharger, at half strength. Keep the
soil moist (it must not dry out) and the cress will be
ready for harvesting within 14 days. Snip off with
sharp scissors. Sow a new crop every two weeks. As a
spring crop, it can be grown in the garden, in fertile,
well prepared rich soil. Scatter sow or in thick rows,
on its own or among chives and other low growing
veggies. Details: kirchhoffs.co.za
Text: ALICE COETZEE
July 2022 Get It Magazine 25