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Garden Goals for 2025

Tips and trends you need to know

Happy New Year and welcome to our
January Garden Newsletter!


We’re kicking off 2025 with inspiration to help your garden flourish, including a summer grow guide packed with tips for the season, advice on caring for your clivias, and a helpful checklist to keep your January garden on track.

We’re so excited to grow together this year and celebrate the beauty of gardening with you. Plus, 2025 is a milestone year for us as we celebrate 10 years of gardening together—stay tuned for exciting updates and special surprises as the year unfolds!

Your nutritious, sweet summer grow guide

The garden is a trove of juicy treasures this time of year with an abundance of deliciousness to be grown. There’s something for even the fussiest of eaters and plenty of brag-worthy produce to harvest. Dash down to your local nursery for seed packets and seedlings trays and begin your nutritious, sweet summer gardening adventure today!

Starting off on the right root

Remember to use prepared compost and potting soil from your nursery as these products have been treated for bugs and weeds. Pick up a bag of Bio Rock Root Builder and plant with it to grow strong roots and yield more yummies. Always check the back of seed packets for sowing information and the labels on seedling trays and pots for planting instructions.

Fruit to fall in love with

Nurseries are stocked with a selection of fruit trees, seedlings, and seed packets for you to sow and plant now. Stay hydrated this summer by growing these water-rich, nutrient-dense fruits:

  • Tomatoes – 94% water and high in lycopene, which helps protect cells from damage.
  • Watermelon – 92% water and soaked with nutrients, antioxidants, and amino acids.
  • Strawberry – 92% water, sodium and cholesterol-free, packed with fibre and low on calories.
  • Cantaloupe melon (spanspek) – 90% water and 100% of the recommended daily vitamin C.
  • Papaya – 88% water, aids digestion, helps with weight loss, and is loaded with vitamin A.

Super-charged veggies to chomp

Sow from seed or grow from seedling! These health-boosting, hunger-busting veggies are ready to go into the ground now:

  • Beetroot – rich in folate (vitamin B9), which helps cells grow and function well.
  • Capsicum – loads of vitamin C that’s important for the absorption of iron in the body.
  • Leeks – low in calories and high in nutrients such as magnesium and vitamins A, C, and K.
  • Radish – rich in antioxidants and minerals such as calcium and potassium.
  • Spinach – a great source of fibre and loaded with iron, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K.
  • Broccoli – get your calcium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc from this super veg.
  • Cabbage – boasts a glorious nutrient profile including folate, potassium and magnesium.
  • Carrots – high in calcium and vitamin K for healthy bones and strong teeth.
  • Cauliflower – rich in fibre and B-vitamins, as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Strapped on space? Grow an edible container in a sunny spot on the patio using the benefits of companion planting. Try these combos: basil and tomatoes, capsicum and spinach, carrots and leeks, radish and beetroot.

Fragrant, hearty herbs

Spice up your salads and smoothies or add a burst of flavour to your summer sundowners. These sweet-smelling herbs are ready to be sown from seed or planted out from seedling trays now:

  • Spearmint
  • Peppermint
  • Lavender
  • Basil
  • Rosemary
  • Lemongrass

Try this: Stuff the ends of old stockings with lavender and rosemary stalks. Pop them inside your cupboard and enjoy smelling the freshness on your clothes all day long.

Ripe and ready treats

Edibles in the garden are excited to make the journey from soil to plate. Harvest these now:

Fruit
Apricots, apples, bananas, blackberries, cherries, figs, grapes, guavas, kiwi fruit, lemons, litchis, mangoes, melon, nectarines, pawpaws or papayas, peaches, pineapples, plums, pomegranates, prickly pears, prunes, raspberries, strawberries, sweet melon, and watermelon.

Vegetables
Artichokes, asparagus, aubergines (eggplant), baby marrows, beetroot, brinjals, cabbage, carrots, celery, chives, corn, green beans, mange tout, patty pans, pumpkin, radishes, red onions, spinach, and sweet potato.

The winning water-wise way

Our summers are hot and our water is precious. Growing water-wise doesn’t mean your garden is destined to boring. On the contrary, going water-wise highlights our local gems and gives our native birdlife and butterflies a time to shine.

Consider these simple tips:

  • Grow plants that are indigenous and especially suited to your region’s rainfall.
  • Create different water usage zones by grouping plants with similar water needs together.
  • Purchase water-retaining crystals from your nursery for beds and containers.
  • Fill beds and gaps with: hairy leaves (lamb’s ear), grey leaves (lavender) and needle-like leaves (rosemary), which can all withstand wind, salt spray and drought.
  • Remember to check your sprinkler system valves periodically for leaks and keep the sprinkler heads in good shape. Check all your taps and hosepipes for washer damage and replace those that need it.
  • When bathing pets, wash them outdoors in an area of your lawn that needs water.
  • Use sprinklers that deliver big drops of water close to the ground. Smaller water drops and mist often evaporate before they reach the ground.
  • Healthy plants are happy plants, so don’t forget to fertilise with Bio Ocean – this will strengthen plants’ cell walls, which means that plants need less water and will withstand extreme temperatures.

There you have it! Your summer just got a whole lot sweeter and a ton more nutritious with Life is a Garden. Enjoy your homegrown goodness and learning how to plant water-wise while you’re at it.

January in the Garden Checklist

Get your garden into shape and looking snazzy for the new year. There’s a lot to look forward to and a huge selection of flowers and edibles to be planted now. A little maintenance goes a long way in neatening up your garden’s appearance, so be sure to check out our handy hacks.

Sow a salad

What better way to get your garden and health back on track then by sowing nutritious leafy greens for those summer salads. The following edibles can be sown now:

  • Lettuce
  • Rocket
  • Spinach and Swiss Chard
  • Beetroot (baby leaves are delish)
  • Kale

Top tip: Leafy greens are very easy to grow and will reward gardeners best if you pick the leaves regularly and pinch out flower buds later in the season. Be on the lookout for cutworm, snail and slug damage to plants.

Plant a paradise

January is always a good time to plant up areas with colourful annual seedlings. The heat is on so brighten up beds by planting these sun-worshippers.

  • Salvias flower throughout summer and autumn. Their upward-pointing sword-like blooms range from fire engine red to purple, deep blue and other powdery colour variations. They are waterwise and easy to grow in pots too.
  • Snapdragons offer striking colours and multiple blooms that stand to attention and are simply charming. Dwarf varieties are great as pot or hanging basket fillers. Keep plants moist while young and they’ll reward you by continuing to flower into winter.
  • Petunias don’t need special treatment or a lot of water either. Flowering increases as they grow, putting on a spectacular show of colour when mature. Petunias love the mild winter months too and will carry on growing in this time.

Indoor peace parade

  • The peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallesii) can grow in low-light conditions, which effectively means that it can thrive almost anywhere in the home. It has large, glossy green leaves, is very forgiving when not pampered, and has large, flag-like white blooms that brighten any room with an air of sophistication.
  • The peace in the home plant (Soleirolia) requires bright light and regular watering. They can be combined with other plants in a mixed bowl, will be happy in a terrarium, or simply simply thrive in a pot on their own.

Pest alert!

Be on the lookout for yellow patches appearing suddenly on your lawn from early January. This is a sure sign of the night-time foraging lawn caterpillar (also known as army worm). To be sure, place a moist bag or cloth on the patch in the evening and check underneath in the morning. If it is caused by army worms, they would be crawling under the cloth thinking it is still night.  Ask your local GCA Garden Centre for the correct treatment method.

Power up plants

Remember to fertilise with Bio Ocean. Your garden and pots will benefit tremendously from a January booster. Remember to fertilise between the plants on moist soil and to water over the fertiliser afterwards.

Pruning and rose care

  • A light summer pruning is recommended for roses in January. We know that it feels difficult to prune a plant that may still be flowering but it will help to extend quality flowering into winter. Cut back stems by up to one-third of their length.
  • Continue using a cocktail rose spray i.e. a combination of a fungicide and insecticide every two weeks to avoid leaf drop. Fertilise monthly and add mulch or top up the existing mulch. Now all that is left to do is to continue deep watering and enjoy your blooming success over the coming months.

Shaping up

Give your Fuchsias a facelift by cutting back the stem tips after flowering. By cutting the stems back up to 5 or 10cm from the tip, you will allow it to bush out and give the plant more vigour to see the season through.

Inland gardening maintenance

  • Mulch to beat the heat, to save water, and to give the plants a cooler root run. A good, thick layer around the plants will do wonders for them.
  • Keep a lookout for fungus diseases encouraged by several rainy days in a row. Take samples of leaves from any affected plants (in a zip-lock bag) to your local GCA Garden Centre and get a remedy to spray with.
  • The rainy season is upon us. Try to harvest as much rainwater as possible and even consider joining a pipe from a roof gutter outlet into the pool when it requires a top-up.

Coastal gardening maintenance

  • Plant more chives, oregano, marjoram, thyme, sage, and coriander. Remember to plant your first crop of potato seeds for an early winter harvest.
  • Remove or prune back low branches of trees if more sunlight is required for lawn or bedding plants below trees.

Splurge on your beloved garden a little this January and help get it back into shape. Garden centres are stocked with amazing succulents and seasonal gems for you to sneak home. Have a flower-filled summer and show-stopping start to your year. Life is a Garden, so dig in and indulge!

Source: Life is a Garden

Trend Alert

Inspired by the global movement for ecological gardening, gardeners are focusing on planting indigenous species like Cape honeysuckle, spekboom, and aloes to support local pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and sunbirds.

Growing and caring for clivias

Clivias are one of South Africa’s indigenous super stunners and have become quite the collector’s dream. Luckily, you don’t have to be a horticulturist to grow these distinguished plants, you just need some back to basics know-how. Learn how to correctly harvest clivia seeds, how to grow them, and how to provide long term care for your elite lovelies.

The clivia craze

What’s so special about these plants anyway? For starters, they produce simply exquisite trumpet-like, fragrant flowers with dramatic blooms in sunset shades, both as solid colours and as delightful bi-colour varieties. Owing to their lengthy germinating time (one year from seed to pot) they’ve rightfully earned their place in the professional landscapers garden. Up for the challenge? These beauts can be grown as hero houseplants in a well-lit area, in shaded beds, or in pots on the patio with no direct sunlight. They thrive in rich potting mix with good drainage. Clivias are most active from autumn to spring, but they’ll retain their dainty evergreen foliage all year round.

Top tip: Garden centres are stocked with a truly splendid variety of potted clivias to choose from. Ask the friendly nursery attendants for guidance on what soil mixes to use in beds and pots. Don’t forget Bio Ocean to give your prized clivias that extra boost.

Growing clivias from seed

There are two ways to get your green fingers on some clivia seeds:

  1. Pop down to your GCA Garden Centre and purchase a seed packet.
  2. Wait for established clivias to produce berries, which contain seeds.

When clivia flowers are pollinated they produce large red berries. Pick your berries as they begin colouring then pop them onto the operating table and follow these steps:

  • Use your thumbs to break open the berries and then remove the insides.
  • Clean up the flesh, skin, and membrane surrounding the seeds inside.
  • Once you’ve got the gold, wash all the seeds in a gentle anti-bacterial solution (some dishwashing liquid and water will do). As you’re cleaning the seeds, remove any remaining skin and pop them onto a paper towel.
  • Prepare your growing mixture with equal parts palm peat and perlite, both available from your garden centre. Mix in some water to dampen the soil as well.
  • Fill seedling trays with your super mix and pat the surface. Plant the clivia seeds with the eye nob part facing down. You want to space seeds about 2,5 cm apart with the tops of the seeds still exposed. In other words, when planting clivia seeds do not press them all the way down into the soil.
  • Give all the seeds in the container a good watering and then cover the tray with a plastic bag or glass. Pop your babies in a warm but sheltered area that receives full sun.
  • Check on your babies daily, assessing growth and ensuring the soil remains moist at all times. You’ll know they’re happy when the bottom of the seeds begin to sprout baby green legs.
  • Now for the hard part. Your clivia seeds will only be ready for transplant after a year. They are definitely worth the wait and reward though, so keep up the care and garden on!

Caring for your clivias

After all that dedication, you want to make sure you give your clivias the best care possible. Here are some handy tips for how to care for established clivias in the garden:

  • Clivias need to be divided every three to four years during spring or early summer. You’ll know it’s time when the rhizomes become overcrowded and the root ball rises above soil level. Always wait until they’ve finished flowering before dividing.
  • To correctly divide your potted clivias, carefully remove the mother plant from the container and shake off the excess soil to better see the divisions.
  • Use a sharp, clean knife to cut the clumps apart or use your fingers to pry them open. You can now transplant separated clivias into new pots for even more patio splendour.
  • To divide outdoor clivias, use a spade and lift the ground around the plant (at least 15cm distance to the stem), taking care not to damage the roots. Once removed from the bed, wipe away excess soil to reveal the root clumps. You can now cut and divide as needed and replant in another shady bed in need of bedazzling.
  • Fertilise your clivias monthly in spring and summer for max blooming power (avoid feeding in winter). Go for a slow-release fertiliser like Bio Ocean.

Pest alert: Look out for the lily borer! Regularly check your bulbs and especially your clivias for signs of this pesky critter. You’ll notice clusters of tiny eggs underneath leaves, which are laid by a white moth with a 4cm wingspan. Visit your garden centre for the best pest control solution.

High in ornamental value, long-lasting flowering intervals, excellent cut-flowers, and evergreen – clivias are definitely worth it. Go from novice to pro with these sought after bad girls by following the above tips for success. Clivias also make for exquisite gifts so next time you’re on a split and divide mission, pot a few for friends and family.