Kathy Varney, marketing and product manager of Ball Straathoffone of SAs biggest companies when it comes to the creation and distribution of new and exciting flower and plant varieties, gives us the lowdown on the state of Impatiens, how trialling plants works, and a heads up on new plants to look out for. If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook...
Aug 16, 2019•28 min0
Communication is key to development, both personal and societal. As ways of communicating have become more technologically inclined, there are still those who are unconnected and missing Out on this valuable tool for learning. Paul Müller of Connect Earth has a vision for Africa, in bringing the world to them, while using communication tech as a vehicle for teaching and sharing of ideas. Free wifi for unconnected communities? Let's see what the future brings. ConnectEarth.com click here If you'r...
Aug 14, 2019•21 min0
Regardless of the time of year, there's always something to be busy with in the garden. And mid- to late-winter really isn't the time to be hibernating! Getting the garden ready for spring is what Life is a Garden has on its menu, and Cary Goodwin gives us all the hints and tips we'll need to ensure a glorious show in the upcoming months. As well as some ways to keep little hands busy during the school holidays. Want to know what to plant in your garden now? click here If you're ready to produce...
Aug 04, 2019•28 min0
Making what you enjoy most your life's work while being caring about the environment is a dream many of us have. Diane du Plessis of 6 Degrees East has done just that! A beekeeper and entrepreneur, Di identified a lack in specific gardening areas, and had come up with all kinds of invaluable ideas to make a gardeners job a lot easier. From plunters and seed dispensers to shweshwe bee wax wraps for the kitchen, she's come up with innovative and user friendly accessories you'll wonder how you did ...
Jul 26, 2019•27 min0
Gardening aficionados eagerly await garden shows to not only enjoy the best that designers have to offer, but also to glean inspiration for their own gardening spaces. The spring festival at Garden World is a wonderful opportunity for this, especially as they give up and coming student designers the opportunity to work under a mentor to learn to hone their craft. We'll know TV gardener JJ gives us a sneak preview of what to expect at this year's outing. Garden World Nursery click here If you're ...
Jul 19, 2019•29 min0
You may think that your garden is mostly dormant in winter, so you can settle down into a somnolent slumber. But this time of year is great for getting outdoors and sorting things out for the upcoming spring season, and enjoying all the wonderful winter sunshine, as Cary Goodwin of Life is a Garden tells us. For some great ideas of what's hot click here If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook...
Jun 25, 2019•29 min0
One of the exciting times for ardent gardeners is when carefully hidden bulbs start popping out all over. In This episode of Grounded, Charles Barnhoorn gives us all the info we need to ensure a bumper display come spring. Hadeco click here Buy "The Bulb Book" from Exclusive Books now click here If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook...
Jun 20, 2019•26 min0
The Slow Food movement is gaining traction all over the world. To find out more about what it is and how you can get involved, Melissa de Billot, co-ordinator of Slow Food Ark of Taste SA, (who is on a mission to save SA's rainbow maize) gives us all the gen. If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook
Jun 13, 2019•27 min0
Known as a totally organic gardener, Designer Debbie Smit (Lecturer at Lifestyle College and owner of Foxgloves Landscape Design) gives us her take on how to be an ethical and healthy gardener, by not using any poisons or chemicals in your backyard. We also get into how and why people should be getting out into the natural world to better their own health, and get up close and personal to sort out problems that may be happening in the garden before they become catastrophes. If you're ready to pr...
May 30, 2019•28 min0
Making as small an impact on the environment is something we should all be aware of. And children are getting in on the action, not taking their lead from the wasteful generation ahead of them. Roots and Shoots, an organisation created by Chimpanzee saviour - and now global eco warrior,Jane Goodall, has been implementing projects aimed at getting children involved in recycling, upcycling and all things environmental, not just in SA, but across the world. National coordinator for the South Africa...
May 22, 2019•25 min0
Bright Blue Swimming Pools are a dated symbol of pride. Along with swathes of lawn - those 'green deserts' that so many people spend so much time and money and water on - chlorinated or saline pools are on their way out. Rather than filling in a pool which you just seem to be filling with money and chemicals, rather consider being eco-chic and converting it into a wetland wonderland. One-time architect, Anthony Philbrick, explains what goes into creating one, and why we should be kinder to the e...
May 17, 2019•27 min0
In this episode Adolph van Der Westhuizen (Sales and Marketing Manager Reinforced Hosing and Watex) talks to host Melanie Walker about the benefits of vertical gardening. How small spaces are given and can give life to a dull area life by creating living walls. With the Watex Expandable Green Wall Kit you can enhance that area that is crying out for a bit of TLC and life. The kit is easy to install, it has its own drip irrigation system with the option to attach to a hose pipe, its neat and clea...
May 09, 2019•26 min0
Getting ready for winter doesn't have to be a mission. The kind folk at Life is a Garden, the PR arm of the biggest Green Industry group, make it easy for even the novice gardener to get all the information you could need for making gardening no pain in the... anything! Whether you're looking for the latest plants to get your hands on, to find out what you should be doing in your backyard, or looking for projects to keep 'little hands' busy, this is the best resource. Where you need to go for fu...
May 02, 2019•26 min0
According to the SA State of Waste Report, in 2017 South Africans generated 42 million tons of general waste. Only 4.9 million tons of that were recycled. We have one of the worst recycling rates in the world. It's no longer up to the government or municipalities to deal with the waste WE'RE creating - it's up to us to get with the recycling programme. But do you know the difference between reusing, recycling and upcycling? Not? Then listen here! You can be the difference you want to see in the ...
Apr 26, 2019•29 min0
No longer the preserve of the green and greyish brown, the winter garden will warm even the most stony cockles of the heart. If you're wondering how to bring colour and warmth back into your life during the drab colder months, look no further than the 4 Ps. Poppies, pansies, primulas and petunias will be your best bets... Well, through in a few other Ps, like Sweet Peas and a VIP - violas - and you've got a smorgasbord of deliciousness. Peter gives us all the tips you need to ensure floriferousn...
Apr 16, 2019•29 min0
Bombshelter Beast are hot favourites bringing some madcap energy to SA music. The group, originally formed by South African jazz legend Marcus Wyatt in 2015, has grown to include a real mengelmoes of musicians playing everything from jazzy-classical with an operatic aria twist, to kwaito rock mix and Zulu rap. This is an immersive experience, not just going to listen to another band! Marcus let's us know what it's all about and what they're up to next. Don't miss it. Bombshelter Beast in a Oom w...
Apr 07, 2019•31 min0
We're used to hearing about how well our Kirstenbosch and Durban exhibits have done at events like the Chelsea Flower Show. Now it's time to bring them home - and make the Joburg Flower Show an event to make other countries green with envy. For five glorious days, Waterfall City will be hosting some of the top garden designers and plant and floral experts from not just all around SA, but from the garden stars overseas. Mike Sham, organised of the event, lets us know here on Grounded just how it'...
Mar 29, 2019•26 min0
Slightly cooler mornings and evenings may be heralding the beginning of autumn around the country, but the sun is still hot and sitting high in the sky, with no great hurry to set at the end of the day, so we should make the most of this beautiful weather by nurturing our gardens. If you can't wait to get your hands dirty, Cary Goodwin of Life is a Garden has a great guide to what you should be planting and doing in your outdoor rooms. Stars of the month are Tulbaghia (wild garlic). Pride of Ind...
Mar 09, 2019•28 min0
The Polyphagus Shothole Borer (PSHB) (Euwallacea fornicatus - and isn't that just a fitting name for the little fornicator) - or the Vietnamese borer as many know it - has been causing the death of many trees, not just in Johannesburg, but around the rest of the country. And it’s finally getting serious ‘airtime’ in the press and social media, even though Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo have put forward a press release which was published recently in the Rosebank Killarney Gazette to say that ‘i...
Mar 05, 2019•30 min0
Show gardens are probably the best way for people to get great ideas on how to bling up their outdoor spaces. And a touch of je ne sais quois is on offer in this year's 7 French inspired spaces. Celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance, students under the tutelage of master designer Mike Rickhoff have encapsulated various aspects of French joie de vivre. From the rolling lavender fields, to pavement cafes around a town square and contemporary rooftop living, there's inspiration aplen...
Mar 03, 2019•27 min0
If you ever wondered if magic happens, all you need to do is look to seeds. That's what Sean Freeman of Living Seeds found out and is spreading the word on his internet based resource. The story behind Livingseeds goes back over 30 years. As a young boy Sean remembers collecting seeds, if he came across a tree that was shedding seed pods or wild flower in seed, he’d collect the seeds and store them in a small wooden box. This wooden box (which he still has) amassed a surprisingly large collectio...
Feb 21, 2019•29 min0
Known across South Africa as one of the most popular proponents of organic vegetable gardening, Linda Galvad of Sought After Seedlings gets to grips with why the Gut is often in the grips of crippling pain. Can eating healthy make you healthier? Are we just what we eat? Growing your own often leads to being owning your own being. To share in Mel's adventures, visit MelsTreasures.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook
Feb 09, 2019•28 min0
Creating green and gorgeous places is what Grounded is all about - and why leave the largest space of your home as a green desert, when you could, for less than the amount involved in remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, enjoy an outdoor dining/cooking/relaxation area the whole family can enjoy year round. Whatever the space you have! To share in Mel's adventures, visit MelsTreasures.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook
Feb 02, 2019•27 min0
In this episode of Grounded, green doesn't just pertain to gardening. Anthea Campbell, publisher of a new eco-friendly publication about to hit the shelves - and Internet - tells us what let her to exhorting all humans to become more gentle with the way they treat the earth. To share in Mel's adventures, visit MelsTreasures.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook
Jan 27, 2019•26 min0
Every month we find more and more beautiful bedding plants hitting the shelves in our garden centres. If you're a fan of annual colour in the garden, or just need to spice things up in your backyard for the festive season, or hankering for your own handkerchief potager filled with herbs and seasonal veg, then Peter Goodwin has all the hints and tips you need to create a veritable paradisical feast this summer. And one of the stalwarts of the veggie and colour patch, the humble (but oh so bright)...
Dec 27, 2018•29 min0
One of the most asked questions people in the Green Industry face (other than how to look after a lemon tree!) is how do you get rid of pests in the garden without getting rid of everything else too? Jonathan Haw of EcoSolutions Urban Ecology specialises in integrated pest management, focused on all areas of non-toxic, effective and sustainable pest control. From rats in your kitchen to bats in your belfry, they have measures that will ensure you don't poison your environment or all the good cri...
Dec 15, 2018•30 min0
Life is a Garden is the publicity arm of the South African Nurseryman's Association, and is responsible for giving the SA gardening public great ideas, and necessary information on how to get your backyard in shape in every season. Cary Goodwin gives us great ideas on how to keep your kids entertained and busy in the garden during the summer festive holidays, and a quick rundown on how to get your garden looking entertainment worthy. Especially for those who can handle the heat outside of the ki...
Dec 08, 2018•30 min0
The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden is not only one of our country's top SANBI sites, but also a hotbed of one-hit wonders! Exactly 100 years after its first discovery, the Brachychorythis conica subspecies transvaalensis - which only has a handful of breeding sites left and has been placed on the Red List of critically endangered species - was officially named the Albertina Sisulu Orchid earlier this year. First discovered in Pretoria in 1918, the same year the world discovered a woman ...
Dec 01, 2018•27 min0
If you've ever thought that getting a Garden Designer in is expensive, consider the cost of bad design. Gardens work in four dimensions, and Garden Designers, Garden Architects and Landscapers are the people perfectly placed to understand this design concept. Mel and Mike discuss the pros (and cons) of finding someone you can work with, and why the first money you should spend before buying plants is on a good concept plan.For more podcasts, visit SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures ...
Nov 24, 2018•30 min0
The well-known veggie garden girl has branched out into a range of fantastic skincare products, specifically created with the avid gardener in mind. Sore back from bending over your floral beauties? There's a muscle rub for that. Fingers and hands grubby and chafed from planting? There's a balm to soothe your frustrated fingers. Tired of getting bitten by the garden bugs - not the good variety? She's created a bug-off spray for that too! The perfect way to keep your body in the same great shape ...
Nov 17, 2018•26 min0
