I’ve been reading the “other” South African gardening magazine for a few months now. This one is simply called SA Garden and has the tagline – earthbound ◊ practical ◊ inspirational. The December issue was outstanding – packed full of info, and I read it from cover to cover so I thought it would be worth mentioning here, for our local followers!
SA Garden changed their layout a few months back and the new format is great! Clean, concise and beautifully illustrated – exactly what you expect from a gardening magazine. It has all the usual newsy bits like “letters from our readers”, a page on hot trends for inside and out, book reviews, product reviews, a section on going green, etc. etc., and then we get to the articles.
What I love most about a magazines is that when they do a feature it will give you far more information than a general gardening book does and the info is geared to local growing conditions. “In Full Bloom – Hydrangeas”, written by Nick Stodel covers all the ins and outs of growing Hydrangeas successfully. I’ve been babying my Hydrangeas (which I think I mentioned previously were earmarked for composting) so the article was well timed – its a wonderful four page spread with all the info I could possibly need to successfully nurse my Hydrangeas back to full splendour. Another favourite article in the mag is “How to Espalier Fruit Trees”, which gives step by step instructions (backed up with photographs) and diagrams of the different Espalier shapes (v-shaped, cordon, horizontal T, Belgian fence, etc.). Very informative – I’m inspired to give it a try!
I loved the article of the gardens at Sudeley Castle, once the home of Queen Katherine (last wife and widow of King Henry VIII). The gardens are beautiful and I got lots of inspiration from this beautifully laid out five page spread and the stunning photos. Other highlights in the magazine are the articles by Ludwig Tascher and Keith Kirsten and “In December: What to do in your garden” – also by Nick Stodel. (What a great writer – I hope he becomes a regular contributor). Other articles I enjoyed reading were: Herb of the month: Bergamot’s healing and insect-repelling properties; In full harvest: Mangoes; From garden to table: Try our summer fruit-inspired dishes; Décor: Pool play – some beautiful, doable pool trends and tips; and lastly, Nitty-Gritty: Shades of chic – sun umbrellas, gazebos and other clever shade solutions.
26 full length, informative articles besides all the regular bits and pieces, competitions (5 in total) and a few other promos kept me out of the garden for a good few hours but I returned outside inspired to keep gardening, even in the heat of summer! Well done SA Garden for a great December Issue! Your best yet!
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SA Garden has now officially become my new favourite gardening magazine, so if any of my sweet family members happen to read this, I’d love to find a subscription with my name on it under the Christmas Tree!
Disclaimer: This is an unsolicited review, I was not asked to review the mag and I pay for all my magazines myself!
Website: SA Garden Magazine
FaceBook: SA Garden on Facebook