Gardening Writing Samples
Houseplant Trends: The ’70s Are Back
The 70s are back in a big way. From interior design to fashion (and an unexpected resurgence of Kate Bush and Top Gun), nostalgia for past decades has become the trend of the day. Nowhere is this more evident than indoors, where houseplants have taken over once again. Read more…
Start a Food Forest in Your Backyard
The concept of forest gardening as we know it today stems from a pioneer and hero in the permaculture world, Robert Hart. Hart popularized the term ‘forest garden’ in the 1980s after starting the project on his smallholding, Highwood Hill farm. Passionate about health and wellness, and largely following a raw food diet, Hart was committed to growing his own produce but struggled with the labor-intensive practices of traditional farming. Read more…
How to Winterize a Lawn
If you’re looking for a lush lawn year-round, consistent care is key. Perfectly manicured grass won’t pop up in summer without the seasons of preparation that come before it. One essential part of this preparation is winterizing. Read more…
A Short History Of Gardening
Some historians believe the first gardens built for aesthetic purposes, not purely utility (like farming), were established
in ancient Egypt around 2000BC. Championing symmetry and function, ancient Egyptian formal gardens were exclusive to the wealthy classes, for their pleasure and for fresh produce. Read more…
Understanding And Decoding Plant Names
Plant nomenclature and Botanical Latin confound new
gardeners. That’s not hard to believe: the system is over 250
years old and is based on a language we hear very little of
today – Latin (or Latinised words from other languages, like Greek). Read more…
Ancient Grain Gardening: Barley
Barley, a member of the prestigious ‘ancient grains’ club,
is one of the healthiest crops around. It is the fourth
most cultivated crop in the world for its extensive uses,
from animal food to algicide. Despite these honours, few gardeners consider it a top contender on their backyard wishlist. Read more…
15 Fragrant Flowers for a Sweet-Smelling Garden
Floral gardens are appreciated for their visuals. Striking colors, delicate blooms, and intricate patterns – it’s not hard to understand why. But the ideal garden should excite all the senses, not just the one. Read more…
Hydroponics 101: The basics for beginners
Hydroponics has recently become a popular buzzword in trendy gardening circles, but it often raises questions for the average gardener – What on earth is it? What does this science mumbo jumbo even mean? What’s wrong with good old soil? Read more…
Plant a Medicinal Pet Garden
Most pet owners are aware of the importance of pet-safe gardening – avoiding toxic plants, fencing off no-go areas and double-checking the label on any chemical products used in the garden. However, few gardeners consider allocating a part of their gardens specifically to their furry friends. Read more…
Watering Tomato Plants – How To, How Often, And How Much
To grow successful tomato plants, watering correctly is essential. Unfortunately, it is also one of the practices many gardeners get wrong. Read more…
10 Indoor Plants You Need in 2020
What to buy, and how to care for them. Read more…
Daffodils: Your Fundamental Questions Answered
Daffodils are synonymous with spring, joy, and (luckily for gardeners) hardiness. These beautiful bulbs can be planted in so many ways, with so many varieties, that it can be difficult to know where to start. These five fundamental questions kickstart your journey to an animated, sprightly Spring garden. Read more…
How to grow bananas (and a few new ways to use them)
The unsuspecting fruit taking the top spot for the world’s most popular is the banana. Well, actually it’s the tomato with bananas second, but I am a proud member of the ‘tomatoes are a vegetable’ tribe so they don’t count. Read more…
Using indoor plants to enhance your interior design
The interior design world has recently highlighted how plants can enhance your interiors. Combined with the growing trend of millennial ‘plant influencers’ infiltrating newsfeeds with weekly snaps of their perfectly curated indoor plant collection, so-called plant addiction has become the new craze. Read more…
Offbeat Outdoor Spaces: Garden Design for Entertaining
Modern gardening requires a holistic approach. Gone are the days of carefully curating a garden bed and perfecting a lawn, only to throw a metal table or bench in the corner and call it a day. Read more…
Asparagus: From Garden to Kitchen
Newbies in gardening are likely to bypass asparagus. It takes 3 years to grow before you can begin harvesting, it can be difficult to cook with, and it tops the list of weird-looking vegetables. However, with some patience, asparagus can become your least demanding vegetable giving back more each year than you put in. Read more…
The Selfless Gardener: Gardening for the plants, the pets, and the planet
We may not like to admit it, but gardening is an inherently selfish activity. There are some good side effects, but the main motivation is mostly a good-looking garden for us and others to admire. What if we turned that idea around and gardened for the garden itself, rather than our own enjoyment? Read more…
Other Writing Samples
The Complete Guide to Cooking like a Cowboy
South Africans are no strangers to fire – the braai is a cultural staple. However, 200 years before we were tossing coals around the Weber, cowboys cooked over flames for every single meal. These ranchers developed tricks for outdoor cooking that bring a homey authenticity to campfire food. Read more…
The Deadliest Infectious Diseases in History and Their Prevalence Today
The advances in medicine and technology have helped curb the spread of one of the biggest global killers – infectious diseases. Read more…
Mistaken Maps and the Myths They Perpetuated
Maps are one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Early maps explain how humans understood the world around them, navigated, fostered trade, or conquered foreign lands. They are also littered with mistakes and misrepresentations. Read more…
Doggerland: The Lost World Beneath the North Sea
Looking out at the North Sea, you would never suspect this hub of marine activity was once not a marine environment at all. However, beneath the sea lies evidence of a lost world – a mass of land that previously connected Europe, known as Doggerland. Read more…
The Ultimate Summer Flexitarian Feast
South Africans are notorious meat-lovers. Who could part with biltong, boerewors and of course, the traditional braai? While a full vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is definitely not for everybody, lowering your meat consumption even marginally can have great benefits for your health and the environment. Read more…
