Melanie Walker's Grounded

From soil to supper, Gardening had its ups and downs. With people getting back to their roots and coming down to earth, the want to know more about how to grow your own or to enhance your livings space - and your life - has become a must have. As numbers of people entering into horticulture and landscaping worldwide have dwindled, the demand for people who are able to create beautiful working work...

The countdown to the Johannesburg International Flower Show has started - and the excitement from the attendees is palpable. But it's not just about Show Gardens. The massive floral pavilion is hosting the cream of SA's floral stylist talent, with fabulous displays and floral chandeliers taking pride of place. Our three guests, Kim, Mira and Karen are completely passionate about plants - although....

Sunday 20 October is Garden Day this year. Cary Goodwin and I give you all the hints and tips you'll need - courtesy of Life is a Garden - to create that glorious garden of your own. Whether it be a backyard patio or balcony, or your own little plot of heaven, there's no reason not to add loads of green to your life. And listen out for upcoming garden events, including the Gardens of Saint Christo...

Green issues and the environment are coming more and more under the spotlight worldwide as Donna-Mari Noble of MPact tells us, the time has come for all people to get proactive when it concerns us tidying up after ourselves. In this episode, we get all the hints and tips on how to be less of a litterbug and how to make an impact - of the good variety - on the world around us. http://mpact.co.za/ c...

October is the month of the King (or should that be Queen) of the plant world to make themselves known in SA. Roses are the plant that conjure up visions of love, not just through their good looks, but the memories their scent evoke... Long thought by many to be particularly pernickity, difficult to grow and in need of far too much attention, Roses have proven their worth in water scarce gardens a...

During Arbor Month, following up interviews a year ago, Julian Ortlepp updates us on the Shothole Borer crisis, what remedies may be available and what we can do about it. We also take a look at what tree's we can and should be planting, and discuss the pros and cons of bushwhacking! Visit the Tree Works website click here If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at...

Life Is a garden is the go-to guide for gardeners across the country. Cary Goodwin takes us through what this time of year brings for us in terms of great plants, ugly noonoos and keeping kids busy. Visit Life is a Garden's website click here If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Annuals are the perfect solution for instant colour - especially when coming out of a dry, dull winter. Peter Goodwin takes us through new and improved varieties to give your garden that lift it needs. Visit the Peeble Plants website click here If you're ready to produce your own podcast, contact the podcast experts at SolidGoldStudios.co.za Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Spring is an exciting time of year in the garden with all the colour popping out all over. Michael Rickhoff explains why pink isn't just a colour and what we should be thinking about when it comes to creating a fabulous outdoor space. Lifestyle College for Landscape Design and Horticulture courses click here Connect with Jacky Van Wyk on LinkedIn click here If you're ready to produce your own podc...

Ardent horticulturist turned plant hunter extreme, Judd Kirkel Welwitch is often to be found trundling the back roads of South Africa's botanical hotspots looking for rare plants. He's setting out on an epic journey to describe and name a plant he discovered which hasn't been seen by the botanical world to date. Join us on his journey to find out more! If you're ready to produce your own podcast,...

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...

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...

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 s...

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...

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...

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,...

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'...

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

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...

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 t...

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 arch...

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 instal...

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 look...

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 reusin...

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 yo...