Melanie Walker's Grounded

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...

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...

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 pl...

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...

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 field...

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 sto...

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 Treasu...

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 T...

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

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...

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 yo...

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...

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...

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...

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? Sh...

Come on down and see (for) yourself | Melanie Walker with Heather Mac and Tim ParrFor more podcasts, visit SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Melanie Walker and Michael Rickhoff | Following on the disastrous decimation of Impatiens walleriana crops worldwide a couple of years ago, there's good news for the 'busy lizzie' fans - they're back and in good shape. We also discuss the differences between those and New Guinea Impatiens, and the SunPatiens. Anything you need to know on where to plant them, how to plant them and how to care for t...

Melanie Walker and Michael Rickhoff | Who doesn’t love to walk through a retail garden center and ogle all of the new plants that have made it to market each year? Ever ask how and why certain varieties make it to market and others don’t. The process of trialing is how. Plant trialing is not only an integral part of the green industry but it’s important for the consumer. Testing...

Melanie Walker & Michael Rickhoff | The main aim of Life is a Garden is to bring relevant, industry-endorsed information to interested gardeners across Southern Africa. November is a busy time in the garden, and we take a look at some of the plants and activities we should be taking in hand. The star of the veggie garden is beetroot, the trend is still to grow vertically, containers are coming...

Continuing with the theme, You are what You Eat, Linda Galvad explores the subject of heirloom seeds, what GMO foods mean for the person and the environment, and how to Grow Your Own to the best of your ability. Sought After Seedlings is South Africa's home of organic seeds and stockist of high quality authentic Italian Franchi Sementi seeds. For more podcasts, visit SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounde...

Going green doesn’t start with doing green acts - it starts with a shift in consciousness. And the first shift is making sure that what you put into your garden, your home grown veggies and yourself is as natural as can be. Talborne Organics offers healthy, safe and sustainable organic options that will perform to professional standards on all projects, whether for the Big Agri farmer, or th...

On this episode, Melanie and Mike Rickhoff (senior lecturer at Lifestyle college) chat to Quintin van Kerken, CEO of Clear Option on Cannabis, about what implications the recent rulings on Marijuana in SA have for people. For more podcasts, visit SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Melanie talks to Misha Teasdale, CEO and founder of GreenPop about the projects they're creating in Africa. Join the Treevolution! Get planting... Show notes are available at SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Melanie and co-host Mike Rickhoff talk to Gavin Heron of Earth Probiotic about how bokashi works, why we should make our own compost and the state of topsoil on earth. Show notes are available at SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures on Facebook

Melanie and co-host Mike Rickhoff talk to garden designer extraordinaire, Shirley Wallington, about her career and the upcoming Open Gardens Meander, brought to the city by the Johannesburg Garden Club. Show notes are available at SolidGoldStudios.co.za/grounded Mel's Treasures on Facebook