Newsletter Autumn 2017 Edition from Our Chairperson As We Approach Autumn and the Water Twice a Week
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Newsletter Autumn 2017 edition From our Chairperson As we approach autumn and the water twice a week. Shrubs will background music will be provided We have a superbly dedicated Vaal Dam reaches 100%, water need watering three times a week. during the afternoon. The Tea Party and hard working group of resi- restrictions in Gauteng have been In addition, you will see the gar- will start at 3 p.m. and, as before, we dents who willingly give many lifted. The recent good rains have dens on either side of the walkway value your support in our efforts to hours of their time to improving made the Village lawns look lush leading to the Service Centre being raise funds to improve the common the Village gardens. This garden again. changed into a much more attrac- area gardens in the Village. “team” work extremely well to- tive feature. gether (TEAM standing for To- A reminder to residents to con- We are also planning S As always, my gether Everyone Achieves More) R tinue making “water saving tips” to plant African Daisy E sincere thanks and have become great friends in N a part of our daily lives. We need seeds around the Vil- N to all the mem- the process. Long may this con- I Hazel Richardson to be constantly aware of the fact lage which should Unit 334 bers of the Gar- tinue! W Joan Leppan that water is a very pre- provide brilliant E den Committee. L Unit 304 Doreen cious resource. Please splashes of colour F F Veronica Christianse remember to avoid wa- throughout the com- A R Unit 103 tering during the hot- ing months. All in all, test times of the day and a lot to look forward to in not to let sprinklers run the Village gardens as autumn ap- in one place for longer proaches. than is required. We cannot af- The committee ford to waste water! Our next fund raiser will be a raffle and Tea Party on 22nd of April. Tick- Doreen Dennehy Unit 41 5243 During March, we will be planting ets will be on sale from early April Tracy-Lee Daling Admin 5500 more trees and indigenous shrubs in the Reception area of the Ser- Louise (Lu) Penberthy Unit 163 5389 in common areas around the Vil- vice Centre. Raffle tickets will cost Margie Lockwood Unit 133 5451 lage. We really want to take advan- R10 and the prize will be a “pamper Beryl Taylor Unit 161 5388 tage of the softer ground following hamper” meant to spoil you – the all the recent rain which will cer- draw will take place at the Tea Par- Jim Taylor Unit 161 5388 tainly make planting a lot easier. ty. The Tea Party tickets cost R40 Inside... Thersia Tait Unit 47 5227 Once again, we appeal to residents and can be purchased in the Recep- Plant of the Quarter – Aloe 2 Committee Gardens 5 Di Main Unit 57 5125 to “adopt” a tree or shrub planted tion Area of the Service Centre or Indigenous bulbs and corms 3 Common Area Gardens 6 Monica Hall Unit 436 5209 near your unit. Please remember from Garden Committee Members. that these are “young” trees which A lady from Efekto / Mayford will Sidney Roodt Unit 386 5150 Planting Herbs in Pots 4 From the Garden Couch 6 will need about half a bucket of give a talk prior to the tea and live 250ml of Aloe Vera juice contains no sugar Plant of the Quarter and only a few calories. The uses of Aloe Vera juice are legion. The plants low tox- A genus of succulent plants containing over will vigorously resprout. It is of interest to icity makes it a safe and gentle remedy for 500 species of flowering plants. note that Aloe Vera can be traced back 6000 heartburn and other related digestive prob- Aloe use the gel squeezed from your own Aloe years to ancient Egypt were it was presented lems. Rinsing tomatoes, apples and veg- plant, but topically only. Please do not in- Aloes come in a variety of growth forms, to deceased pharaohs as a burial gift. etables in Aloe juice will block the growth of gest any gel that has not been professionally from small miniatures to tall single stemmed Aloe Vera or ‘true aloe’ is widely grown as bacteria thus keeping them fresh for extend- refined. or branched trees, with some a source of Aloe Vera phar- ed periods without refrigeration. Aloe Vera species forming large, tangled maceutical products. Aloe extract is a safe and effective non-chemical Unlike other succulents and cacti, it is dif- shrubs. The usually swol- Vera juice is a gooey, thick mouthwash. The plants natural ingredi- ficult to propagate Aloe Vera from a leaf. len and succulent leaves are liquid made from the flesh ents, which includes a healthy dose of vita- Most gardeners plant Aloe Vera using an lance or sword shaped. They of the plant leaf. The juice is min C, blocks plaque, and provides relief to offshoot which results in more successful are arranged in terminal clus- made by crushing or grind- ulcers, swollen or bleeding gums or thrush. plants. ters (rosettes) and are armed ing the entire leaf, followed along their margins with usu- by various steps to purify Ingesting 2 table spoons of Aloe Vera juice I am sure that after reading all about this ally sharp teeth. The fleshy and filter the liquid. With per day lowers blood sugar levels. Exten- remarkable plant, it will get the respect and leaves vary in colour from a mild, tolerable flavour, sive studies in phytomedicine has resulted admiration it deserves. grey to bright green and are the juice mixes easily into in confirmation that Aloe Vera may have sometimes striped or mottled. shakes and smoothies. An a profound treatment in type 2 diabetes. The most common shape of excellent supplement, the Please note that it should not replace any flowers are tubular and are Aloe Vera juice balances the medication currently in use ! brightly coloured in various PH levels and reduces acid- Aloe Vera skin care products need no in- shades of red, orange and ity. It hydrates the body and troduction. Creams, lotions, body butters, yellow. The vast majority of packs a hefty punch of nu- masks, cleansers......in fact too many to Aloes flower in winter while trients that optimises organ mention them all. All wonderfully benefi- some exotic forms flower in function. It is a rich source cial and totally natural to compliment your spring. The seeds of the Aloe of antioxidants and vitamin. beauty regime. The gel obtained from the are often equipped with a It neutralizes the effects of water dense leaves contains complex carbo- single wing to help with dis- UV radiation and helps pre- hydrates and many compounds that make it persal. Aloes are mostly long- vent fine lines and wrinkles. a very effective face and body moisturiser, lived plants especially the larger species. An Contained within the juice are vitamins BCE and pain reliever. Excellent in the treat- Aloe Dichotoma was estimated at being 145 and folic acid. It also contains trace amounts ment of skin rashes, sunburn, nappy rashes years old. It is one of the few fleshy plants of calcium, copper, chromium, sodium, se- etc... that readily survive veldt fires. The plant lenium, magnesium, potassium, manganese above ground may be and zinc. It also is the only plant source of Aloe Vera products of all ranges are read- Page 2 totally destroyed but vitamin B12. Excellent news for vegetar- ily obtainable from any leading pharmacy, the fleshy root stock ians and vegans! health shop or supermarket. You can safely Kniphofia bruceae Indigenous bulbs and Also Known as the Red hot poker, this is another winter corms for a Colourful flowering species with lush green foliage and striking red, Winter and Spring orange or yellow flowers. Tidy them up by removing dead fo- liage and lift and divide large garden clumps. Babiana angustifolia Chasmanthe Freesia (Above) Lachenalia The small corms produce hairy deeply pleated Winter growing deciduous bulbs with sword These popular spring flowering bulbs have A genus of small bulbs producing tubular leaves from 10 to 30cm long. Deep blue to vio- shaped leaves and tall spikes of showy flowers been extensively hybridized, but the larger flowers, in a range of colours, grouped on a let fragrant flowers appear in spring. Plant the in late winter. These low maintenance plants flowers on longer stems often lack the won- flower stalk. Plant in an area with full morning corms with the add seasonal interest to any part of the gar- derful perfume of the wild species. The plants sun and afternoon shade or group at least 50 top about 3cm den. Plant the fast growing corms 5cm deep have fan-shaped foliage with elegant spires of bulbs together in a container on a patio. The below the soil and 30cm apart in full sun. They will multiply funnel shaped flowers. Plant the freesia bulbs leaves of Lachenalia aloides are green or heav- surface in con- freely forming dense stands. Water well dur- in a sunny or semi-shade spot in large groups ily spotted with purple and the flowers range tainers or plant ing winter and do not remove after flowering to make a real show in spring. from shades of pockets in rock as they will tolerate summer rainfall or irriga- bright yellow and gravel gar- tion provided the soil is well-drained. In shade Ixia to orange with dens. Babianas or semi shade areas plant C.