The Household Garden Blog

A grey concrete sphere water feature surrounded by colourful foliage beside a pool

How to set up a garden water feature: power, pumps, placement and upkeep

A practical guide to setting up a self contained garden water feature: pumps, placement, safe outdoor power, running costs and upkeep.

Two concrete planters with trailing silver plants and slender trees beside a swimming pool

Garden Pots

Pots and water features for a Durban or North Coast garden: heat, humidity and salt

How to choose pots, plants and water features for the heat, humidity, summer rain and salt air of a Durban or North Coast garden.

A walled courtyard garden with small trees in concrete pots around outdoor seating

Garden Pots

Pots and water features for a Johannesburg or Pretoria garden: frost, hail and summer storms

How to choose pots, plants and water features that handle Highveld frost, hail, summer storms and dry winters in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

White square planters with clipped round shrubs beside the water, with wooded hills behind

Garden Pots

Pots and water features for a Cape Town garden: wind, winter rain and salt air

How to choose pots, plants and water features that cope with the south-easter, winter rain and salt air in a Cape Town garden.

A young tree planted in a speckled granite concrete pot, mulched with bark, in front of a timber screen

Buying guide

What size pot does a tree need? A tree by tree guide

A tree by tree guide to choosing the right size pot for olives, citrus, bay, figs, wild olive and strelitzia, with filling, feeding and wind advice.

A natural garden pond edged with rocks, reeds and water plants

Buying guide

Fibreglass or concrete pond? A buying guide for South African gardens

How to choose between a fibreglass and a concrete pond, with honest advice on depth, fish, siting, pumps, power and upkeep for South African gardens.

Balcony

Best pots for a balcony or patio in South Africa

A practical guide to choosing pots for a South African balcony or patio, covering weight limits, wind, heat, drip trays, the shapes that work and what to grow in them.

Three tall cream concrete pots planted with grasses on a sunlit stone patio

Buying guide

Concrete pots, explained: the honest guide to read before you buy

Everything a careful buyer wants to know about hand-cast concrete pots before spending on one: cracking, weight, drainage, size, finishes, care and what to plant.

Concrete pots planted with a dracaena and bromeliads on sunny stone steps

Container gardening

Best plants for full sun in pots in South Africa

Thirteen sun-loving plants that thrive in pots on a hot South African stoep, with honest care notes for each and advice on choosing a pot that keeps roots cool.

A large black concrete bowl pot planted with a tree, standing in a lawned garden

Buying guide

Large garden pots: how to choose, fill, move and plant a big pot

A practical guide to choosing, placing, filling, planting, watering and moving a large garden pot, with frost and cracking advice for South African conditions.

Grey concrete pots planted with snake plants at the nursery

Buying guide

Concrete vs plastic vs fibreglass vs terracotta pots: which lasts in South Africa?

A frank comparison of terracotta, plastic, fibreglass and concrete pots in South African sun, wind and frost, with a clear recommendation for each situation.

Black hand-cast concrete ball chairs and table on a covered patio

Buying guide

Concrete garden furniture in South Africa: an honest buying guide

An honest guide to choosing concrete garden furniture for South African conditions, from pieces and comfort to placement, care and the weight trade-off.