As seen on page 132 in the VISI Spring issue (74), the colour green can refresh a space in no time. We thought we’d find a few more items to spruce up your space this season.

1. Amsterdam Lamp in Green R2 816, Newport Lighting at Africandy.com

2. Square Stoneware Heritage Dish with Lid in Palm R798, Le Creuset

3. Grass Vase (Large) R799.95, Normann Copenhagen at Entrepo

4. Asplenium Nidus Indoor Circumference Ball (Medium) R370, Opus Studio

5. Recycled Glass Vase (Hierba) in Smooth Olive R119, Weylandts

6. Tall Pincushion Cushion Cover R300, Skinny laMinx

7. Felt Flower Placemats R19.99 each, Mr Price Home

8. Woods Keyboard Reminders R59, Peleg Design at Superbalist.com

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If you turn to page 150 in the Spring Issue of VISI (74), you’ll find our feature on GROWbags, Cape Town’s very own handmade planters. A portion of the proceeds of each sale go towards Soil For Life, a local NGO that helps people grow their own food in a low-cost, eco-friendly way.

With gardening at the top of our agenda this season, we thought we’d chat to the clever team at GROWbag for their suggestions on which vegetables and herbs you should be planting. There are loads of options to choose from, but here’s 5 useful herbs and 5 everyday veggies you can grow in a planter at home.

HERBS

1. Rocket

When To Plant: All year

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 4 – 5 weeks

How To: Scatter seeds on top of the soil in your bag. Sprinkle a small amount of soil on top of the seeds. Water directly after seeding, then regularly to keep soil moist.

2. Rosemary

When To Plant: September to February (cuttings in winter)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: Immediate

How To: Put in light, sandy soil where you want your plant to grow or start in small pots and plant out when established. Space plants 100 – 150cm apart. Dryness suits rosemary, so well-drained soil and sunshine will be best. Once established rosemary can be harvested all year round. Small cuttings are recommended.

3. Coriander

When To Plant: September to February

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 30 – 45 days

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants from thin to 45cm. Grows to about 60cm. Coriander is frost tender but it doesn’t like extreme heat. Needs a sunny spot and mulch to prevent drying out. Keep very well watered. If they dry out, then they will bolt to seed.

4. Basil

When To Plant: September to April

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 10 – 12 weeks

How To: Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants 20 – 25cm apart. Pick before flowering. As the plant develops, pinch out the top and pick off flowers to encourage growth. Place inside to protect in winter.

5. Parsley

When To Plant: September to June

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: Takes a long time to germinate. It’ll be about 3 – 5 weeks before the seedlings appear.

How To: Space plants 20 – 30cm apart. Grows to about 20 – 30cm until it flowers when the stems will shoot up to about 1m.

VEGETABLES

1. Tomatoes

When To Plant: August to December

Difficulty Level: Medium

Harvest Time: 8 – 17 weeks

How To: Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks / or use seedlings. Mulch to protect soil from drying out. Space plants 50cm apart. Water regularly to keep soil moist. Feed regularly with natural fertiliser when you water.

2. Beetroot

When To Plant: July to November / February to April

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 7 – 10 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Space plants 20 – 30cm apart. Soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting so that you can separate the seeds. Keep well-watered as dry beetroot develops a woody and inedible core. Make sure the top of the beet’s bulb is covered with soil; this keeps the entire bulb the same color and prevents ‘corkiness’ at the top of the bulb.” For tasty and tender beetroot, start harvesting at golfball-size.

3. Courgette (Zucchini/Marrow)

When To Plant: August to January

Difficulty Level: Medium

Harvest Time: 6 – 9 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed and plant out in 4 – 6 weeks. Space plants 50 – 90cm apart. Cut the fruit often to keep plant producing. Plant into well composted bed and mulch. Needs regular plentiful water.

4. Spring Onions

When To Plant: All year round

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 8 – 12 weeks (before fully mature)

How To: Sow in rows with the seeds close together. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Water well after planting the seeds, then regularly to keep soil moist. Once spring onion seedlings are out, mulch to protect soil from drying out.

5. Carrots

When To Plant: All year round

Difficulty Level: Easy

Harvest Time: 12 – 18 weeks

How To: Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Water well before and after planting the seeds, then regularly to keep soil moist. Space seeds 15cm apart. Carrots take about 3 weeks to show themselves. Once carrot seedlings are out, mulch to protect soil from drying out. Grows well in cool, deep soil.

For more information about GROWbag, visit growbag.co.za and check out page 150 in VISI 74. Also note, Soil For Life runs Grow To Live weekend workshops that will teach you everything from how to plan your own veggie garden to using natural fertilisers. Visit soilforlife.co.za for more information.

The post TIPS: Growing Your Own Herbs and Veggies appeared first on Visi.

We were so charmed by the fresh and flowery wallpaper that’s brightening up the new VISI Spring Issue cover, that we visited its creator Cara, of Cara Saven Photography, to see what other lovely wall adornments she has to show. Here are our favourite prints. Enjoy!

See more wallpaper designs at carasavenphotography.com

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You might have spotted Grace Ciao’s exquisite illustrations on page 143 in the Spring Issue of VISI (74). We couldn’t help but share a few more with you.

At the tender age of 22, Singapore-based Grace Ciao is making a name for herself as an illustrator in the fashion industry. What makes her stand out is that she incorporates actual flower petals into her drawings.

How did this all come about? “Interestingly, my blending of flowers with fashion stemmed from a purely accidental episode,” says Grace. “It so happened that I was working on one of my illustrations one day and a semi-wilting rose on my desk caught my attention. It was really pretty initially and I found it a pity that its beauty was so short-lived. It was then that the idea of immortalising their elegance struck me. Wanting to preserve their beauty, I quickly began adding them to the illustrations I was composing and to my pleasant surprise, they turned out pretty decent!”

Grace believes that petals work well for illustration because their delicacy mimics soft fabrics. “For instance,” she explains, “the gentle, fabric-like quality of roses allows me to create folds for flare skirts.”

We think her designs are just beautiful.

Find out more about Grace’s whimsical work at graceciao.com.

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Charl Edwards, who gave us a sneak peek into his home in VISI 74, is one of the most obsessive igers we know. We convinced him to put this obsession to good use by sharing his collection of objects and trinkets with us.

It wouldn’t be fair to call art director Charl Edwards a hoarder – although he definitely has a bit of the compulsive collector gene going on. But Charl’s collection is expertly curated, the clusters of objects arranged in his Tamboerskloof home are artfully arranged by theme, colour or type. Charl compiled an Insta-exhibition of some of these objects especially for VISI, and told us some of the stories behind the things he hunts down and gathers.

For more on Charl’s home and to see the spaces of seven other young Cape Town creatives, get your hands on a copy of VISI 74, in stores now. You can also follow Charl on Instagram (@charl_edwards).

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There’s so much happening in this issue that it would be impossible for us to choose any favourites. From an inside look into the trendy spaces inhabited by eight young Capetonian creatives (page 14) to 31 Reasons To Go With Flowers (page 124), there’s loads for you to feast your eyes on. Not to mention the beautiful imagery of magnificent ballerinas (page 106), minimalist pavilions (page 40), cool caravans (page 74), wellness centres (page 51) and country cottages (page 58), to name a few.

Plus, to celebrate our Instagram launch (follow us: @visi_mag!) we’re giving away three coveted hampers from Skinny laMinx’s latest range worth R500 each. All you need to do is tag a pic of your own paradise (be it your bedroom, your living room or your favourite spot on the patio) with #paradiseishere to stand a chance of winning.

We’re also running another cool competition where you could win a Hollywood dimmable LED dressing room mirror, worth R14 230. Tweet or instagram your best reflection pic (think mirrors, puddles, shopfronts) with #mirrormirror and you could win.

Make sure you get your hands on the latest issue of VISI today. It’s bright, it’s beautiful and it’s on sale now!

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.

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To celebrate our debut on Instagram we are giving you a chance to win one of three Skinny laMinx hampers, worth R500 each, filled with products from the brand-new Paradise is Here range.

Follow @visi_mag on Instagram and show us your personal paradise. Whether it’s your beautiful boudoir, a lovely living room or a sunny spot on your veranda, share a picture of your home with @visi_mag and tag it #paradiseishere. Our three favourite pictures will be rewarded with the hampers.

While you’re at it, get 5 top tips from Skinny laMinx’s very own Heather Moore on p.144 and p.145 in the new Spring Issue of VISI (74).

Have fun, and good luck!

Competition closes on 10 November 2014.

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