Blog Posts under "Plants"

We had a lovely warm evening last night, ahead of a massive cold front  and at sunset  the air had a peculiarly sharp quality to it. I was wandering around the garden and realised just how much pink and mauve there is in my garden at this time of the year.  I am unable to lay this out too well – waiting for my web developers to get a spare moment – so I have had to make my comments on the photos. Unfortunately my camera battery was fading and so was the light, so I blurred a couple but I...

With the revival of interest in growing succulents, there has been a flurry of magazine articles, books and TV programmes about how to go about creating a succulent garden. Innovative ideas are presented and glossy pictures illustrate stunning views of pristine gardens, rich with amazing specimens, sculptures and boulders, with spaces and pathways covered with a variety of coloured stones and gravel. The optional word here being 'rich'. Little or no attention is given to the average gardener...

Grow Proteas from seed? I quailed at the thought. Nevertheless I sallied forth and collected seeds from the Proteas in my garden. This was a mistake - I knew little about what would be viable seed and my results were somewhat disappointing. Not to be put off, I bought seed and tried again. Success? A little. Learning? Read on...

Africa is growing desert like never before in recorded history, and there seems little hope that this trend will be stemmed anytime in the near future. Traditional gardening with leafy water gluttons is a thing of the past  with succulents winning increased popularity around the world.

There is always some confusion as to which Lantanas are invasive aliens and which may be safely grown in South Africa. Despite some disquieting reports of nurseries claiming that the Lantana they are selling is indigenous to South Africa, I have yet to see any indigenous Lantanas on sale at any nursery I have visited or researched. I do hope the following will help to clarify the matter.

I found this little pea flower growing in dry, stony soil at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, in semi-karoid scrub.