Kumbula Blog

I found this delightful mantid, (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergi), while collecting seeds from a Leonotis leonorus.  According to the Field Guide to Insects of Southern Africa, this is much further south than their natural distribution area.

We all know what a well-cared-for garden looks like: beds neatly dug, leaves banished to black bags, and large areas of  lawn with shrubbery arranged around the edges.  But times have changed. Weather conditions and increase ecological awareness have resulted in a shift in the way we garden. The good news is that an ecologically sound approach is also the road to low maintenance gardening.

Even if you're just starting out with indigenous gardening, you have probably already come across these buzz words and possibly have been as confused as I was when I started out.

When I first came to the Eastern Cape I noticed that some of my aloes developed a black rot in the center of the crown and this invariably led to the death of the plant. Initially I thought this was caused by some sort of disease, until I dug a little deeper.

Some of the most rewarding delights for the gardener are those found close to the ground.