Gardening in Africa: Going crazy for succulents!

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Going crazy for succulents!

This past summer I went totally crazy and purchased dozens of new succulents! My collection primarily consisted of Echeverias, some cacti and a few aloes. Now I have some new babies to look after and it's taking up a lot of my time, experimenting with sun and shade, how much water and learning all the names, where they grow naturally and generally just pampering and loving them!

Three Mammilleria cacti in small pots - to find exactly which specie each one is, is a nightmare!

Cotyledon orbiculata

Crassula arborescens ssp. undulatifolia - indigenous to South Africa

Crassula perfoliata ssp. falcata

Since I bought this Crassula in January 2015, it his just recently started producing a flower (2nd March 2015)! I believe this can take a while before it fully opens...

Flower as at 16th March 2015 - now I'm just waiting for the full blossoms!

A dish garden with mainly some Echeverias

Sedum rubrotinctum

Echeveria harmsii

Echeveria harmsii just starting to flower

This Cotyledon (Paddle plant) - Plakkie in Afrikaans - was a single leaf I "stole" from a pavement garden in Modderfontein and look at it now!

At the end of January, I participated in an on-line succulent auction on FaceBook and I was the highest bidder! I received my 25 beautiful little plants by courier in the first week of February and since then I've been keeping a close eye on each and every one, and last week I was rewarded with my first flowers from the Pleiospilos compactus!

Now the question is just whether I'm going to bring them inside for winterizing... At the moment most of them are under an overhanging tree on a stand on my patio where they get early morning sun and some late afternoon sun, so they might be protected from the very bad frost we sometimes get here. But I will be checking on them EVERY day to watch for any cold damage.

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Tool tip

Properly maintained quality garden tools are a joy to use and can last for generations. And, like most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Regularly cleaning and oiling your garden tools will prevent rust, keep them sharper, and allow the handles to stay strong. Start by giving your tools a good scrubbing to remove any mud and grit from the blades and handles. Dry with old towels, then set them aside overnight so they dry completely to avoid trapping moisture. Using a clean rag, apply lubricating oil to both the wooden handle and the metal blade. Rub the oil into the surface then wipe off any excess. The oil will help prevent rust and condition the wood to keep it from absorbing water and prevent cracking. After the handle has dried, apply a second coat of oil to the wood if needed. Tools with fiberglass or composite handles will only need a good cleaning.

Wildlife Tips

PUT UP AN OWL BOX : Owls aren't common garden visitors for most, but if you know they are around, it's worth providing extra nesting sites. General Owl boxes are bigger than ordinary bird boxes. They're shaped according to the needs of the species. Barn owl boxes are large and square, or sometimes triangular, with a ledge outside the entrance for young owls to stand on. Barn owls like to nest in a solitary tree on the edge of woodland, between 3 and 5m above the ground. Keep out cold drafts by facing all owl boxes away from prevailing winds. It also makes it easier for parents to fly to the entrance. If you fix the owl box to a tree, use a strap to keep it in place so you don’t damage the trunk. As with all nest boxes, do not disturb the box for cleaning until you are sure that the young have left. Tawny owls in particular can be aggressive when protecting their young. Don’t be disappointed if your box stays empty for the first year. Birds often choose a nesting site during the autumn, winter or early spring. Leave the box where it is for the winter and it could be a nice dry place for birds to roost when the weather’s bad. Please do not unnecessarily disturb the birds and never remove any eggs from the nest.

Leave those leaves! I know many gardeners don't like the 'messy' look of fallen leaves, but they have a lot of benefit to wildlife and your garden. Many wildlife species live in or rely on the leaf layer to find food and other habitat, including toads, shrews, earthworms and many insect species. From a gardening perspective, fallen leaves offer a double benefit. Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and at the same time fertilize the soil as they break down. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own?

More about me

I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not.

- W.C. Sellar

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Sunday, 19 April 2015

Going crazy for succulents!