Gratitude in the garden

 

Nothing quite stands at attention like Chlorophytum (Hen & Chicks) after a good soaking. Had some more rain this afternoon and the gratitude emanating from the Hen & Chicks was almost palpable.

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When life is loud

 

When life is loud - let the sun find you. This was my thought when I saw my Aloe vera drinking in the sunshine after a much-needed downpour.  We get a lot of rain here on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu Natal (South Africa), but the extreme tropical heat in between showers is hard on even a succulent garden.

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Trees teach you

 

Trees teach you that growth requires patience. For almost a year I've been watching this tree, just outside my garden fence, take root and grow into a beautiful, tropical-looking specimen. I have no idea what it is, but it's a welcome addition to the view from my bedroom window.

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The garden is smiling again

 

After two weeks of sweltering 34°C heat, a day of welcome 20mm rain and the garden is smiliing again. I know succulents are drought resistant, or they're supposed to be, but it's amazing how they thrive after a downpour.

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Something uninvited

An unknown (uninvited) newcomer to my garden - don't know if it's a weed or whether it's a tree - I guess time will tell. But if uninvited "visitors" keep showing up (like the Juncus - common Rush - top right) I'll have to start rethinking my "succulent garden" category ...

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Re-potting after neglect

I've just freshened up this pot of succulents which was standing in the garden. When I tested the ground it was a hard as concrete, I really don't know HOW they've managed to survive!

First I watered the pot heavily to soften the ground. I gently removed each plant, cut off dead and old pieces and carefully laying them down in the shade so as not to damage them. I then put in a mix of potting soil and garden soil with pebbles at the bottom to aid draining and re-planted most of them, leaving some space for new growth. An Aloe at the back with the Aeoniums next to it and in front added the Crassula and the Echinopsis cactus with a few crystal pebbles as decoration.

I'm just wondering if the red tinges on the Aeoniums is a bad sign or not? They're normally as green as grass... But they all seem none the worse for the wear and neglect, that pot has been standing there on the little table for over a year without any attention and just the odd watering.

 Neglected and forlorn somewhere in the garden...

A new resolution - I promise to spend more time with you, my darling succulents!

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Cotyledon orbiculata

Family: Crassulaceae
Common names: pig's ear (Eng.); plakkie, platjies, varkoorblare, varkoor, kouterie (Afr.)

I was lucky enough to find this lovely specimen at Sterlig Nursery in Roodepoort in January. It will be spending the winter inside with some of my other succulents and then, in spring, go into the new rock garden I'm planning.

This succulent plant has thick leaves which may vary from green to grey, often with a red line around the margin. Cotyledon orbiculata has five varieties, based on differences in leaf and flower shape. The variability of leaf size, shape and colour is also influenced by the immediate environment. Selected forms in cultivation have been given names such as 'Elk Horns' or 'Silver Waves'.

Flowering time is mostly in winter from June-August, but in the winter rainfall areas such as the Western Cape, it is often in midsummer. The colourful, hanging, tubular/bell-shaped flowers are carried in clusters on the ends of an elongated flower stalk. They are mostly orange-red , but yellow flowering forms are also occasionally found (Ernst van Jaarsveld pers. comm.).

Distribution

Cotyledon orbiculata is widespread throughout South Africa, but is usually confined to rocky outcrops in grassland fynbos and karoo regions. Black frost will damage the flowers, if planted in an unprotected spot, but the plant itself will tolerate moderate frosts.

Ecology

The brightly coloured flowers attract bees and birds, which feed on the nectar of the plant. The silver-grey leaves of some forms owe much of their attractive colouring to a powdery white coating which may assist in reflecting much of the sun's heat to prevent excessive water loss from the thick succulent leaves.

Uses and cultural aspects

This is a well-known medicinal plant. The fleshy part of the leaf is applied by many South Africans to soften and remove hard corns and warts. The Southern Sotho use a dried leaf as a protective charm for an orphan child and as a plaything. In the Willowmore District, the heated leaf is used as a poultice for boils and other accessible inflammations, in particular, earache.

Growing Cotyledon orbiculata
This is an easy to grow plant suitable for a number of places in the garden. Cotyledon orbiculata is an ideal plant for the rockery, but also grows well as a pot plant placed on a veranda (stoep). It will also add texture and form to the well-drained flower border. When planted as a pot plant, good drainage is important. It is often found in full sun, but also grows well in semi-shade under trees. This is an ideal plant for the water-wise gardener.

Plants may be grown from seed, but take care in the early stages not to over-water. The best time to sow the seed is in spring, and they should be kept moist, not waterlogged. Once the seedlings have reached 20-40 mm they can be transplanted.
Taking tip cuttings is the fastest method of increasing plant numbers; they must be kept fairly dry to prevent rotting. Once the tip cuttings have rooted they can be transplanted in a medium of 2 parts gravel to 1 part compost.

This plant has few pests, but it may be attacked by snails in the garden.

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Crassula Perfoliata falcata - Propeller plant

When I acquired my Crassula falcata, I was prepared to wait for a long time for it to flower. I was told that a young plant takes ages to flower, but just two months later, I was blessed with the first bud!

Endemic to South Africa, from the Cape Province, they grow to approx. 2 feet (0.61m) tall. The blossom started off with a light pink but soon turned into a sparkling, striking red.

Soon I was rewarded with this beautiful flower!

The flower is actually quite heavy and soon leaned horizontal and I was scared it might break off. But turning it to face the sun solved the problem as the plant reacted quite well and started to get up straight again.

The bloom started fading during summer and I'm looking forward to some more lovely flowers!

Crassula falcata plants grow to 2 feet tall. Their small scarlet red flowers grow in a large cluster, rising dramatically above the plants' leaves in summer, giving a beautiful showing for 6-8 weeks. They flower smells like cinnamon and can bloom twice per year, attracting birds and other pollinators.

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July garden up-date

Crassula multicava

We're nearing the end of winter here in the Southern Hemisphere and having a mostly-succulent garden ensures some much-needed colour and nectar/food for wildlife as well as host plants for insects to lay their eggs when really needed.

Chlorophytum comosum (Hen & Chicks), also known as Spider plant.

Crassula Multicava and Asparagus fern

A young Aloe vera which took root in the garden from a dropped seed.

In the middle of June i cut these Leather-leaf ferns right down and a month later, with a bit of rain, it is prouting beautifully.

The Fairy crassula (Crassula multicava) makes a beautiful edging plant, especially whenit flowers towards the end of winter.

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Evening gardening

 

I love being in the garden just after sunset when it's cooler (the Coastal heat can really get to me) and I think the plants agree. 

Even the Chlorophytum (Hen & Chicks or Spider Plant) is perky and opened up after looking very withered and dried up this afternoon. The Spekboom in the back-ground has grown beautifully tall over the last 2 years, and maybe soon I'll have some shade in this hot, West-facing garden.

Coral Aloe (Aloe striata) in a pot and Mother-in-Law's Tongue in the back-ground.

The thick wide leaves of the Coral Aloe are smoother than the more typically serrated or spined varieties typically found on aloe species. Flowering in the later winter and early spring months, the eye-catching coral red blooming inflorescences bring colour to a garden when it's needed most.

It forms in clumps and usually won't grow higher than tree feet in height. Unlike many aloes, it's a solitary species that doesn't grow offsets that can be replanted, therefore it makes an excellent pot subject. It seems to be very slow=growing and I'm really looking forward to the day it flowers.

(Pics taken with iPhone 11 Pro)

Echeveria harmsii

Family : Crassulaceae
Botanical Name : ECHEVERIA harmsii
Plant Common Name : Plush Plant

This soft little fuzzy succulent has beautiful leaf color that adds interest to small gardens and pots. It is a rosette-forming species that hails from northern Mexico. This evergreen forms small asymmetrical rosettes comprised of fleshy, football-shaped leaves with a burnished-red cast along the leaf edges. The rosette will occasionally send out pups, or lateral plantlets. As these accumulate, the plant develops a mound-like habit.

This succulent has large, beautiful flowers, but it is not a heavy bloomer. In spring it sends up stems topped with orange, bell-shaped flowers with golden throats. Each stem may include many flowers that open at different times for a longer season of colour. The blooms are highly attractive to hummingbirds.
Like most succulents, this plant prefers full sun and needs very porous soil, whether grown in a pot or a frost free rock garden. As plants age, they grow rangy but this can easily be remedied with careful pruning. The cuttings root easily in moist sand. Watering should be done sparingly as this is a very drought tolerant plant. Feed it occasionally from spring to summer occasionally with a liquid fertilizer solution at half strength.

This one started flowering shortly after I put out out in the sun in January, but I have just brought in for the winter as I'm not sure how it will handle the frost we get here.

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Carpobrotus

I used to have stretches of this wonderful ground-cover in my last garden. This easy-to-grow succulent, native to South Africa, is a wonderful ground-cover, ideal for low-maintenance and water-wise gardens. I have a few stems peeping through from the other side of my picket fence and it's flowering at the moment. If I had space, I would propagate some for the garden, but unless I clear up some of the Callisia repens, it's not going to happen.

Carpobrotus leaves are eaten by tortoises. Puff-adders and other snakes such as the Cape Cobra are often found in Carpobrotus clumps where they ambush the small rodents that are attracted by the fruits. Flowers are pollinated by solitary bees, honey bees, carpenter bees and many beetle species. Flowers are eaten by antelopes and baboons. The clumps provide shelter for snails, lizards and skinks, so it’s a wonderful plant to have if you want to attract wildlife to your garden.

CARPOBROTUS C. acinaciformis (sour fig, elandsvy, goenavy, Hotnotsvy, strandvy, suurvy ) has purple flowers, robust, short, greyish green, sabre-shaped leaves and tasty edible fruits, used to make a delicious jam, and grows in coastal sands usually close to the sea, in the Western Cape, from Saldanha to Mossel Bay (South Africa).

Carpobrotus juice (from leaves) can be used as a mild astringent. When mixed with water the juice can be used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach cramps. It can also be used as a gargle for sore throat and laryngitis, and mild bacterial infections of the mouth. The leaf juice can also be used externally, much like Aloe Vera for burns, abrasions, open cuts, grazes, mosquito bites and sunburn. It is also used to treat ringworm, eczema, dermatitis, herpes, thrush, cold sores, cracked lips, chafing, skin conditions and allergies.
Info from Wikipedia

 
CONSERVATION STATUS 
Carpobrotus edulis is not regarded as threatened in its native habitat, but it is invading natural areas in other parts of the world and threatening the survival of other species. In California, where it has been used since the early 1900s to stabilize the soil along railway tracks and roadsides and as a garden ornamental, it has naturalized and is invading coastal vegetation from north of Eureka to Rosarita Bay. It is known as the highway ice plant in the USA. It has naturalized along the west coast of Australia from Perth to Albany where it was also used for soil stabilization and is known as pigface. It has naturalized in parts of the Mediterranean and on the south coast of England.

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Spider plant

Bottom left corner—Tradescantia and opposite it, some Hen & Chicks (also known as Spider plant). Behind that, one of my Spekboom (Portulacaria afra).

I read somewhere that the Spider plant, or Chlorophytum comosum, symbolizes fertility, good energy, and prosperity. Yay! 

I also read that Spider plants may suffer from infestations like scales, aphids, mites and whiteflies. Luckily, in all the years I have had Hen & Chicks in my gardens, I’ve never experienced any of those infestations. 

(Photograph taken at night with iPhone 11 Pro)

In the garden - I drop my thoughts here and there

In the garden

I tend to drop my thoughts

here and there.

To the flowers

I whisper

the secrets I keep

and the hopes

I breathe.

I know they are there

to eavesdrop

for the angels.

I have this lovely little fern that just sprouted on its own, possibly Leatherleaf Fern (Rumohra adiantiformis). I might have to remove some of the paving to give it space to spread. I just LOVE ferns! 

Origin: Australasia, South America, South Africa. Also known as Knysna Fern, Seven Week Fern, Seweweeksvaring (in Afrikaans).

Some grown-up Leatherleafs. Hopefully mine will look as good one day ...

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Shade-loving Aloe zebrina

Family : Asphodelaceae
Common names : zebra leaf aloe, spotted aloe

As soon as I get some shade going in my ‘new’ garden, this will be one of the first Aloes I will be getting. Also on my list, but for full sun, is Aloe ferox, not often seen here on the coast, so I think the only solution would be to ‘import’ one from somebody in Gauteng. Hoor jy my, Rita Gouws Bester? ☺️
Aloe zebrina is a small, variable, stemless compact succulent. The succulent leaves of Aloe zebrina are densely clustered into a rosette and have a slightly channelled upper surface. The colour of the leaves varies greatly but they are usually green and marked with large oblong whitish spots; the margins are armed with stout, brown-tipped teeth and the leaf tips are dark red to brown. It has pale but striking coral-coloured tubular flowers that occur in rather sparse inflorescences. The fruit is a dehiscing capsule with many seeds. Seeds are dark-coloured and broadly winged, which assists in dispersal.
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Aloe zebrina is widespread in northern South Africa and is also widely distributed in Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and is not listed as threatened, mainly due to its wide distribution.

The habitat of Aloe zebrina is normally dry thickets and may include marshy meadows on river banks. It suckers freely and therefore forms dense groups. Blooms are mainly found from February to May, but also June to August. The pollination is performed by birds and this aloe does equally well in shade or full sun.

In north-western Botswana, the roots of Aloe zebrina are among the main dyes for the Hyphaene palm fibres, which are used in weaving baskets, to give them a golden-yellow colour. The method was adopted for wool dyeing by European settlers who modified it to create better colours with other metallic mordants. The roots can easily be collected on a sustainable basis because of the plant's ability to readily form new roots.

The people along the Kunene River in Angola prepare cakes from the pressed and boiled flowers. The powdered stem and leaf bases are taken medicinally by women after delivery to cleanse their system. The (bitter) juice of many Aloe species is used as a disinfectant for wounds, as worm expellant and also to treat skin problems.

Aloe zebrina has potential for cultivation in arid to semi-arid, frost-free locations.

Aloe zebrina flowers against a background of Marigolds.

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