Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise)

(Pic taken with my iPhone 6s Plus in Sheffield, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal)

Strelitzia reginae, the crane flower or bird of paradise, is indigenous to South Africa. An evergreen perennial, it is widely cultivated for its dramatic flowers. In temperate areas it is a popular houseplant.

(Pic taken with my iPhone 6s Plus in Sheffield, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal)

 

After many, many attempts of growing this beautiful plant in my previous garden in Tarlton, Gauteng (South Africa) and having it frosted down to the ground every year until it succumbed to the cold winters, I am now totally surrounded by masses of these plants here in Ballito. I just can not get enough of looking at the intricacies of the flower, it truly could be a bird of paradise and take to the skies any minute!

Strelitzia reginae is one the most popular horticultural perennials around the world. It flowers for long periods with its vivid orange and bright purple/blue inflorescence and is an ideal pot plant and cut flower subject. The inflorescence stalk is 700 mm tall with 4-6 flowers that emerge in succession in a boat-shaped spathe ± 200 mm long, producing a mucilaginous substance when in bloom. The flowers have orange sepals and blue/purple petals (May to December). 

It occurs naturally only in South Africa along the eastern coast from Humansdorp to northern KwaZulu-Natal in coastal bush and thicket. It grows along river banks in full sun, however sometimes it occurs and flowers on margins of forest in shade.

Bees are common visitors when the spathe is in flower. Sunbirds may be the pollinator, but this has still to be proven. The role of sunbirds in Strelitzia pollination needs to be investigated, as they have been observed "robbing" the flowers by taking nectar but by-passing the pollination mechanism. Birds eat and disperse the seed. In nature, where its distribution overlaps with that of  S. juncea, in the Humansdorp District, they hybridise easily.
(This info from SANBI)

It is regarded as a perennial herb by the abakwaMthethwa clan in KwaZulu-Natal, who use the strained concoctions from the inflorescence to treat inflamed glands and venereal diseases. The seeds are also used in the Cape to sour milk.

Read more about Growing Strelitzia reginae here.

Special Features of Strelitzia reginae :

Attracts birds

Drought resistant

Feature plant

Good pot plant

Medical plant

Useful plant

Feeds honeybees

 

Strelitzia nicolai

(Camera Canon EOS 550D - Sheffield, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa)

The Natal Wild Banana (Strelitzia nicolai) grows up to 12m high and 4m wide. It is an evergreen tree with multi-stems that form dense clumps.

Taken in my garden, Sheffield, Ballito, South Africa

The stem is woody and smooth in texture. It is light to dark grey and marked with old leaf scars. Attached to the stem by long, thick leaf stalks are the enormous, opposite leaves that are shiny and grey-green, with blades capable of reaching up to 2m in length. These tear in the wind and come to resemble giant feathers.

Camera Canon EOS 550D - Sheffield, Ballito, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

The inflorescence is composed of a dark blue bract, white sepals and a bluish-purple "tongue". The entire flower can be as much as 18 cm (7.1 in) high by 45 cm (18 in) long and is typically held just above the point where the leaf fan emerges from the stem. Flowers are followed by triangular seed capsules.

Pic from Wikipedia

The flower of the Natal Wild Banana is a typical Crane Flower inflorescence, up to 500 mm long. The flowers of this tree have white sepals with blue petals and consist of 5 purplish blue, boat-shape sheaths.The whole flower resembles the head of the bird, with a white crest and purple beak. The tree flowers throughout the year with a peak in spring-summer. The inflorescence is compound (more than one flower).

The seeds are black in colour, with a tuft of a bright orange woolly aril on the lobe. They are produced mostly in autumn and winter, March to July. The easiest way to propagate this tree is from root suckers, but it will also grow from seed.

Restricted to evergreen coastal forest and thicket of eastern South Africa from the Great Fish River northwards to Richards Bay. It is also considered native to Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and is reportedly naturalized in eastern Mexico.

Strelitzia Nicolai is among the few plants which have been verified to contain the pigment bilirubin, which is usually found in animals.

Water-wise gardening

Image credit

If you are into conservation and in particular water conservation, I have found this great article on water-wise gardening on the Indigenous Gardener's website. The article states that, "While some indigenous and water-wise species are indeed adapted to drought, the way that we water (too frequently, not deeply) prevents them from developing strong, deep root systems. Instead of ‘making rain’ with our irrigation systems – giving a long deep watering - we wet the leaves, mist the atmosphere and moisten the top few centimeters of soil – only to have most of it evaporate soon after. Crazy, isn’t it? When one considers that most gardeners are using treated potable water on their gardens, it becomes even more incomprehensible. Imagine emptying 500 bottles of mineral water in one area of your garden – this is the typical water-use of ONE station of shrub sprayers.

Clearly, it is time for a major rethink.

The article answers questions like "What is a water-wise garden?", what to plant, our relationship with water, saving and storing water and tips on planting, watering and maintenance of a water-wise garden.

Image credit

A key aspect of water-wise gardening is changing our expectations and embracing a more natural style of gardening. Instead of aspiring to artificial lushness and green lawns all year round, we can embrace the seasonal changes of colour and texture that are typical of the landscape we live in.

There is a misconception that indigenous plants (i.e. South African plants) are water-wise. Nothing could be further from the truth! Summer rainfall species such as Plectranthus require regular water in summer to flower. However local plants (i.e. those indigenous to your specific area) are likely to survive and thrive on natural rainfall. These are prime water-wise candidates, and you would do well to choose from this palette. Making a garden that doesn’t need watering is both rewarding and extremely satisfying.

Us gardeners are part of the conservation fraternity of the world. We are very aware of and spread the word about the importance of saving our vanishing fauna and flora. A garden of native plants not facing risk of extinction can be a beautiful way to celebrate local natural heritage.

Water conservation plays a big part in all of this, so head on over to the article for the full story!

Aloe striatula

Family: Aloaceae
Genus: Aloe (AL-oh)
Species: striatula (stree-AT-yew-luh)

  
From the wilds of South Africa comes this amazing species with upright stalks of 1" wide, dark green foliage. In warmer climates, the stalks can reach in excess of 3' tall. The larger stalks tend to arch outward with age due to excess weight...as do we(he he!). In early summer, the clumps are topped with amazing scapes of orange-yellow bells. This is one for the plant nut who likes to push the limits of hardiness.

Aloe striatula is a strong-growing climbing aloe whose native habitat is in mountain tops south of the Karoo region of South Africa. A tough and hardy plant, Aloe striatula is popular in gardens throughout the world. It can grow to a 6 feet tall shrub.

Aloe striatula gets its name from its distinguishing markings -- dark green stripes on its stems and leaf sheathes, in Latin "striatula" means "striped". Also known as the “Coral Aloe”, Aloe striatula is quite cold and heat tolerant. Its leaves are thin, dark green and strongly recurved, with small white teeth on their margins.

Aloe striatula is one of the hardiest aloes, and will tolerate much colder temperatures than most Aloes, including frost and even some snow, but it prefers full sun and well-drained soil. In the Eastern Cape it is often planted along the boundaries of kraals, as it naturally forms a well-shaped and hardy hedge. Like other climbing aloes, it can easily be propagated by cuttings (truncheons) as well as by seed.

The brilliant yellow inflorescence emerges in late fall through winter and rises above the foliage.

When planting in the garden you will need to provide Aloe striatula with a free-draining soil as it can be prone to attack from fungal infections if the roots become too wet. Dig in plenty of horticultural grit and sand to the soil of required but avoid planting in heavy soils or soils that are prone to water logging.

If suitable ground does not exist then consider planting into a pre-formed mound of free-draining soil, a raised bed or even a suitably sized container. For the container, use a good quality compost but with a 50:50 mix of horticultural grit and sand.

Although closest to the rare and unique Aloe commixta of Table Mountain, Aloe striatula is part of a whole group of related climbing aloes that grow throughout Southern Africa, the "Macrifoliae" Aloes. Other species in this group are: Aloe ciliaris, Aloe tenuior, Aloe gracilis, Aloe juddii, Aloe decumbens, and of course commixta and striatula itself.

.

It's Agapanthus time!

Every summer I look forward to the few Agapanthus (A. praecox) that I have, flowering. I say “few”, because I struggle to grow these beauties in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) – too much shade. I have found that they prefer full sun and not too much water.

The evergreen species is indigenous to the winter rainfall Western Cape and all-year rainfall Eastern Cape and shed a few of their old outer leaves every year and replace them with new leaves from the apex of the growing shoot. The deciduous species come from the summer rainfall Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Free State, Lesotho, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Mozambique, and grow rapidly in spring with the onset of the rains, and then lose their leaves completely and lie dormant during winter.

Agapanthus species are easily able to hybridize with each other, particularly when grown in close proximity and as a result, a bewildering array of garden hybrids have arisen.

Insects just absolutely love Agapanthus and the Agapanthus is undoubtedly one of our indigenous botanical treasures. It has been exported to all corners of the earth, but occurs naturally only in Southern Africa, where it grows in the wild in all our provinces except the Northern Cape, as well as in Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.

I doubt that there is a South African gardener alive that has not come across an Agapanthus somewhere! They line our roads, and are in most gardens and parks, from the tall globular-headed ones to the ever-shrinking dwarf cultivars now available at garden centres. This one above is the smaller praecox minimus species I have in my bathroom court-yard garden.

Here's to another bloomin' blue summer!

.

Hen-and-Chickens - Chlorophytum comosum

Chlorophytum comosum, often called the spider plant, airplane plant or hen-and-chickens, is a flowering perennial herb. It is native to tropical and Southern Africa, but has become naturalised in other parts of the world, including western Australia. Chlorophytum comosum is easy to grow as a house-plant; variegated forms are the most popular.

Chlorophytum comosum grows to about 60 centimetres (24in) high. It has fleshy, tuberous roots, about 5–10 centimetres (2–4in) long. The long narrow leaves reach a length of 20–45 centimetres (8–18in) and are around 6–25 millimetres (0.2–1.0in) wide.

Flowers are produced in a long branched inflorescence, which can reach a length of up to 75 centimetres (30in) and eventually bends downwards. Flowers initially occur in clusters of 1–6 at intervals along the stem (scape) of the inflorescence. Each cluster is at the base of a bract, which ranges from 2–8 centimetres (0.8–3.1in) in length, becoming smaller towards the end of the inflorescence. Most of the flowers which are produced initially die off, so that the inflorescences are relatively sparsely flowered.

Individual flowers are greenish-white, borne on stalks (pedicels) some 4–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3in) long. Each flower has six three-veined tepals which are 6–9 millimetres (0.2–0.4in) long, slightly hooded or boat-shaped at their tips. The stamens consist of a pollen-producing anther about 3.5 millimetres (0.1in) long with a filament about the same length or slightly longer. The central style is 3–8 millimetres (0.1–0.3in) long. Seeds are produced in a capsule 3–8 millimetres (0.1–0.3in) long on stalks (pedicels) which lengthen to up to 12 millimetres (0.5in).

The inflorescences carry plant-lets at the tips of their branches, which eventually droop and touch the soil, developing adventitious roots. The stems (scapes) of the inflorescence are called "stolons" in some sources, but this term is more correctly used for stems which do not bear flowers, and have roots at the nodes.

Hen-and-chickens are easy to grow, being able to thrive in a wide range of conditions. They will tolerate temperatures down to 35°F (2°C), but grow best at temperatures between 65°F (18°C) and 90°F (32°C). I have found that they prefer a LOT of water in summer, less in winter. They are susceptible to frost but planting them under a tree where they are a bit protected helps a lot. They also do well in shade to semi-shade.

When in full sun they tend to be more yellow

A draw-back in my garden is that my chickens absolutely love them! When there's no green grass in winter for them to graze, the hen & chicks is high on their menu and these plants do not recover from clipping or being cut down, I've lost many a plant to my girls!

.

Earth's little gems - Gasteria glomerata

My newly-acquired Gasteria glomerata on the left sharing a pot with Huernia longituba

I acquired my Gasteria in February this year (2015) by way of an on-line auction on FaceBook and after winterizing inside my house for two months, I was thrilled to discover a small! flower soon after I put it outside at the beginning of spring. I just can't wait to see it fully open!

Gasteria glomerata is a stemless, compact succulent plant with an unspotted but slightly roughened grey-green leaf surface. Leaves grow in a single line (distichous), but the plant clumps up freely to make a mat. Already I see a baby peeping through on the left! It is native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
.

G. glomerata is a rare endemic confined to the lower Kouga River, now part of the Kouga Dam. Although it is rare, its status is not threatened at all due to its cliff face habitat and it is protected within a reserve. The seed is also dispersed world-wide and the plant is commonly grown in many collections. Its ease of propagation ensures that it is not necessary to collect plants from the wild.

The terrain of Gasteria glomerata is rugged, inhospitable and the plants occur on sheer, vertical, shady, south-facing rocky ledges (altitude 500-700 m), in minerally poor, slightly acid quartzitic sandstone soils. Gasteria glomerata is pollinated by sunbirds. Its fruiting capsule, opens from the top to release the flattish seeds. The fleshy leaves store water and are therefore drought tolerant, making this an ideal water-wise garden plant. Even though its habitat on the cliffs is very exposed, and is bone dry at times, the plants receive enough water from seepage for survival.
.

It is popular due to its horticultural value, and can be grown in small containers or in succulent plant gardens and is easily propagated from leaf cuttings or seed. It is a slow growing, but long-lived species. Leaf cuttings should first be allowed to dry and heal by placing them on a cool windowsill for at least three weeks. The basal part should preferably be treated with a fungicide. Plant the leaves in an erect position or lying on their side in sandy soil. Rooting is rapid and young plants can be harvested the following season.

.

Food from trees - The Kei Apple

(Dovyalis caffra)

The Kei Apple produces a bountiful crop of roundish, velvety, bright yellow fruits with thick succulent flesh. It was there for the taking by the birds and, what they do not not eat, falls to the ground to ferment, attracting fruit flies and eventually rotting down, returning nutrients to the soil.

The tree, Kei-apple, Dovyalis caffra, is well known all over the eastern parts of South Africa, common in open bush and wooded grassland, and often near termite mounds. It belongs to a cosmopolitan family, the Flacourtiaceae, which are all good, fruit-bearing shrubs or trees, very often armed with vicious spines, and its name derives from the Kei River where it grows in abundance as a thick, shiny, spiny shrub up to three metres in height. The branches are armed with straight, robust spines up to 7 cm long.

Last year my trees, I have three planted at my wildlife pond, also bore an abundance of fruit for the first time ever and I ascribe this to the fact that we get heavy frost here in Tarlton (South Africa). It has taken almost seven years for my trees to reach just over three meters tall and I was absolutely thrilled to have the fruit. Of course I had to try them but they really are too acidic, with a slight hint of sweetness, to enjoy on a full-time basis. And I'm therefore also not surprised at all that Torti, my Leopard Tortoise, did not touch any that had fallen on the floor. But they look really beautiful displayed in a dish!

Some trees may grow to nine metres with a thick crown of green foliage; these large specimens are often less spiny as the tree has put its energy into its bulk, rather than into thorn production. The tree is known by a variety of other names: Dingaan’s apricot, wild apricot, wilde-appelkoos, appelkoosdoring, um-Qokolo (Xhosa and Zulu) amongst others. Although it is indigenous to warmer areas, it will survive mild frost, and long periods of drought. It grows well in poor soils. The Kei-apple makes a worthwhile addition to your garden as it serves a multitude of purposes, not least of which as a source of food for humans and animals alike.

Fresh, ripe fruits are rich in Vitamin C and pectin and, following the example of the Pedi people who squeeze the juice onto their pap, they would make an excellent addition to a fruit salad and to muesli and yoghurt. Nature seems to know best when to give us the right foods to boost our immune systems in preparation for the onslaught of winter colds and ‘flu.

In addition, Egyptian scientists have also reportedly identified 15 different amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the fruit. Monkeys and baboons, antelope and birds recognise their health-giving qualities and devour them voraciously in the wild! Most people, however, consider the fruit too acid for eating out-of-hand, even when fully ripe.

So, cut the fruits in half, remove the peel and two rings of hairy seeds. Sprinkle with sugar and leave them to sit for a few hours before serving as a dessert, or adding to a fruit salad. The fruits can be cooked, but take only a few minutes of cooking before they turn into a sauce. Thicken this with a little crème fraiche and serve it over ice cream. Kei apples are more usually made into delicious jams and jellies or, when unripe, into pickles.

Kei-apple Jam

Because of the apples’ high level of acidity, no lemon juice need be added to the jam.
. .

• 450 g Kei apples, halved, peeled, de-seeded and thinly sliced
• 450 g white sugar
• Grated zest of one lemon (be careful not to include the bitter white pith)
• 1 teaspoon ground (or 1 large stick) cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon raisins, a bay leaf, 2 cloves – optional extras

.
Pack the sliced fruit into a jar, stand it in a saucepan of boiling water and let the apples stew for about 15 minutes, or until they start to become tender. Put the apples into a clean, heavy-bottomed pot, add the sugar and the grated lemon zest. Do not add the cinnamon if using ground cinnamon, because it will tend to become viscous when boiled.

Hardiness: A subtropical shrub or tree, capable of surviving temperatures to 20F.

Growing Environment: Kei apple's are both drought- and salt-tolerant and are often used as coastal landscaping shrubs.

Propagation: Usually by seed.

Plants bear in 4-5 years from seed.

Uses: Fruits are often sprinkled with sugar and eaten fresh. They can also be used in a variety of desserts.

Native Range: Native to the Kei River region of South West Africa, the Kei Apple has adapted to subtropical regions throughout the world and is sometimes planted for ornamental purposes in Florida, California, and Southern Europe.

Walking past this tree one has to be careful of the very hardy spines it produces, they can deliver painful pricks

:: 

Growing Clivias from seed

Clivia miniata
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Common names: Bush lily (English); Boslelie (Afrikaans)

My Clivias have grown so beautifully in the last couple of years that I've become interested in growing them from seed to try and expand my collection. From the original three plants, I now have ten. They've been clumping nicely and I will also try lifting some to transplant to another area in the garden.

The world's love affair with South Africa's Clivia began in the 1800's when specimens were sent back to England from Kwazulu-Natal. In Victorian times this beautiful plant was very popular for indoor use in England and Europe. The discovery of the yellow flowered Clivia miniata (C. miniata var. citrina) in the late 1800's fuelled an interest which still persists today.

Part of the fascination has been with the breeding of Clivia, both between the four species (C. nobilis, C. gardenii, C. caulescens, C. miniata ) and between forms and colours within the species. Breeders select for specific traits in each generation which produces pronounced qualities such as huge, broad petalled flowers, red, yellow or apricot coloration, broad leaves, fan shaped leaf arrangement, variegation, dwarfism and many others. Internationally, the most advanced breeding of Cliiva is happening in the Far East, most notably Japan.

Clivia miniata is a clump forming perennial with dark green, strap shaped leaves which arise from a fleshy underground stem. The flowering heads of brilliant orange (rarely yellow), trumpet shaped flowers appear mainly in spring (August to November) but also sporadically at other times of the year. The deep green shiny leaves are a perfect foil for the masses of orange flowers.

Clivias are endemic to Southern Africa, meaning that they do not occur naturally anywhere else in the world! The wild bush lily grows in the forests of Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Swaziland. The habitat may vary from subtropical coastal forest to ravines in high altitude forest. The bush lily grows in dappled shade, often in large colonies. The soil is well drained and humus rich. Occasionally they may be found growing in the fork of a tree.

Sadly, in many areas, colonies of wild bush lilies have been destroyed by harvesting for traditional medicine and also by plant collectors. The rhizomes are reportedly extremely toxic but are used medicinally for various purposes.

I have at last picked my fruit, which now seemed ready for harvesting and extracted some seeds from the soft pulp inside

Harvesting Seed
Pick the fruit as soon as it starts to change colour or when it turns soft. Open it carefully and remove all the soft pulp as well as the loose fitting membranes that keep the Clivia seeds together. This is quite a messy job and one's fingers can get quite slippery, so keep a cloth at hand to often wipe your hands. Clean the seeds properly and wash the seeds with an anti-fungal solution or a weak solution of dishwashing liquid. I used the dishwashing liquid.

Germinating Seeds
If the Clivia seed have not yet sprouted, put a teaspoon full of damp compost in a sealed plastic bag with a few seeds. Place the bag in a warm place or on top of your fridge, near the back where the warm air rises, to speed up sprouting.

Alternatively, place clean damp (not wet) coarse sand (river sand is ideal) in a plastic container. I opted for this method, but I used some potting soil, no river sand at hand, as I cannot seem to see that the seeds will be OK in a plastic bag!, although I did take a few and put them in a bag with a bit of damp soil to see what happens. and I covered my container with some plastic as I did not have a lid for it.

Press seeds 50% into sand making sure that the eye (small dark round spot on seeds where germination will take place) are facing to the side. Don't plant the seed under the soil surface.

Close the lid and place in warm spot for 1 to 3 weeks until the seed has germinated. Do not water again.

When the seeds have sprouted
Take a pot or seed tray, about 15cm deep and put a layer of small stones or coarse bark chips in the bottom. Fill the container with a slightly acid growing medium, such as equal parts of coarse river sand and finely milled bark or a potting mix available at nurseries. (Clivias are not very fussy).

Firmly press down the mix and water well. Then make small holes, at least 2cm apart, to take the little taproots. Gently press each seed into the medium so that half the seed rests below the surface. Handle the seeds very gently.

Place the pot in a shaded position and keep moist by watering once or twice a week with a fine gentle spray.

Seedlings can be left in the pot for up to two years and at the beginning of the third year can be transplanted into permanent pots (especially the yellow ones) or into the garden. Alternatively they can be moved into well-drained individual black bags or pots after one year, in fresh growing medium adding a small quantity of bone meal. (Use one teaspoonful on each 15cm pot). Miniata, Gardenii, Robusta and Caulescens seedlings should flower at three to four years old with slightly longer for the yellow varieties. In pots Clivias prefer a well drained, slightly acidic potting mix such as composted pine bark. If grown in the garden they grow in virtually any soil type with varying degree of success, provided that they are not over watered.

How to identify the Yellow seedlings
When the first leaf of the seedlings is about 2cm tall, you will be able to identify the yellow seedlings by looking at the stem. The stems that are green and show no colouring will produce yellow flowers. Mark these seedlings at this stage. This also applies to genuine peach seedlings.

On the other hand, if the stem has a purplish colour, you know the plant will not produce yellow or peach seedlings, but will be pastel, orange or red flowers. This purplish colour disappears when the seedlings are about two to three years old.

Position
Remember that Clivia do not like direct sun, so they MUST be planted in full shade or dappled sunlight. They flower better in lighter shade. A little early morning sun is acceptable.
Keep your “collector’s quality” plants in pots, which will allow you to move them around easily, they could be brought indoors for display or to show off when in full flower or displayed at a show.

This is what I'd like to aim for eventually, a large bed of just Clivias!

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY YOUR CLIVIA!!

(Some of the growing from seed information from CliviaPE)

.