It’s never too late to plant a tree

Celtis africana (White Stiinkwood) planted in my garden in 2005

It’s Spring. The trees herald the change of season by bursting forth with their new foliage, many preceding the soft greens with breathtaking shows of delicate blossoms that produce the fruits and seeds which will be welcomed by man and beast alike in the summer that lies ahead. It's time to plant a tree.

But how many will last long enough to provide homes for birds and animals in their lofty boughs, or provide us with much sought after protection from the elements all year round? How many will bear fruit?

Around the world, over thousands of years, man has impacted on the great forests by felling huge swathes for living space, fuel, building materials and cropland. Mankind is continuing ‘the old, old story’ of what happens when forests are cut down - rivers silt up, the land turns into desert or scrubland; civilisations succumb to environmental degradation.

Somebody once said “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” So how can we do our bit? Here are a few creative, low-cost ideas on how to get tree planting going :

• Plant a tree on your birthday.
• Plant one over the festive season, instead of spending your time and money in shopping malls.
• Give trees as gifts to show how much you care.
• Teach other people how to plant and take care of them.
• Save seeds; take cuttings. It will reduce the cost of planting trees. It may take a bit longer, but your patience will be rewarded.
• Plant a tree from a truncheon (small branch) taken from another tree. It takes a shorter time to grow a tree.

by Pat Featherstone, Soil for Life

You can find some info on how to plant a tree here.

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Spring - not yet...

It’s chilly again today, and grey,

but I have late-winter Nasturtiums still flowering.

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There's a whisper in the garden...

There's a whisper in the garden that spring might be on her way...

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As winter fades to spring...

… hangers-on will be forced to let go, 

 making room for new growth 

fresh color, 

 life. 

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A little corner created in the shade 

It's almost mid-September and the warmer weather has spawned an activity of going through my garden to check on what needs to be done and I was horrified to notice that the chickens had just about annihilated my whole garden - what the winter didn't get, they did! I haven't been totally oblivious of this, it's just that it's been too cold to do much about it. 

The start of a new garden 

First it was the major job of cutting down and/or removing dead stuff and then taking stock of what was left - lots of open space! Many of the plants I removed were those that needed sun and had totally deteriorated because of too much shade in my garden now that all my trees have matured to 10m beauties - it's amazing how things creep up on you without you noticing…

So some new spaces were created in the sun with old favourites. Some crusher stone defines a pathway for easy access, now it's just the waiting until the plants get big and fill the spot.

 After removing Red Hot pokers from a shady patch and not having anything to replace them with, I thought it easier to create a feature for the time being, below, but will have to get to the nursery some time or another! 

A temporary feature in a shady patch It's amazing what a bit of crusher stone and things found will do to help out when you're stuck without any plants… 

Joseph filling up an empty spot with some crusher stone and turning it into a new pathway. 

And of course, no day in the garden is perfect without our feathery friends enjoying a snack! 

Make way, I also need some! 

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August in the garden

Never yet was there a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom. 

— Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

The 1st of September is officially Spring in South Africa but all the signs of spring are there much earlier, sometimes as early as late-July — peach trees full of blossoms, Tiger grass and other plants pushing out new green shoots — but today is one of the coldest days of the past winter with temperatures at -2℃ early this morning and not going much above 10℃. Hopefully this will be the last of the cold and it's forth into summer from here on!

Every August I stand in wonder as the landscape transforms itself from a dead-yellow and dusty-brown to wondrous greens. We had a ferocious veld fire last week, thankfully the only one this season, and already the green grass shoots are peeping through the blackened landscape.

As usual, the Bulbinella (Bulbine frutescenc) came through the cold fairly unscathed and put up a lovely show of flowers. Most species of Bulbinella are endemic to South Africa and is used as a remedy for wounds, burns, rashes, itches, ringworm, cracked lips, herpes, cuts, insect bites, cold sores and acne. Crush the leaf softly between your fingers and squeeze the clear leaf sap out, putting it directly on the cut or burn. I cannot seem to work in the garden without getting cuts and scrapes and this wonderful plant has come through for me time and again.

 This year my Tree Fuschia (Halleria Lucida) has stayed green, a testament to the mild winter we've had. Last year I thought I had lost it but luckily it sprung to life again in spring.

My Tree Fuschia (Halleria Lucida) to the right of the pot looking all but dead last August

These Aloes, which I had not planted and which had somehow taken root next to one of the pathways, make a lovely border. They haven't flowered as yet, so I'm still trying to identify them. The Nasturtiums carried on right through the winter, not taking any notice of the cold, but the Hydrangeas right at the back are definitely looking worse for the wear!

An Aloe and some Echeverias I planted in an old metal tub last spring have surprised me with their prolific growth. The Old Man Cactus in the pot in front has made an identical twin, probably needs to go into a bigger pot...

And so, as we officially leave winter, I'm hoping to get a bit more done in the garden in September, I've really been taking advantage of the cold as an excuse not to do much and my garden is showing signs of neglect. I'm taking some blame, can't blame it ALL on the chickens!

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Clivias and Spring

I planted my Clivias (C. miniata) about 3 years ago and it's been a constant struggle to keep them alive. I planted them in an area which got a bit of morning sun and shade the rest of the day. But every winter seems to take its toll and the chickens don't help either, trampling all over the plants.

However, this winter has been fairly mild and for the first time they're actually flowering! After flowering, the seeds are carried in rather large, bright orange berries, which have about 10 seeds in them. If I'm lucky enough that they produce seeds, I'll be saving those to plant in pots and pamper them. Clivia miniata can be propagated by seed or by removing suckers.

 

Miniata are always found under tree cover in evergreen forests, and as mine are not planted directly under any trees, the flowers are showing some signs of frost-bite. Maybe time to move them...?

The Clivia (pronounced Clee-via) is indigenous to Southern Africa where they grow wild in forested woodland areas. The flowers are carried in clusters on stout stems and range in colour from rich oranges to shades of deep red.

Prized for their ability to flower in shade, they are an ideal plant for massed planting under trees or in shady areas. Clivias are extremely hardy and drought-resistant but do not thrive in direct sunlight or frost areas. They grow to a height of around 80cm, so I'm really looking forward to seeing that!

The Aloe ferox are coming to the end of their winter-flowering period and this is actually the time when they're richest in nectar as the flowers are completely open and almost ready to fall off.

Aloe ferox, also known as Cape Aloe, Bitter Aloe, Red Aloe and Tap Aloe, is a species of aloe indigenous to South Africa's Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho.

Flowering occurs between May and August and mine started at the beginning of July. Aloe ferox is most famous for its medicinal qualities, as it contains cleansing properties, is a natural detoxing agent, has more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and polysaccharides than aloe vera and is traditionally used to stimulate cell renewal.

My 20-year old peach tree also started budding early in July and last week she burst forth all her blossoms. The old girl is gnarled and bent and every season I have to prune off another dead branch, but then she just sprouts a new one in it's place. We've been having almost summer-like weather with beautiful warm days and everything and everyone in my garden has decided it is spring!

Peach trees grow in the warm regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres. Because of cold winters, diseases, and pests, peach trees can usually only live about 10 to 12 years in our Gauteng climate. However, if a peach tree is fertilized properly, and taken care of in the right way, it may live many more years. My Peachy is regularly pampered with extra compost and lots of water in summer and I hope to still have her with me a couple more years. Her fruit is not that great anymore, but the birds don't seem to mind!

And so winter seems to be at an end (although there is a cold front forecast for the coming weekend, hope it's just a passing phase!) and I'm looking forward to planting a few new plants which, hopefully, will escape the onslaught of the chickens. I have fewer now as I managed to find a lovely new home for five of them, leaving me with eight scratching, eating-anything-green, sand-bathing feathered demons (to a garden, that is!) I love my chooks and wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. My garden has had to adapt and evolve around them, not an easy task I might tell you...

 

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