An April garden

My garden in April...

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Growing the Highveld Cabbage Tree (Kiepersol) from seed

We're deep into Autumn here in South Africa and my Kiepersol is already starting to lose its leaves. Time to stop watering so much, but we've had quite a bit of rain over the last week, so hope it dries out before the real cold weather hits.

This evergreen tree NOT so evergreen here in Tarlton!) makes a beautiful focal point in a garden as it has an unusual shape, interesting gnarled bark and stunning, large, gray-green leaves. It is a short, thick-set tree, rarely exceeding 5 meters in height, therefore making a perfect garden specimen. Even though it is an evergreen, we live in a heavy frost area and my tree loses its leaves in winter, but has always bounced right back every spring. The plant is native to southern Africa : Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa (Cape Provinces, Northern Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal) and Swaziland, where it grows till 2.000m of altitude in the savannah and the mountain slopes, usually in the rocks fissures.

New growth in spring

Cultivation
The Highveld cabbage tree (Cussonia paniculata) is cultivated from seed, preferably fresh. One can grow Cussonia paniculata from a cutting, but this is not advisable because it does not make the proper, fleshy, underground rootstock that it forms when grown from seed.

The seeds should be planted in a well-drained mix of river sand and compost (70:30). Germination is erratic - the best results have been obtained with seeds that have been "passed" through birds (Look for the seeds underneath the tree....). First germination occurs after about 2 weeks.

The C. paniculata is an ideal pot plant (plant it in a big pot in a well drained mix), or can be planted as a single specimen or in a cluster - the effect is always striking. Growth rate is about 70cm per year, depending on the climate. The tree is drought hardy and is able to withstand heavy frost after 2 years.

Sow seed as soon as possible as it loses much of its viability within 3 months. However, seed sown in summer months will germinate faster (in about 4 weeks) than seed sown in winter (7 weeks to germination).

Put a mix of rich soil and compost into your seedling trays and place the seeds into them. Cover the seeds to a depth of 5mm with the soil and mulch. Keep moist during germination.

When the seedlings get to a “2-leaf” stage (about 4 months), plant them out into larger black nursery bags.

Make sure seed trays are at least 15 cm in depth to allow the small tubers to form. Do not allow seed to become waterlogged or dry out. Keep seed and seedlings in a semi-shaded area or, if you are planting the seeds now, during winter, keep them indoors in a sunny place, but not sun shining through glass as this can burn the plants.


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Transplanting is easy when small. Bigger trees require care with the hug root system that tends to rot upon transplanting if an injury occurs in digging it out.

When ready to plant the sapling into the ground, position a 50 mm size x 1m length of plastic piping vertically near to the sapling, leaving +- 5 cm above ground level. When watering around the sapling, also pour water into this pipe, as it will encourage the roots to grow downwards looking for the moisture below. Keep the ground around the sapling well mulched with dry leaves etc to assist with water retention above ground.

Well drained soil, some water and lots of sun.

Maybe you could also try your hand at making a Bonsai with one of the seeds - they do well in Bonsai-form. Due to the stem, which can easily assume contorted forms, and the succulent roots, it is an appreciated subject for the collectors of bonsai.

Cussonia paniculata Bonsai -

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Echeveria

Family: Crassulaceae (krass-yoo-LAY-see-ee)
Genus: Echeveria (ech-eh-VER-ee-a)
Species: imbricata supbsp glauca (glau-ca)

Echeveria imbricata

Echeverias are arguably the most attractive of all succulents, highly valued for their amazing colours and variation, with the stunning leaf colour of many varieties at its most brilliant in the cooler months. Native to the Americas, they are prized by collectors and gardeners the world over. Their rosettes range in size from 2cm to 50cm in diameter. They generally flower in the warmer months with colours ranging from green to pink to red.

Echeveria imbricata exhibiting pink tinges on the tips of its leaves

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Most Echeverias are summer growers. Once established they can tolerate extended dry periods without watering but will grow stronger if they receive adequate water during their growing season.

 As my trees got bigger, the shade started taking over my Echeveria patch. 
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Here in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa) they do not seem to be able to withstand the severe frost we get, and a couple of winters ago I lost half my stock. So I've resorted to putting them all into pots and various other containers which can be brought inside or under cover during the winter months.

Free-draining, porous soil is essential to prevent root rot. Echeverias are shallow rooted plants and therefore benefit from good levels of organic matter in the soil. Good ventilation is important for minimising pest and disease risks. Generally, the more sun they get the better they will display their colours and shape, but protect them from excessive sun during hot weather.

 Echeveria imbricata sharing a wooden crate with some Aloes

 Echeverias sharing space with Crassula imuscosa in a container

Echeverias in terracotta pots, ready to go under cover for the winter

As it does not tolerate temperatures below 7°C (45°F), in temperate regions it is grown under glass with heat. Like others of its kind, it produces multiple offsets (called pups) which can be separated from the parents in spring, and grown separately – hence the common name “hen and chicks”, applied to several species within the genus Echeveria.

However, one must be beware of the problem of common names. Hens and Chicks is a very poor name for this plant because it leads one to assume that it is the same category of plants called Sempervivums, also known as Hens and Chicks. But this is a far different plant – it is NOT an alpine succulent, but a Mexican succulent with very little cold hardiness, unlike the Sempervivum. This plant cannot survive temps much below freezing. It is nothing like a Sempervivum, and looks very little like one, too, other than being a succulent rosette. Please do not confuse the two or you will sorely disappointed when your ‘Hens and chicks’ melts to mush after the first real freeze.

When planted closely together, Echeveria will form very tight rosettes, so be sure to give them enough space to fully open up.

Echeverias in a pot

Happiness is more than just a state of mind, it's also a state of being, an act of spiritual courage.  It's a joy thing. Like an Echeveria.

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Monday - what a day!

I had quite an impressive "to do" list for today and was able to mark off quite a few off; do the filing, buy some compost, paint a little slatted table white, sort out my walk-in dressing room, clean and pack all the kitchen utensils and cutlery, replant some sword ferns and taking pics for this post. What a day and a great start to this week, it feels like Wednesday already and it's only Monday!

March is when the first sign of autumn arrives in the garden. Leaves start falling and your garden starts readying itself in anticipation of the colder months. My Tree Fuchsia (Halleria lucida) has already lost almost all her leaves, a sure sign for me that we're going to have a cold winter.

A little extra help and encouragement such as a layer of mulch and fertiliser will not go amiss and is a perfect way to prepare your garden for the cold that will shortly follow. Just hope the frost is not going to be as severe as last winter...

Indigenous plants are always in fashion because they save water, grow well in our environment, are fast growing and colourful, especially the Aloes, which should be flowering shortly, providing bursts of colour during the cold months. These are just a few indigenous plants that you can get from your local garden centre:

Vygies (Lampranthus)
Various Aloes, in particular Aloe ferox and Aloe marlothii
Agapanthus
Agathosma ovata 'Kluitjieskraal
Babiana hirsuta  
Buddleja auriculata
Carpobrotus quadrifidus
Celtis africana
Chlorophytum comosum  
Dioscorea elephantipes 
Ekebergia capensis 
Elegia equisetacea
Encephalartos transvenosus 
Faucaria tigrina
Felicia amelloides
Gasteria armstrongii
Gazania krebsiana          
Hermannia
Juncus kraussii  
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora 
Kiggelaria africana
Melinis nerviglumis 
Mentha longifolia 
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea 
Olea europaea subsp.africana
Olinia ventosa  
Pachypodium namaquanum 
Pelargonium inquinans
Podocarpus henkelii 
Portulacaria afra
Restio festuciformis
Rhus lancea = Searsia lancea 
Rhus pendulina = Searsia pendulina
Scabiosa africana
Sorghum bicolor 
Syzygium cordatum
Thamnochortus insignis
Tricholaena monachne
Urochloa mosambicensis
Viscum crassulae
Welwitschia mirabilis
Ximenia caffra
Zantedeschia aethiopica 

Hope your Monday was just as good as mine!              
  
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