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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This is my new garden 🌵

Hi ya all! Long time no see! I am not deceased (although it felt like it for a while. Well, 2 years...) and I haven't left the country. We've settled into our new home here in KwaZulu Natal after emigrating from Gauteng) and above is the garden I inherited - a fairly healthy-looking Scadoxus and some Sedge grass. I just love Sedge! Hope it seeds and spreads all over! And lots and lots of river pebbles. And paving stones. Lots of them... Will see where this leads...

There are no trees in my little patch, I will fix that soon, but for now it is totally a hot, sun garden. So, obviously, succulents are the answer, and lots of them!

Graptoveria fantome was some of the first succulents I planted, had been mothering them in pots for the last 2 years. Mother-in-law's Tongue (sansevieria trifasciata) is always welcome in my garden, I will try to get an en masse planting going, but will then have to remove a few of the paving slabs I also inherited.
 

And, of course, lots of Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra). This was a small cutting that I had mothered for the last few months and one can grow them in virtually any scenario - outside, of course, in the house, in the ground, in pots, and even propagate them in water in a bottle, as below.

Of course you know that Spekboom (evergreen and indigenous to South Africa) is an environmental miracle worker, with the potential to tackle carbon emissions like no other plant can. Hectare for hectare, Spekboom thicket is as effective as the Amazon rain forest at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – quite a feat for a plant endemic to semi-arid areas. One hectare of Spekboom can sequester between 4 and 10 tonnes of carbon per year. This makes it a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and the move towards a zero-carbon world. 
 
And Spekboom trees can grow as tall as 5 meters. Spekboom is edible, with a slightly lemony taste, Spekboom leaves are juicy and full of moisture, making them the perfect ‘pick-me-up’ during a long day’s hiking. It is also a favoured food of black rhinos, elephants and koedoes.

 

A little bit of rain does wonders!

My resident gecko keeping a watchful eye on the plants. No infestation of insects here!

I'm still not used to the humidity and heat of the coast, so my gardening is relegated to early-morning or late-afternoon or during the cooler winter days now looming. Watering the garden is always a joy and I hope to acquire a hosepipe one of these days, as soon as I can get the Municipality to install a water meter at the garden tap. Not an easy feat. But we're holding thumbs!

See ya!

Happy New Year for 2020!

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There you will find me...

... … on my knees, in the garden, sprinkling handfuls of Marigold seeds in the moist soil.

It’s heading for summer and what could be more blissful than lovingly tending to your flock of flowers? Just like our children, they thrive on tender care and love.

Many of us have Marigold flowers (Tagetes) growing in our gardens, but did you know that marigold flowers have great healing abilities? These beautiful golden flowers will heal your body in many different ways. Marigold flower tea has great antioxidants that help to prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cancer. And I say they heal the soul also.

To make tea or infuse the flowers, boil the water and then add 1 tablespoon of the flowers to the pot of tea and let it steep. Do not add the dried flowers to cold water and then let it boil. The tea purifies the blood, so drink this tea regularly.

Marigolds are also great insect repellents, mosquitoes hate them! By growing these flowers in your yard, you can be assured that mosquitoes will leave you alone and you’ll be helping out your local bees, too. Sprinkle them in the next boxes of your chickens - not only does it look pretty and smell good, it will get rid of all those pesky fleas and mites.

Black Karee (Rhus lancea)

Rhus lancea, or Black Karee as it is commonly known (and now called “Searsia lancea”), has the habit of growing in weird shapes if not pruned, the branches sometimes bending in upon itself, giving it an untidy look, but which the birds love! They criss-cross this highway of branches at an amazing speed in search of insects and feed on the clusters of small, yellow or red, berry-like fruits in Autumn.

The fruit in it's green form, highly prized by birds and primates

The flowering season is between June and September, and fruit begins to form from September to January. The leaves hang down, which are glossy and dark green. The flowers are yellow and fruit is small, round and slightly flattened. Several birds eat the fruit but the Bulbuls (Pycnonotus barbatus) were the most prolific eaters in my garden, and guinea fowl and pheasants eat the fruit waste on the ground.

Black Karee seeds ready to drop and populate the garden with hundreds of seedlings!

Be careful where you plant this tree. Although it doesn’t have an invasive root system and can be planted near buildings or walk-ways, it grows to a height of 20 to 30 ft, with a width of 20 to 30 ft, and is one of the messiest trees I have ever come across! It will clog up your pool filter in no time and we spend hours every week raking up the fallen leaves and berries. I don't think the leaves have much composting nutritional value as they seem to take ages to decompose.

A ten-year old Black Karee in my previous garden in Tarlton, Gauteng

A stray seedling sprung up next to the garden path...

The bark of this Karee is reddish-brown in young branches, but rough and dark brown in older branches and stems.
Can be used as fence posts because the wood is resistant to termites. Indigenous evergreen, it is wide-spread in South Africa and is only missing from Kwazulu Natal. It grows to 5-10 meters and makes a lovely evergreen shade tree, hedge, wind break and roadside tree. It is in the top 5 frost and drought-hardy trees.

 The leaves of the Black Karee (Searsia lancea) glistening brightly after a spring shower...

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars… and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy.  Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.

~ Osho