The Gardener March

YOUR FAVOURITE GARDENING MAGAZINE MARCH 2011

SOUTH AFRICA

PLANT HANGOVERS

Start a food

garden grow

Cascading cures for ugly walls

Paprika Kiwi fruit Broccoli

For the

Birds & the Bees Candelabra trees R22.95 INCL VAT

OTHER COUNTRIES

R20.13 Excl. TAX On sale 14 February to 14 March 2011

DIY

Balcony Revamp Recycling Bench

Old Favourites New Releases Sedum Autumn Joy Lemon verbena Dwarf coral tree Pineapple flower

Sedum Angelina, Athoum Sea Urchin & Coral Reef Ipomoea Sweet Caroline Black Petunias

CONTENTS March 2011 create define your living space

in the garden 06 12 13 14 19

March Diary Garden graft, Open gardens, Events Letters A glimpse into readers’ gardens Lunar gardening guide Garden by the moon with Ilona Plant profile ALOYSIA triphylla (Lemon verbena)

It’s me again!

Tanya’s in the garden with lots of plants and a cool new cultivator

51 52 54

The spice collection CAPSICUM annuum (Paprika) Diary of a Cape gardener Reviving a neglected hedge

Ten of the Best Bird attracting plants for small gardens

60

Four decades of roses Ludwig celebrates 40 years

28

Farm Garden Design Visit Anne and Brian Knox’s farm garden in Bedford with us

Water gardening DIY A unique water feature DIY with wood Super stylish recycling bench

DIY with cement • Birdbath • Textured walls

72

Balcony Makeover Sky high gardening: revamp a balcony in 3 hours

marketplace 77 New products, promotions and giveaways

32 38

Hangovers Plant cures for ugly walls

57 67 70

Euphorbias Candelabra trees are a food source for creatures when times are lean

42 44 46 48

Fruit file Grow kiwi fruit Indigenous with Jenny Dean Summer is almost gone Growing herbs Harvesting and preserving Growing vegetables Starting a food garden

Publisher Lonehill Trading (Pty) Ltd Editor Tanya Visser Managing Director Kevin Beaumont Managing Editor (Editorial enquiries) Wendy Moulton 031 764 0593 wendy@thegardener.co.za Chief Copy Editor Desiree Collett van Rooyen Art Director Ruth Brophy Web and Graphic Design Tanya Campher Photography Geoff Redman, David van den Bergh

extras 59 88 76

Petpourri Love bites Tales from the Green Dragon Memory ...

Advertising Jonathan Gouws 031 764 0593 jonathan@thegardener.co.za Advertising and Classifieds Mokete Maepa 031 764 0593 mokete@thegardener.co.za Groundcover Advertising/ Advertising Production Controller Rusty Croft 031 764 0593 rustyc@thegardener.co.za Office Administrator (Enquiries) Kim van Rooyen 031 764 0593 kim@thegardener.co.za

DIY Expert Garth Demmer Subscriptions RNA 011 473 8700 subs@RNAD.co.za Editorial contributors Alice Spenser-Higgs, Anna Celliers, Di-Di Hoffman, Gerald Schofield, Glynne Anderson, Kevin Beaumont, Dr Hugh Glen, Ian Sharp, Ilona Thorndike, Jenny Dean, Lindsay Gray, Ludwig Taschner, Malcolm Hepplewhite, Margaret Roberts, Ruth Brophy, Tanya Visser, Wendy Moulton.

Subscribe to The Gardener Stand a chance to win a garden planter from Home Organic

Editorial Head Office 3 Haygarth Road, Kloof PO Box 29244, Maytime 3624 Telephone (031) 764 0593 Telefax (031) 764 1148 e-mail: info@thegardener.co.za

Copyright subsists in all work published in this magazine. Any reproduction or adaptation, in whole or part, without written permission is strictly prohibited. The Gardener will not be held responsible for any omissions or errors. Unsolicited material will not be accepted. The Gardener is available at leading nurseries and selected retail outlets nationally.

welcome

R

ecently, many readers have been dealing with extreme weather conditions, and in some places these conditions persist. As I write some readers are still in the throes of mopping up and finding their plants under layers of silt and mud, while others are having to save every drop of grey water to keep their gardens alive. For those of us not directly facing these realities it seems surreal that such difficulties are being experienced right here in our own country. I guess it is true that ‘one’s perception is one’s reality’, and so each of us who is not affected lives on in his or her own world, where the weather is good, there is enough but not too much water available, and our gardens continue to thrive. I am currently one of these lucky gardeners, so let me stop and think of those for whom the reality is very different.

If you are a gardener who is facing challenges that are, or seem to be, overwhelming, where an end to the misery doesn’t appear to be anywhere in sight, and where the restoration of your garden is still a distant vision, I offer you my encouragement and a suggestion that you try to use the situation to your advantage. How on earth can I find some good in this, you may be wondering. Well, there was probably something in your garden that you didn’t like, that just never seemed right, so use this as an opportunity to dream and to plan, then begin the process of renewal in those areas. Perhaps it will be to make space for that amazing compost heap that you have read about (the one that us folks at The Gardener have begged you to get going for years). Perhaps it will be to make sure that, once restored, all your beds are treated to a good layer of organic mulch. In both cases, remember to collect the debris and leaves from all the dead and dying plants. It will be perfect for compost, or mulch if put through a shredder (so beg, borrow or buy one, if you can). In fact, when you are clearing up after a garden disaster of almost any sort there are few things handier than a shredder so maybe that’s the first purchase you’ll have to make to get your garden back on its feet (roots?). I have to confess that shredders are one of my favourite gadgets – so much so that family members warn visitors to stay away from me when I am operating one, because, in my enthusiasm, anything or anyone in close proximity runs the risk of being fed through it. on the cover And now, because people SEDUM ‘Autumn Joy’ dealing with a Read about SEDUM ‘Autumn Joy’, the garden crisis need plant that produces this gloriouslyto escape that coloured flower head, in ‘Tanya in the reality for a while, garden’, which starts on page 19.

and those who aren’t still need inspiration, we’ve packed this issue full of useful information. Along with all the other goodies, we showcase an inspiring farm garden near Bedford, and bring you an article by Ian Sharp on the many virtues of candelabra trees (Euphorbia species). Maligned because of their toxic latex, we forget how their spectacular form can contribute to a garden’s design and don’t realise what an amazing role they play in feeding insects and, in turn, the insectivorous birds that feed on those insects. And talking of feeding the birds, we also feature ‘Ten of the Best’ bird-attracting plants for small gardens by Malcolm Hepplewhite. If one of your ‘missions’ for 2011 is to encourage more feathered friends into your garden then Ian’s and Malcolm’s articles are right on target. And, if another of your ‘missions’ is to do more for the planet, and especially if you are a DIY enthusiast, then there’s a good looking recycling unit to build, to ensure your family recycles with style.

Enjoy the last of the long evenings, take care and happy gardening.

Tanya and Garth dressed by: Green Champion

w w w.t h e g a r d e n e r.c o. z a

PS: Do drop in and visit us at Hobby-X, you’ll find the details in this issue.

MARCH DIARY

Garden

Graft

Planting Rose plants will be bursting with colourful blooms in March, so add to the list of varieties in your garden by planting some new ones. Why not give ‘The Gardener’ rose a try? Its beautiful peach, pink and yellow striped blooms are borne on a tall (2 to 3 m), vigorous shrub with lush, dark green foliage. It will work well in a rose garden, plus where a tall shrub will grow in a mixed border, and also as a security hedge and in containers. It is bound to attract attention as it shows off its clusters of floribunda blooms during this month. If your nursery doesn’t have it in stock then ask the manager to order it from Malanseuns Pleasure Plants.

Plan to have ornamental kale (BRASSICA oleracea) in the garden this winter. It will it brighten up the flower beds with its many colour combinations and prove to be a winner when planted en masse and in containers. Seeds can be sown this month, but wait a bit longer to plant out seedlings and even later for the fully grown plants available in nurseries. Keep the seed trays in a shady spot and keep watering them until you are ready to plant them out in a sunny spot in soil that has been well composted.

Your lawn Strengthen the roots and stems of the lawn grass before winter comes by applying a potassium rich fertiliser and watering it in well.

Keep mowing the lawn.

Kitchen gardening It’s time to plant soup greens in the vegetable garden for hearty fresh fare in the winter months. Sow carrots, cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, celery, turnips, leeks, endives, and parsnips – all are good soup and stew ingredients.

Renew, or increase, the stock in the herb garden with new seedlings.

Try some of the many new varieties of lettuce. Plant them in containers or straight into the vegetable garden for fresh leaves this season – you can even try lettuce soup when it gets colder (it’s actually quite delicious).

Don’t be tempted to harvest pumpkins too soon. Wait until they are ripe and then cut them off the plant, leaving some of the stalk behind on the fruit.

If you’re not already doing so, then make a commitment to ‘growing your own’. In our Growing vegetables pages, starting from this issue and going forward, we’ll be showing you how to plan and plant a vegetable and herb garden from scratch.

The Gardener Rose

Rose Tour to Italy and Bulgaria Be a rose picker for Damascene rose oil for a day in Bulgaria and smell the novelties of Italy Dates: 26 May – 7 June 2011 See www.roseweb.co.za for details.

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BRASSICA oleracea

Bugs, pests and problems The cypress aphid can be a serious pest in gardens, sometimes to the point where it causes entire branches of infected conifers to die back. Infestations of these insects peak from March to August and not necessarily only on new growth, but also on the main branches and trunks. Keep an eye on conifers and catch any problems early. Meridian (Reg. No. L7824) from Protek, a single dose insecticide with the active ingredient thiamethoxam, has contact, stomach and systemic activity and is registered for controlling cypress aphids. It is applied as a drench to the soil around the tree. If a conifer has suffered severe dieback due to cypress aphids it will be best to replace it, because at that stage applying insecticide is unlikely to save it.

Must do

Cypress aphid can devastate a garden like this one - keep a sharp look out this month and react immediately Try some of the new varieties of lettuce in your kitchen garden

Start sowing seed for these beauties

The autumn planting season is nearly here, so use your time in March to add a layer of compost to all the garden beds to prepare them for the new plants.

Instead of waiting, plant new trees and shrubs now. They will have time to settle in while the mild weather is still here. Add a few spades of compost plus plenty of bone meal or superphosphate to each planting hole.

If young trees or shrubs have been planted in the wrong place, now is a good time to move them.

Sow or plant seedlings of flowering annuals in March, this includes poppies, stocks, linaria, nemesia, violas, calendulas, snapdragons, cornflowers, foxgloves, lupins, nasturtiums, asters, larkspurs, dianthus and pansies.

Decide where you will plant your winterflowering bulbs and then order them or buy them from the nursery. They must be planted later, in autumn; it will be too hot to plant them now.

Divide and replant agapanthus.

Prepare strawberry beds by digging in some well rotted kraal manure, acidic compost and general fertiliser. Water the beds well and leave them to rest until April.

Feed fruit trees and grapevines this month.

Late summer shrubs can now be pruned or shaped to keep their neatness, and hedges can be cut back and cleaned out.

When the autumn leaves begin to fall you will need to ensure they don’t clog up your water features and fish pond. www.thegardener.co.za l 7

FEBRUARY DIARY

In your

region

Summer rainfall temperate Re-mulch all the flower beds after the summer rains.

Once the summer rains have gone it’s time to increase manual watering or change the settings on irrigation systems to compensate for the decrease in rainfall.

Take cuttings of summer-flowering plants like fuchsias, pelargoniums and daisy bushes.

Summer rainfall subtropical Sow seed of winter flowering bedding plants, like pansies, violas and primulas, in trays. Keep the trays in a shady, cool area and water regularly – they must be kept moist.

They need cool night temperatures to grow so don’t plant out the seedlings before conditions are favourable.

To avoid camellias and azaleas dropping their buds they need to be watered in dry spells. Keep a close eye on them.

Tropical fruit trees, like paw paws, mangoes and bananas, will benefit from a good dose of fertilizer.

Winter rainfall It’s time to prune summer-flowering perennials like lavenders, salvias and daisy bushes. Take advantage of this process to take cuttings and propagate more plants for the next season.

Visit local garden centres and invest in some endemic shrubs and bushes: look out for ericas, buchus and proteas.

Stock up on fertilizer for the whole garden. As soon as it looks like it is going to rain run out into the garden and spread it around.

Dry continental While you are harvesting the last of the summer herbs (see Alice’s article on harvesting and preserving herbs in this issue), also spend some time taking cuttings of rosemary.

Marguerite daisies bring brightness to the garden and to containers – they should be looking good in the garden centres and it’s definitely worth handing over some money to take a few home.

Divide irises, daylilies and agapanthus this month.

Rare Plants for Sale Western Cape The 2011 Rare Plant Fair in the Western Cape will be held in the idyllic setting of Rustenberg Wines, in Ida’s Valley, Stellenbosch, on Saturday 26 March, from 9:30 to 16:30. Twenty-five specialist growers will be selling plants. There will be special discounts on Rustenberg wines, plus you can enjoy tea under the oaks. For directions, see the map at www.rustenberg.co.za. Entry R10. Enquiries: 078 021 2101.

RHODODENDRON vireya

Pretoria The annual Autumn Rare Plant Sale at Petal Faire Nursery will take place from Friday 4 March to Sunday 6 March at 131 Allcock Street, Colbyn, Pretoria. Specialist growers will share their passion with other collectors and gardeners, and sell a variety of plants that are not readily available at garden centres. Tea and scones will be served in the tea garden.

Times: 10:00 to 17:00 (Fri and Sat), 9:00 to 14:00 (Sun) Entrance fee: R5 Contact: Leoné Williams on 082 482 0257, e-mail: leone@petalfaire.co.za or visit www.petalfaire.co.za.

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PLANT PROFILE

ALOYSIA triphylla Lemon verbena

By Gerald Schofield

L

emon verbena is a popular shrub that was introduced into Western horticulture from Chile and Argentina as long ago as 1794. It is still cultivated extensively as a garden shrub and as a medicinal and culinary herb. Botanical names that have been accorded to the plant include Aloysia citriodora and Lippia citriodora, but ALOYSIA triphylla is the preferred name at present.

ALOYSIA triphylla is quick growing and has strongly aromatic, lemon-scented foliage – it is grown largely for these aromatic properties. It has a rather scraggly growth habit and can grow to 3 metres tall and equally as wide if left to grow unchecked.

The leaves are slender and grow to 10 cm long; they are borne in whorls of three or four along the lengths of the stems. Flowers are produced in terminal panicles from late spring through into summer. The tiny flowers are white, lavender or lilac, and are not particularly attractive.

Lemon verbena is deciduous and during winter the plants go into complete dormancy. The new spring growth emerges when temperatures and day length increase in spring. In extremely cold climates new growth can be delayed by spring cold and it then only bursts forth in early summer.

This useful garden shrub is easy to grow, preferring full sun and well drained soil conditions. Regular pinching and pruning of new growth tips will help to keep shrubs compact and bushy through the growing season. Old, woody plants can be pruned back hard in spring to encourage healthy new growth from the base. Regular applications of a balanced garden fertiliser from spring to autumn will help maintain lush foliage.

Grow lemon verbena in shrubberies and herb gardens, and in pots and containers on patios and other high profile areas where the aromatic foliage can be touched and harvested regularly. Sprigs of foliage are effective as a natural air freshener, so keep them in vases indoors to enhance the air quality. The foliage is used extensively in potpourris, and lemon verbena oil was popular in perfumery. The leaves are also used in herbal teas, poultry stuffing and

salads, and to flavour jellies and summer drinks.

Lemon verbena is a most useful and versatile shrub that grows easily in most parts of South Africa. It is well worth having in every garden, even if only to touch and stroke whilst wandering about at home after a hard day at work – the rich and distinctive aroma of the leaves is so soothing and relaxing.

Temperate, summer rainfall / Highveld regions Ideally suited for this region, where plants grow somewhat slower than in the warmer climates. May be damaged by cold during severe winters.

Sub-tropical, summer rainfall regions Grows well in this part of the country. Rapid growth may necessitate regular pinching and pruning to keep the shrub reasonably neat.

Winter rainfall regions Grows well in this area. Requires additional watering during the dry summers. Protect from excessive winds as the branches can be brittle.

Dry, arid regions Can be grown in protected positions in this region. Needs to be watered on a regular basis. Protect from extreme winter cold.

A practical farm garden near Bedford

By Lindsay Gray

T

he intriguing working garden on Norwood Farm, just fourteen kilometres outside Bedford in the Eastern Cape, made its debut on the Bedford Gardens Festival in October last year. Farmer and co-owner, Anne Knox, is adamant that hers is not a show garden. “Our garden is very much part of a working farm,” she says. “The garden is divided into different areas that suit our farming and our family’s needs.”

Anne and her civil engineer husband, Brian, moved to Norwood eight years ago. Anne was born in the area on one of the original 1820 Settler farms, just the other side of Adelaide and, over the years, she developed a keen interest in farming.

While she and Brian had lived in other parts of the country, when their home tragically burnt down, they took this as an omen to move back to familiar territory so that Anne could pursue her farming interest.

The 3 000 hectare property supports a herd of beef cattle as well as a herd of boer goats, which is an enterprise Anne shares with her staff.

“I don’t have much time to garden,” she states. “When I have some time to spare, I pull in my staff and we do what needs to be done.”

The site of the Norwood farm was once a military outpost, used by British soldiers to guard the Cowie Valley in the Fifth Frontier War in 1852. What is now Anne’s guest

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cottage and the stable block, still sporting the original shooting holes, was then the officers’ quarters. The home’s beautiful stonework was salvaged from a massive wall that surrounded the outpost.

An avenue of olive trees (OLEA europaea subs. africana), culminating in a circular water feature with a spekboom (CRASSULA ovata) hedge, greets visitors to Norwood. In summer, the front of the house is a spectacular show of roses in the palest of pinks and ruby-red, contributed by Pearl of Bedfordview and Red Simplicity roses. The adjacent spread of lush lawn and manicured beds nods to the colonial architecture of the house before disappearing into the surrounding veld. This was once the domain of a tennis court, derelict when they arrived, Anne explains. She restored the original stone wall flanking the path that led from the back of the house to this area and today it hosts a magnificent show of standard Iceberg roses.

The garden behind the house has a gravel surface and is planted with indigenous shrubs and aloes. This is Anne’s ‘working garden’ where there is constant movement of staff, vehicles, and the horses, whose stable block is directly across from the house. A delightful vegetable garden, flanked by a water rill that doubles as a drinking trough for the horses, separates home from stables. “Again, I required a nofuss vegetable garden,” Anne maintains, “so I grow mainly greens such as spinach, lettuce, rocket and other herbs.”

The formal garden leads one through

GARDEN DESIGN

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a rose-festooned stone arch into a tranquil informal area where the grass grows long under the trees and wild flowers emerge in the summer. This is where the family decided to position their swimming pool and gazebo, fondly named the ‘Nguni Lounge’ by Anne’s two sons, because of the Nguni skins on the floor.

“I wanted a long sliver of a pool in which I could swim lengths,” confides Anne. But her husband had other ideas and so today they enjoy a rock pool that is planted up with grasses and trees found on their farm, which allow it to blend with the surrounding landscape. Anne’s pride is the ancient jacket plum (PAPPEA capensis) that she and her staff transplanted from the veld, and which is thriving in its new position.

A statement piece beyond the pool is the beautiful oriental-style gate, which stands on a central axis from the stone arch.

To break the monotony of the fence that keeps out the ever-hungry kudu, Anne chose what she calls ‘an outrageous’ design for the gate, which is painted the same rich red as their roof to give interest to the area, “It was never meant to look oriental,” she laughs.

With her no-nonsense approach, and a few simple principles, Anne has managed to keep the gardening easy. In spring, all the roses are given a generous feed of aged goat manure, superphosphate, bone meal and an organic fertiliser. Early in December she gives them a second generous helping of manure. The roses are sprayed at the start of the season with a combined contact insecticide and systematic fungicide. Anne maintains that if one keeps the roses clean as they come away in spring, the plants seem disease-resistant for the rest of the summer.

The roses are dead headed regularly.

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The garden is irrigated from a dam behind the farm that collects surface run-off water from the Norwood Mountain. Furrows from the dam lead the water into a reservoir on the farm, and the irrigation system works off this reservoir. Anne is adamant that she is philosophically opposed to using underground water to irrigate her garden.

A variety of table and chair sets are dotted underneath the trees in the garden so that Anne and Brian can sit out in the late afternoon in the tranquil surrounds and enjoy a sundowner. “I love our landscape,” she says. “Landscapes and spaces are the things that best influence my mood.”

Thank you to Anne and Brian Knox for their hospitality and for allowing Lindsay Gray and photographer Geoff Redman to share the Norwood Farm garden with The Gardener readers.

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Euphorbias: Natural Garden Mainly flowering during the dry winter periods, candelabra trees are a rich source of food for insects at a time when other supplies are limited.

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work as an ecologist and am attuned to happenings in the natural environment. Sometimes an event occurs that I find quite amazing and would like to share with others. One of these events is the flowering of several indigenous Euphorbia species in early winter, a period when food resources for insects are generally in short supply in gardens. Let me reveal the story of the fascinating bounty of the Euphorbias to you.

What initially drew my attention to the Euphorbias was my participation in the South African Butterfly Conservation Assessment. Finding butterflies in winter is difficult as food sources are scarce and most species are in a state of dormancy, but the irresistible blooms of the Euphorbias attract butterflies and numerous other insects.

Indeed, the contribution that these trees make to sustaining a variety of insect groups is quite astounding. Obviously this would be more apparent in the warmer climates of our country such as the Lowveld area.

The tree known as the candelabra tree, and also by the folk name of ‘naboom’, is rarely considered for planting in gardens due to toxicity of the latex that readily oozes from it when it is damaged. It is stated that this latex may cause damage to eyes and intense irritation and inflammation to the skin. Honey made from its flowers is called ‘noors’ honey, and causes burning in the mouth, which is aggravated by drinking water. Toxicity notwithstanding, when a plant can provide food, such as nectar for insects, or fruit for birds, or foliage that is eaten by larvae (as may be the case in a butterfly or moth lifecycle), then we must surely make every attempt to include it in our gardens.

Of course, when this is a plant with toxic latex then caution should always be exercised by wearing gloves and safety glasses when handling it or working near it, and those who will be using the garden or working in it must be educated regarding the properties of the plant.

Candelabra trees, particularly when planted in combination with aloes and other succulents, can make an impressive contribution to

Assets

the structure of a garden. Options include EUPHORBIA ingens, the statuesque common candelabra tree; E. cooperi, the stately small candelabra tree; and E. grandialata, the rugged spiny candelabra tree. They may also be used in combination with other trees, such as cabbage trees and thorn trees or early spring flowering species such as the coral tree, ERYTHRINA lysistemon, and the white pear, DOMBEYA rotundifolia.

On approaching a flowering candelabra tree one becomes aware of a range of sounds that are not unlike those generated by a bustling city street and the effect of this, combined with the sight of hordes of insects, is quite spectacular. The sweet fragrance of the flowers drifts along on the wind, adding to the sensory stimulus. A variety of insect groups vie for the winter bounty presented by the flowering trees. From wasps, flies and ants, to butterflies, moths and beetles, all arrive in their numbers, with buzzing large spider wasps the first to be heard and flitting butterflies the first to be seen.

Butterflies such as the African monarch and the blue and yellow pansies may be present in large numbers. Other visitors of the butterfly kind may include the dancing acraea, black pie, apricot playboy, Trimen’s sapphire, common diadem, bush scarlet and spotted joker. Day flying moths also add to the colour, but towards dusk the hovering hawk moth appears and probes the flowers for nectar with its long proboscis.

The clacking wing beats of the many spider wasps draw one’s attention, but they are not the only wasps to be found. Parasitic ichneumon wasps, with their elongated ovipositors, and the effervescent green cuckoo wasps are easily spotted. The strikingly yellow-patterned potter’s wasps and other varieties of paper and mud wasps busily feed on one flower after another.

Flies abound, especially the regal blowfly and its relative the European green blowfly, both normally expected to be found at a carcass and not supping on the nectar of flowers. Common houseflies are visitors too, as are the large grey flesh flies. Bee-

By Ian Sharp

Southern pied woolly legs feeding on the latex exuded by the fruit. www.dietuinier.co.za I 39

mimicking hover flies and the mottled drone flies also buzz about.

Honey bees busily collect pollen and nectar to produce the infamous ‘noors’ honey. Solitary bees, such as the diminutive sweat bee and the large carpenter bee, add to the variety of beneficiaries that the flowering candelabra trees support.

As can be expected, predators will also be lurking somewhere.

Well camouflaged spiders lie in wait at the sweet-smelling flowers, while stalking praying mantises patrol the tops of flowering branches. Careful observation may reveal an assassin bug or two also scouring the flowering branches for potential prey. Small ants swarm from nests below the candelabra tree, hunting down unsuspecting quarry. In ever-increasing numbers they attach

themselves to large insects systematically subduing them before carrying them to the nest.

The insect activity slowly dissipates as the nectar-producing flowers move into the next phase of the reproductive cycle.

Slowly the flowers are replaced by the characteristic triangular fruits.

All those that have been feeding will have to wait for the next winter season to again partake in the bounty of the flowers. But there is a twist in the tail. The developing fruits ooze specks of latex before ripening, attracting a solitary benefactor. The diminutive southern pied woolly legs butterflies are now seen feeding on the latex throughout the day, only to move along when the dehiscent fruit start exploding, scattering the seed.

Candelabra trees, particularly when planted in combination with aloes and other succulents, can make an impressive contribution to the structure of a garden.

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Home Organic Garden Planter

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