2 SUMMER BULBS
WATER-WISE GARDENING Where are we?
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Shades of Grey
Replacing Invasives
Garden Management for February
IN THIS ISSUE Click on any page number to return to the Contents page
50 SHADES OF GREY
A WILD DAY IN SUBURBIA
A range of greys to make your garden pop
A friend and I spent a morning with the insects in our gardens
SUMMER BULBS
GARDENING FOR BIODIVERSITY
Bold and bright Eucomis and Cyrtanthus
Replace 2 common invasive species with indigenous choices
LILIES AMONG THE GRASSES Identify these beautiful Crinums
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WATER-WISE GARDENING If you though you knew it all, read Marijke's article.
FEBRUARY Click on any page number to return to the Contents page
WHAT’S IN FLOWER: We bring you 10 plants currently colouring South African gardens
UNDERSTANDING SNAKES They are critical animals in our ecosystems. But, how to live with them?
WATER-WISE QUIZ SHEET Read the water-wise gardening article by Marijke Honig, then download our qizz sheet!
COOL BLUE & WHITE A shade loving mix for sub-tropical gardens
GROW GOOD BONES
CONTAINER ART
Hardy Karoo shrubs
Jazz up steps and patios with these ideas
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FROM THE EDITORS DESK… Dear Readers, 2017 is off to an exciting start as we welcome a new group of contributors. Marijke Honig continues with our issues surrounding the future of gardening, that of waterwise gardening; ‘Where are we,' she asks? To help you decide, Marijke has put together a quiz, and we’ve made it available for you to download. Keep it on the fridge door for a while and examine your activities before filling it in. Michelle Hatherly introduces a new series of articles on the extensive choices we have to replace those unwanted and troublesome invasives species. Nick Evans is an amphibian specialist, and this month he helps us to understand just how important snakes are in all habitats, and how to deal with them. Emmarie Otto has no less than five species of Crinum in her grassy, naturalistic garden; identifying them can be rather difficult, and she provides a visual gallery of five beauties from this exquisite genus. With the heat intensifying and the threat of extreme storms hanging over us, we’ve turned our attention to cool greys most gardens can benefit from, and a cool combo for subtropical shade gardens. For those who live in areas significantly tougher than the mildness of Durban, we have a range of hardy shrubs from the Karoo to consider. A few container ideas will inspire those with small, or patio gardens. Many readers are familiar with my love of the insect world,
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and I share with you a few gems and friend and I got to know through an enjoyable morning. Not least of all, there are two summer bulbs we should all have in our summer gardens, Eucomis humilis and Cyrtanthus sanguineus. Best wishes
Anno
Jenny Dean W ildflowers Indigenous Garden Design:
We create indigenous gardens that are peaceful, waterwise sanctuaries fillled with colour
Landscaping:
Let us transform your entire garden or just a corner into a beautiful garden humming with birds and butterflies
Consulting:
A budget friendly option where you plant at your leisure from a sketch we provide
׀Jenny Dean 082 4694686 ׀jenny@jennydeanwildflowers.co.za
MAGAZINE PRODUCTION: Editor: Anno Torr Publisher: The Indigenous Gardener Contributing writers: Anno Torr, Emmarie Otto, Marijke Honig, Michelle Hatherly, Nick Evans All photos by Anno Torr unless otherwise stated. Other Photo credits: Emmarie Otto, Michelle Hatherly, Marijke Honig, Nick Evans. Some image via Wikicommons
Graphic Design: Anno Torr CONTACT US: Editor: anno@theindigenousgardener.co.za 072 602 5610 Advertising: Veronica: info@theindigenousgardener.co.za Accounts: Hermes: info@theindigenousgardener.co.za
Disclaimers and Copyrights: Opinions expressed in this magazine do not reflect those of The Indigenous Gardener or any project related to The Indigenous Gardener. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, The Indigenous Gardener cannot be held liable for inadvertent mistakes. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Impatiens hochsteteri - Wild Impatiens 30 x 40 cm; Flowers Oct - March. Small white & pink to mauve flowers of an unusual shape. Large clumps form in ideal conditions - add leaf litter to retain moisture. Tends to wilt if dry and planted where it receives too much sun. Attractive groundcover for moist shade. Host plant to Striped Hawk Moth species. Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Western Cape.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Pelargonium reniforme - Kidney-leaved Pelargonium 20 x 35 cm; Flowers January - April. Beautiful dark magenta-pink flowers on tall stalks above velvety grey-green leaves. An excellent edging groundcover; good choice for small gardens. This a neat groundcover thrives in most soil types, except clay. Endemic to South African, occuring in the Eastern and Western Cape.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Salvia chamaleagnea - African Sage 2 x 2 m; Flowers November - May. A dense shrub with highly aromatic leaves that keep pests at bay. Lovely mauve & blue, or white & blue flowers carried in heavy masses at the end of stems. Plants can flowers for many weeks. A good coastal plant as it copes with salty air and strong winds, but is also frost hardy for inland gardens. Northern Cape, Western Cape.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Millettia grandis: Umzimbeet 8 x 8 m; Flowers November - March. A tree with a beautiful form. The spreading canopy makes a lovely shade tree. Attractive textured and fissured brown-grey bark. Long mauve to pink flowers stand well above the compound leaves. Deciduous for about a week in early summer; new leaves are a lovely purple changing to bright green. Eastern Cape, KwaZuluNatal.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Dracaena aletriformis: Large-leaved Dragon Tree 2 x 1 m; Flowers Nov - Feb. A delicious, heady fragrance at night. Flowers grow in large, towering spikes above the leaves, made up of many small, creamy-yellow flowers. Dark green, large strappy leaves, strong and leathery. Can be multi-stemmed. Fruits are small, bright orange, eaten by many birds. Excellent container plant. Dry bushveld, dune forest and mountain forests, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo.
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N FLOWER - FEBRUARY
Ludwigia octovalvis: Shrubby Ludwigia 2 x 1m. Flowers Throughout the year - opening in the morning. Attractive grey-green leaves and fluted stems, both very hairy. Yellow flowers up to 20 mm in diameter. It has a slender growth form, with pink/ red new growth, and reaches full height within a year. Plants self-seed, spread by the wind, but don't become a problem. Grows in swampy places and is hardy if given enough water. Eastern Cape, KZNatal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West.
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SUMMER BULBS EUCOMIS HUMILIS - Dwarf Pineapple Lily
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his small member of the Pineapple family of bulbs is quite beautiful. Long tapering bright green leaves (400 x 70 mm) carry a dusting of maroon to purple specks and attractive undulating margins. The short flower stalk too is washed with a dark maroon, and the long cylindrical flowerhead carries a bright green crown of leaves at its tip. In contrast, flowers are a creamy-white with dark maroon streaks on the inside of the stamens. Flowering takes place from December to February. This dwarf species is endemic to KZN, a member of the northern and southern Drakensberg alpine communities, where it grows in rocky stream gullies, on wet rock overhangs, and in moist grasslands. Bulbs survive frosty winters underground, with only the neck slightly above ground level.
Water the Dwarf Pineapple Lily well during the spring and summer, but the ensure the soil drains well. Feed with compost in spring. All this beauty – but a rather unpleasant smell designed to lure in the Carrion flies, said to be the most significant pollinator of this species.
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A SNIP IN TIME
Prune the following as flowering ends:
Pruning is done for a variety of reasons: To get rid of dead wood, encourCREEPERS age new growth and flowering, con• Jasminum angulare and J. multipartitum– trol excessive growth, and to keep a Wild Jasmines plant in shape. Now is the time to prune spring and early summer- flowering shrubs • Capparis tomentosa - Woolly Caper Bush (late July to November) if you missed doing so as soon as flowering ended. Don’t leave SHRUBS • Ocimum labiatum (= Orthosiphon labiatus) until winter as you then cut off the newly forming buds, potentially loseing a season’s • Anisodontea scabrosa. flowers. • Gymnosporia and Diospyros species can be trimmed into shape if needed. • Salvia africana- lutea: this shrub is adapted to resprout after fire so can be cut right back to encourage bushy or fresh growth. A prune after flowering helps to extend the life of this Salvia that can otherwise be rather short-lived. • Coddia rudis: a shrub from the Thicket Biome it is usually kept in check by browsers in the wild where it forms a compact shape. Light trims can mimic the browser action. • Agathosma imbricata – Sand Buchu – regularly cutting back will keep growth strong for years. • Ochna serrulata: Prune lightly after fruit-
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ing to stimulate new shoots and keep it compact and shapely. If done from a young age, the shrub forms a neat, compact shape. • Euryops pectinatus: deadhead regularly, prune lightly after flowering, and cut back hard every few years to maintain vigor.
GROUNDCOVERS & PERENNIALS
• Helichrysum petiolare: cut back well every
WATER PLANTS
• Hesperantha coccinea: Only large, mature clumps should be split, and then, only when flowering has reduced. January to April is the best time to split and transplant the River Lily. • Arums: February is the last month for dividing up clumps of this popular Lily. The tubers should be cut apart and replanted immediately, ensuring each division has a piece of the original stem and a growth bud attached for best results.
3-4 years after flowering to restrict its spread, and reinvigorate plants. • Scabiosa africana: remove dead flower GENERAL heads. If your mature clumps are now too • Tabernaemontana ventricosa: I’ve taken to woody, it may be time to replace them trimming off lower branches heavy with with young, strong plants. leaf during this rainy season to prevent • Pelargonium species: most will end them breaking from the weight of the their flowering season soon and can be water. trimmed or shaped. • Many Erica species can be trimmed lightly after flowering from late summer (February) to spring. • Felicia filifolia: can be trimmed at any time, but is best in late summer to autumn after the main flowering season. • Kalanchoe sexangularis: older plants need an occasional prune, generally when plants look old and untidy – can be done after flowering. • Trim groundcovers like Othonna carnosa, Pelargonium tongaense, and P. reniforme to encourage a new flush of flowers or to restrict spread in needed, or as flowering season ends. Left & far right: The Scabious and Hypericum need deadheading.
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Nymania capensis ŠRoland van Leeuwen via Wiki Commons
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Grow GOOD BONES with shrubs of the KAROO
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he Great Karoo, otherwise known as the Nama Karoo, reflects its Koi name of ‘dry place,’ and it makes up one of the largest vegetation regions in the country. Rainfall is meager and variable from year to year, typically 150 – 400 mm per annum, and, along with dry winters, frosty nights, and warm summers, drives the vegetation type found here. No matter where we live in our water-scarce country, we should establish and maintain our gardens during the rainy season, when plants are actively growing. In semi-arid regions like the Nama-karroo, this is especially important, as the only way to establish sustainable gardens that provide habitats for all is to grow resilient plants without the input of added resources.
What to plant: Low shrubs typify plant types in this biome, and aromatic leaves, easily shed in times of drought, are common. Build your garden’s structure with local trees and the large shrubs of the area; these provide shade and screens, create shelterbelts that protect against prevailing winds, and offer protective pockets for frost-tender species.
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