September 2016 preview

SEPTEMBER 2016

Bottlebrush Aloes Spring Flourish: Designs to celebrate Spring

Scented Evenings

Spectacular September Bake this Carissa Berry Carrot Cake

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A stunning Silver Aloe and Sunbird pendant valued at R1000.

IN THIS ISSUE Click on any page number to return to the Contents page

SPECTACULAR SEPTEMBER

BOTTLEBRUSH ALOES

By Jenny Dean

Gorgeous Aloe spicata and Aloe rupestris

CARISSA BERRY CARROT CAKE

SPRING FLOURISH

Delectable table fare from the garden - Roushanna Gray

Vibrant spring displays that celebrate spring

BRINGING BACK THE MEADOWS: Part 2

By Emmarie Otto

IT'S NEST BUILDING TIME Does your garden provide nesting material for the birds?

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The beauty of seasonal contrast in a Highveld grassland garden It's springtime.

SEPTEMBER Click on any page number to return to the Contents page

WHAT’S IN FLOWER: Our popular series is re-packaged for mobile viewing - as beautiful as ever .... take a peek

MOVABLE WOODEN SCREENS Needing a screen high up? Take a look at these clever wooden boxes

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Take out an annual subscription and stand a chance to win an exquisite Sterling Silver & Gemstone Aloe & Sunbird Pendant valued at R1000

SCENTED EVENINGS

THE VALUE OF TREES

Gorgeous evening flowers are pollinated by moths

Trees add value to our lives in countless ways

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FROM THE EDITORS DESK… Dear Readers, “Was there ever a time so entrancing in the garden?”, writes Jenny Dean in her Spectacular September article. Who can argue with that?

Spring is a time to greet the regulars, and meet a few new-timers. Wandering down into the garden after a couple of days of magical rain, the before and after images that greeted us were remarkable. Tiny blue stars of Merwilla plumbea winked in the pale sun; a shongololo – Rubi-legged, no less – required help across the long grass, moved safely out of the way of cantering canines – and, there, in its usual place, is the largest Pincushion I have ever seen. Hello, my old friend – for me, a symbol of spring in my garden no matter what the rest of it is up to. Alone it stands in a dense mat of long grass, defiant, never wavering as large mammals lumber by, and it is at least twice the size it was last year.

New season’s leaves are still small on the Schotia brachypetala, waxy, heavily pleated and darkly crimson against bare stems and the green backdrop of a Wild Strelitzia. I

turn around and draw breath – examined for flowers for two years now, the Gnidia oppositifolia are about to flower, pale yellow balls at the tips of long, slender stems covered in lance-shaped feathery leaves.

These are so soft to the touch I cannot resist them every time I walk by. See below.

Our issue this month echoes the vibrant colour of a South African spring; Jenny has a varied palette of her favourite blooms, Emmarie offers glimpses of spring in her Highveld meadow garden, and we’ve put together two displays that give a snapshot of the varied botanical life our country offers. Browse for more, and enjoy.

Anno

MAGAZINE PRODUCTION: Editor: Anno Torr Publisher: The Indigenous Gardener Contributing writers: Anno Torr, Jenny Dean All photos by Anno Torr, unless otherwise stated Other Photo credits: Andrea Abbott, Jenny Dean, Some image via Wikicommons, acknowledgement given; Graphic Design: Anno Torr

CONTACT US: Editor: 8 anno@theindigenousgardener.co.za ( 072 602 5610 Advertising: 8 Veronica: info@theindigenousgardener.co.za Accounts: 8 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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Subscribe & Win a Sterling Silver Aloe & Sunbird Pendant

Valued at R1000

Celebrating the launch of our new format out in September 2016

Wear your Passion

Take out an *annual subscription and stand a chance to WIN a Sterling Silver Aloe and Sunbird Pendant. Designed and handcrafted by Elaine Kool of Kool Kulture Jewellery, feather and leaf detail are exquisite. The Aloe arborescens flowers are made from Carnelian beads, a natural gemstone in the colours of fire and sunset. Purchase your subscription from our website to read on desk top or tablet.

Closing date:15 October 2016 *Annual subscription: 8 issues for R240 *Subscriptions open 1 September 2016 Silver chain included Click here to view Terms & Conditions

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N FLOWER - JULY /AUGUST

Pavonia praemorsa 1 – 2 m; Attractive, easy to grow shrub with pale yellow flowers for much of the year that change to orange as they age. Glossy, bright green leaves. Rather stiff branching habit forming a rounded shrub. Flowers open on sunny days. Good for coastal gardens. South African endemic; Eastern Cape

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N FLOWER - JULY /AUGUST

Drosanthemum hispidum: Hairy or Roadside Dewflower Glossy, bristly, sausage-shaped leaves covered in masses of small purple/ magenta flowers 15 cm in diameter. Spreading habit provides good cover in full sun. Flowers in spring to summer. Well-drained rocky to sandy soils, copes with wind, drought hardy, evergreen. A pioneer of disturbed areas. Does well on slopes. Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, Western Cape

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Spectacular September W Life here is tough

as there ever a time so entrancing in the garden? Here in KZN the days are sometimes hot, bright and sunny, sometimes cool, grey and drizzly and yet conditions are always perfect to wander through the garden. An indigenous garden is so much more than a garden of pretty flowers. It can be habitat, a sanctuary for small creatures and a balm for a gardener’s soul.

September Bells, or Rothmannia globosa, are everywhere – exquisite bursts of fragrant white blooms scenting the evening air. These little trees slow growing and unnoticed for much of the year reward the patient gardener with their springtime floral gift. Mine mingles with Tricalysia

lanceolata (Jackal coffee) and Wild Pomegranate (Burchellia bubalina) – a white and orange kaleidoscope. The Burchellia is festooned with orange/red tubular flowers attended by sunbirds. It is at its splendid best, growing at the edge of a mini forest, thriving in morning sun and sheltered from the hot afternoon sun. Jackal coffee waits in the wings in heavy bud. As Rothmannia finishes, Tricalysia will leap to the forefront of the stage, a mass of tiny heavily scented white flowers. This display is all too brief – a mere two weeks- but I would not be without its joy.

Clivia miniata thrust great orange heads from their dark foliage, orange flames in the shade. I inspect them carefully, looking for

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Bottlebrush Aloes The show is not yet over

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s winter fades, the kaleidoscope of aloe colour - yellow, orange and red - are replaced by bare stems and plump seeds, and these can look rather stark against the Crayola box of spring colour. But the aloe season is not yet over; enter stage right, the glorious bottlebrush aloes, Aloe spicata and A. rupestris.

Few nectar plants show the slow, progressive flower opening ritual as clearly as the 2 m single-stemmed Lebombo Aloe, A. spicata. An adaptation to ensure continued pollinator interest throughout the season, full bud formation is complete along the entire 50 cm long raceme, before a single flower opens. Wax-like buds are held horizontally, packed tightly around the core. Initially orange-red, they mature to a somewhat calmer orange-gold with a clear bright green longitudinal stripe – beautiful even at this stage. Days pass, buds plump up, and the lowest petals open to expose long stamens (exserted), that extend beyond the flared tips (campanulate, or bell-shaped), curving slightly upwards like eyelashes; pale creamy-yellow with a bright dot of pollen orange. Flowers are beautiful; golden yellow throat, green striped on the outside with the faintest dollop on the inside edge.

From deep inside nectar rolls ever so

slowly towards the opening, a dark brown/ amber colour as viscous as cold honey.

Drops can remain suspended for hours, enticing bees and other insects in for a taste.

Flower opening continues in a slow, twisting spiral that can take a couple of weeks to reach the crown. Older flowers are going over even as new ones open up. In my garden, bees, flies, butterflies, and other insects visit by the numbers. The common name is suggestive of its form; 'spicata' – arranged in a spike. Plants usually carry just the single inflorescence, though up to 3 racemes are found growing from a single rosette.

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