The Geraldton Wax Plant can’t be beat! Wednesday, 23 May 2018 14:36
Picture courtesy Ross Funnell - see her flickr pageAs part of the xeriscape or drought tolerant garden, the stunning Geraldton Wax Plant can’t be beat!
Geraldton Wax Plant (Chamelaucium uncinatum). When in full bloom the geraldton wax plant looks like a billowing cloud of cotton candy as the branches sway in the breeze.
The Firebush is a voluptuous tropical beauty Wednesday, 16 May 2018 11:26
Hamelia patens at Enchanting Floral Gardens of Kula, Maui, Hawaii. Picture courtesy Forest and Kim Starr - see their flickr pageThe Firebush is a voluptuous tropical beauty which produces flowers and berries all year round.
Firebush, Scarletbush (Hamelia patens) is a reliable tropical plant that has found its way into many a landscape because of its proven drought and soil tolerance – it can basically grow anywhere!
Boxwood has been modernised Sunday, 06 May 2018 12:51
Buxus macowanii Picture courtesy www.newplant.co.zaBoxwood has been modernised and is seen in almost any style of garden today.
Boxwood, Common Box, European Box (Buxus) are popular with gardeners for their attractive, compact, and low spreading growth habit. Their versatility is renowned and these garden plants can be pruned successfully into just about any shape you desire.
The Butterfly Bush blooms abundantly Thursday, 03 May 2018 13:48
The Butterfly Bush will bloom almost continuously from spring to autumn.
Blue Butterfly Bush, Bloutontelhout, Umbozwa (Rotheca myricoides = Clerodendrum myricoides) is strikingly beautiful, and because blue remains the most rare and sought-after flower colour for gardens, this plant fits the bill perfectly.
The Chelsea Flower Show Thursday, 03 May 2018 11:33
The Chelsea Flower Show - Trailfinders South African Wine Estate Garden
The Chelsea Flower Show means different things to different people; for some it’s all about the horticultural displays from all over the world in the Great Pavilion, for others it’s the show gardens or even the smaller more accessible Artisan ones, but one thing unites everyone: new and unusual plants, and plants never before seen at the Show.
The Tea Bush is a show-stopper when in full bloom Thursday, 26 April 2018 14:59
Leptospermum 'Burgundy Queen'The Tea Bush is a low-maintenance, hardy garden plant, and a real show-stopper when in full bloom.
- Tea Bush (Leptospermum scoparium) These natives of Australia and New Zealand are old time favourites for cold South African gardens because they can be depended upon to produce a show stopping abundance of flowers in winter and spring.
The Cape honeysuckle is water-wise Wednesday, 25 April 2018 09:36
Picture courtesy Wilferd Duckitt - Lesser Double-Collard Sunbird in Tecomaria capensis - See his flickr page.The Cape honeysuckle is water-wise and a ‘must-have’ for bird and butterfly gardens.
Cape Honeysuckle, Kaapse Kanferfoelie, malangula, umsilingi, lungana, molaka (Tecomaria capensis)
This indigenous shrub remains wildly popular with gardeners in South Africa and around the world.
Freesias are most fragrant spring flowers Monday, 23 April 2018 11:41
Freesias are one of the most fragrant spring flowers and are said to symbolise sweetness, friendship and trust.
These little beauties are sure to capture your heart and are grown worldwide for their cheerful colours and fabulously fragrant flowers which last long in a vase and will perfume an entire room, bringing spring right into your home.
Daffodils never fail to charm Sunday, 22 April 2018 10:27
Daffodils never fail to charm, so spoil yourself with some - you’re worth it!
What would spring be like without the sunny blooms of daffodils to remind us that winter is finally over and 'spring has sprung' and there is something truly magical about a deciduous woodland floor covered with daffodils in full bloom. The bulbs begin to grow when most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, allowing the autumn and winter sunlight through; and have finished blooming by the time the tree is in full leaf again.
Chinese Plumbago has vivid cobalt-blue flowers Tuesday, 17 April 2018 10:29
Cerastostigma willmottianumChinese Plumbago is loved for its masses of vivid cobalt-blue flowers from late summer through autumn.
This delightful little plant is native to East Asia, occurring from Western China to Tibet. In the wild it can be found growing in warm valleys and at forest edges, or in thickets. It is named after Miss Ellen Ann Willmott, a celebrated English gardener, and is loved for its masses of vivid cobalt-blue flowers which appear from late summer and continue through autumn, when many other flowers have gone over. Flowering lasts for six weeks or more and is a very welcome sight.
Common Primroses are hard to ignore Monday, 16 April 2018 14:03
Primula acaulis mixed bicolour. Picture courtesy www.nuleaf.co.zaCommon Primroses are little gems which are hard to ignore when in full bloom.
The wild primrose is a cheerful little flower with its pretty pale yellow flowers with orange-yellow centres, peeking above a rosette of fat, wrinkled leaves - like a little splash of sunshine in a bleak wintry world. Although they often flower in winter, primroses are synonymous with spring, and in their countries of origin are one of the first wild flowers to show their faces - even their name derives from the Latin for “first rose”.
Bokbaaivygies can be used anywhere you have full sun Monday, 16 April 2018 09:08
Bokbaaivygie. Picture courtesy Doreanthus Maria KlangBokbaaivygies can be used just about anywhere you have full sun in the winter garden.
Bokbaai vygies are one of South Africa’s most famous wildflower exports, and they are grown worldwide for their multitude of silky-textured flowers in a dazzling range of colours like yellow, cream, pink, lavender, magenta, and orange.
Sweet broccoli matures during cool weather Friday, 13 April 2018 14:59
Broccoli that matures during cool weather produces the sweetest tasting heads.
Love it or hate it, broccoli still holds its own in the vegetable kingdom, ranking as the world's fifth most popular vegetable. President Barack Obama certainly would agree, and at a state dinner at the White House he once stated that broccoli was his favourite vegetable!
Sow African daisy seed for hassle-free colour Wednesday, 28 March 2018 12:45
African Daisy. Picture courtesy Scott ParrishSow African Daisy seed this autumn for an inexpensive, hassle-free riot of colour through winter and spring.
These indigenous flowers carpet the bare veldt of the south-western and north-western Cape and Namaqualand in spring, and the flowers are so prolific that the leaves are almost invisible when the blooms appear.