South African Gardening Blog » flowers

Cape Town in bloom

Niall — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:49:12 +0000

I’m down in Cape Town this week, visiting family and having a break from Durban and work. And I think I’ve timed it perfectly! I took a stroll along the Pipe Trail on Table Mountain and the fynbos is in bloom. Such beautiful, interesting flowers. I didn’t have my camera with me, but snapped a shot of this fascinating plant with my phone.

Cape Town flora

Cape Beauty

mol-d — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:56:32 +0000

I have noticed this flower fairly often in the Cape. With its tight buds and sturdy stem, it seems quite different from what one might encounter in Durban. I’m new to the Cape. Does anyone know this plant? Is it indigenous?

Bonsai Tulip

Niall — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:16:25 +0000

A few weeks back I went to the nursery to get a small tree for an empty bonsai pot I had when I got distracted by the display of bulbs. I’ve never actually grown bulbs but decided to give the tulips a go, what with my niece being Dutch. So, I grabbed a bag and packed my ceramic bonsai pot with them, watered and left. I’m happy to say that the bulbs have survived and started to sprout. I can now see the excitement in bulbs as every morning I head outside to see if any more have sprouted or how much they have grown.

Being a plant and computer nerd, I have documented the whole process and will undoubtably post some pictures once they flower.

Blooming marvelous

via Email — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:39:03 +0000

I’ve noticed this striking tree in bloom all around my neighbourhood – in the scary kid park, outside the Pakistani hairdresser and lining the streets. Its the middle of winter so quite surprising to see such a display of colour. It is great but I know little about it – could it be indigenous?

Patrick

Succulent flower

via Email — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:52:44 +0000

This beautiful little succulent is currently flowering – can anyone identify it and provide any more information about it? For example, is it from South Africa? If so, where? Karoo?

Winter flowers

via Email — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:55:45 +0000

Here in Durban we have a remarkably mild winter, which is in fact, the flowering season for a number of plants, in particular aloes and succulents. They are beautiful!

Patrick

Madagascan beauty

Niall — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:53:22 +0000

I’ve had this little plant for a few years but a change of container and location has it thriving. It has seriously been flowering for almost two months now and has grown substantially. Does anyone recognise it? I think it is from Madagascar.

SA plants I loved this time

Elsa — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:49:54 +0000

The nicest thing about a trip to SA (in Mar/April this year to KZN and Mpumalanga) is being newly enchanted by plants that I previously took for granted. Here’s a selection of recent favourites: palm seeds, more palm seeds, and a wonderful elephant tusk plant in the shadow of night, a succulent that offers its new plants on the tip of the leaf like a butterfly alighting; the stunning chevron of a traveller’s palm. Finally, by way of contrast, the untidy nest of the communication spider on a bush walk.

Elsa.

Waterwise flowers

TaraB — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:34:57 +0000

Hi everyone,

I am hoping to get some ideas from you all! I am in charge of planting some hanging baskets at my local cricket club. The club’s colours are red and black so ideally flowers that echo those are preferable. However, the club is about 20km out of town so the flowers will only get TLC once, maybe twice a week. The baskets will be on the southern side of the buildings, so shaded for most of the morning but exposed to the sun the rest of the time.

All ideas and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks

Tara

Ngoye forest orchids

via Email — Fri, 28 May 2010 06:03:25 +0000

Here are some pics of my little orchids from the Ngoye forest in bloom, taken in 2006. They are growing on some bonsais! Can anyone provide fora species identification?

Betsie