Tag Archives | tree

Blooming marvelous

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

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What tree is this?

I was out in KwaMashu earlier this week, conducting training for INK Urban Renewal, and this tree was all over the place.  I originally noticed it because its remarkable pods make a great rustling noise when the wind blows.  Does anyone recognise it?  Is it indigenous?  I took a couple of seeds and may try [...]

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Warning – strangler at work

In an earlier post, my brother lamented the scourge of syringa berry trees in Durban.  In the comments section it was suggested that strangler figs could be used to combat them.  I regularly jog down Manning Road and spotted a strangler fig at work on a Flamboyant.

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The case of the black moss

A couple of years back I planted a fever tree outside our gate.  The tree never really took off.  It didn’t die or look sickly, it just never seemed to grow.  I put it down to the fact that the soil I had planted it in was this terrible, sandy, red earth and decided to [...]

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Syringas

Syringas are my most hated of alien, invasive plants in Durban. They spread like wildfire, grow easily in this climate and are a task to remove. Since coming back to Durban last October I have seen more and more of them, and it seems that many people (myself included) don’t know the details. A few [...]

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Amazing orange leaves

I was in Swaziland, at the Mkhaya National Park, when I saw this amazing tree with these deep, orange leaves.  I don’t know much about the tree but have always loved the photograph so I thought I’d share it.

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What tree is this?

Another call for help, another mystery tree.  This tree is growing in my neighbour’s garden.  It has masses of creme-coloured flowers with a citrus/vanilla scent, which naturally the bees love. Anybody recognise it?

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Fungi

I went down to Clansdale on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast last weekend.   In the garden of the house we had rented was a dead tree and on the trunk this amazing fungi was growing. Normally I would just appreciate it for its beauty but I had recently been reading Pitta Joffe’s Creative Gardening with Indigenous [...]

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What tree is this?

This tree was growing in my garden when we moved in.  Someone told me it was indigenous but I don’t have its proper name and couldn’t source it in any of my books. It has a thick, rough bark, thin leaves and long, pod-shaped seeds, but what I really like about it are its flowers.  [...]

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