Clivia
This is an indigenous plant to the Eastern Cape,
KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Mpumalanga.
It’s easy to grown and it’s also grown overseas. The orange clusters of flowers, tells us that
spring is on the way. This plants like
sun but can be planted in shady areas, under trees or on a shady stoep (that is
Afrikaans for veranda). The other colours that it comes in, is pale yellow and
a deep reddish orange.
Dietes Grandiflora
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| Clivia |
They are iris-like flowers, white flowers with their yellow
and mauve markings. It’s really
something if you plant a lot of these plants in your garden. The flower last a day but new flowers open up
continuously. It can grow in dry, shady
or sunny areas.
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| Dietes grandiflora |
Arum Lily
This plant during winter and spring in the Cape area, as the
cape gets winter rainfall. In other
parts of the country it grows in spring and summer when it usually the rainy
period of the country. They have
beautiful white flowers with long, broad, dark green leaves. The plant loves damp soil and shaded areas of
the garden. They are long lasting cut
flowers.
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| Arum lily |
Strelizia
This is a vibrant orange and blue flower. It’s is very unusual as the flowers look very
much like a crane with a crown of feather.
It’s one of South Africa’s icons as it even appears on the 50 cent
coil. Easy to grow, just water the
ground when it’s dry and keep the soil well mulched. It has other names such as the crane, as
explained and the bird of paradise as it also resembles that bird in flight.
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| Strelizia |
Vygies
This little plant is indigenous to the south-western
cape. It comes in many colours from
yellow to oranges, from pink to purple.
They can be planted in a rock garden or dry areas because the plant does
not need to be watered very often. The
succulents are also easily propagated from cuttings.
Bokbaai Vygies are exported.
These plants are grown worldwide for their dazzling range of colours
like yellow, cream, pink, magenta, and orange.
It is a winter succulent which forms a low ground cover. The leaves are spoon-shaped and the surface
cells on the leaves are modified for water storage.
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| Vygies |
Red hot poker
These are upright plants with bright flame-coloured flowers.
There are different species of this plant that flower in different season. Again plant a lot of them; it is truly a
spectacular site when they flower. They
love water and need to be water regularly in summer and feed them fertilizer to
ensure a good showing. The flower
attracts sunbirds to the area has the flower is tubular and is well suit for
the sunbirds long beak to feed from.
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| Red hot poker |
Pincushion protea
The protea is indigenous to the south-western Cape, but
could grow anywhere in the country under the right conditions. The roundish shrub is about 1.5m high. It’s a low maintenance plant and the flowers
can be dried and last like this for a very long time.
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| Pincushion protea |
They are climbers with slender stems, and heart-shaped
leaves. They have trumpet-shaped flower
and come in several colours, pink, purple-blue, magenta or even white. Every day they will re-open to the kiss of
the sun. The vines can grow up to 15
feet in one season and can self-seed fairly easy.
The flowers are in bloom from early spring to the first
frost. They attract butterflies and
hummingbirds to the garden.
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| Morning glories |
Daffodils
Daffodils started growing in early spring. They come from bulbs that must be planted
around June. They are one of the
earliest plants to flower. It has a
trumpet shape flower and come in a variety of different colours and shape. The traditional daffodils are sunny yellow.
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| Daffodils |
Tulips
These plants originally came from Turkey. The tulip was cultivated in the Netherlands
from the 16th century. They
grow best in cold climates but there are hybrids that can be grown in South
Africa. Tulips love cold soil so the
best time to plant them would be from March to June. Plant them in a place that has morning sun
only. The tulips do well if planted in
containers.
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| Tulips |
African daisy
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.
Dimorphotheca are members of the large Asteraceae family, which includes
asters, daisies, and sunflowers, and their daisy-like flowers will attract
butterflies to your garden. They come in the traditional bright orange and
yellow flowers as well as many pastel shades and pure white.
The African daisy is used as low cover around shrubs or as the
focal point in mass plantings. They also make beautiful borders, so sow them in
mass into large borders, beds and rockeries for hassle-free winter and spring
colour. These sun lovers will only open their petals in sunlight and remain
steadfastly closed at night or on overcast days.
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| African daisy |
Cosmos
Cosmos are beautiful summer flowering annuals native to Mexico, where
most of the species occur, as well as the United States, as far north as the
Olympic Peninsula in Washington; and Central and South America, as far south as
Paraguay. One species, the commonly called “Mexican Aster” (Cosmos bipinnatus)
escaped gardens and naturalized itself across much of the eastern United States
and eastern Canada, growing abundantly on disturbed land besides roads, and in
fields and waste areas. It is also widespread over the high eastern plains of
South Africa, where it was introduced via contaminated horse feed imported from
Argentina during the Anglo-Boer War. In South Africa they flower religiously
around Easter time, transforming open fields and roadways with their masses of
flowers, and the flowering can continue until the first frosts.
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| Cosmos |
Sutera
Sutera remains firm favourites with gardeners around the world for their ease of growth and profusion of flowers throughout spring and summer. They are hardy, vigorous, low-growing plants which can spread +-50 to 60cm, while only reaching a height of +-15 to 20cm. Plant breeders have developed many new and improved strains of Sutera which not only flower even more profusely, but also have larger blooms, with some varieties even sporting lovely yellow foliage. They are available in beautifully delicate shades of blue and pink to lavender and white. Some of the new cultivars include: Sutera” Snowstorm”; Sutera “Blue Showers” and Sutera “Lavender Showers”
Sutera remains firm favourites with gardeners around the world for their ease of growth and profusion of flowers throughout spring and summer. They are hardy, vigorous, low-growing plants which can spread +-50 to 60cm, while only reaching a height of +-15 to 20cm. Plant breeders have developed many new and improved strains of Sutera which not only flower even more profusely, but also have larger blooms, with some varieties even sporting lovely yellow foliage. They are available in beautifully delicate shades of blue and pink to lavender and white. Some of the new cultivars include: Sutera” Snowstorm”; Sutera “Blue Showers” and Sutera “Lavender Showers”
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| Sutera |
Iceland Poppies
If it’s the “wow” from flowers you are looking for, then Iceland
Poppies (Papaver naudicaule) are just the thing for you. Planted in autumn
temperatures, they will help transform your garden into a winter wonderland.
While some gardeners are loath to buy seedlings when they can’t see any blooms
on the little plants, this shouldn’t be a concern. Poppies offer their best
when planted early in the season, soon providing blooms that will keep on
appearing right through to late spring.
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| Iceland poppies |
Sweet peas
Sweetly scented sweet peas are a must for the autumn garden, not
only for their gorgeous smelling and looking blooms in the garden, but also to
bring a little of the garden into your home when it’s a bit chilly to spend
time outside because sweet peas make excellent cut flowers.
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| Sweet peas |
Kingfisher Daisies
Blue is a sought after colour
amongst gardeners because it is quite rare, especially a true blue shade.
Kingfisher Daisies, with their masses of striking sky-blue and sunny yellow
flower heads fit the bill, catching the eye wherever they are planted. There
are approximately 84 species of Felicia, and South Africa is blessed with about
79. This little plant did not go unnoticed and was one of the earliest species
used in horticulture, first being introduced to Europe in the middle of the
eighteenth century; it also features on one of our stamps. Sky-blue, pale blue,
violet-blue, pink and white flowered forms are available, as well as a
variegated variety and a beautiful annual which is entirely blue.
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| Kingfisher daisies |
