by Hannetjie Du Toit | Oct 25, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
Common names: Confetti bush, Aasbossie, Cape May, or Klip buchu
When you hike up Table Mountain in winter or early spring, you will see lots of Coleonema album flowering, and you will smell the sweet-smelling leaves on a hot day. Occurring naturally all over the Cape Peninsula mountains and also in the rest of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape mountains, this shrub is one of the must-have shrubs for your fynbos garden.
Coleonema album forms a dense, much-branched, compact shrub with fine needle-like foliage on slender branches. The leaves are very aromatic. Being from the evergreen Rutaceae family that includes citrus and buchu, essential oils are also extracted.
A hardy plant this confetti bush
Winter rainfall areas are where you will find Coleonema album flourishing. They can also withstand the dry and hot summers. They require full sun for best flowering and need well-drained soil that is well composted. Mulch roots regularly to retain moisture and to keep roots cool in summer. Although established plants are water-wise and can withstand drought periods, the plant will perform at their best if watered moderately during dry spells.
Small star-shaped white flowers appear in the winter and spring in clusters at the branch tips. Prune lightly in summer after flowering to keep bushes neat. This will also ensure masses of flowers the following flowering season.
The Coleonema album is a beautiful addition to the fynbos garden and a good filler plant for mixed shrub planting. It is also a must-have plant for attracting butterflies and birds to your garden. The shrubs can be pruned into tiny hedges and can be used as a windbreak or a screening plant. It is also a good coastal plant and can withstand strong salty winds. Commercially, the flowers and branches can be used for flower arrangements and as a filler for mixed fynbos flower bunches.
The colours of the rainbow
Coleonema pulcellum is the pink flowering confetti bush, and Coleonema Sunset Gold is the compact yellow-leaved with pink flowers that also feature prominently in South African gardens. (Note: Coleonema Sunset Gold yellow leaves burn easily in the Cape’s fierce summer sun, so position them when planting where it will get afternoon shade.)
Coleonema is one of our prettiest indigenous shrubs and really puts up a stunning display at our winters’ end.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Sep 22, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
Polygala myrtifolia – Common names: September bells, Bloukappie or September bush
The first day of spring is the first of September. No other plant shouts out “spring is in the air” as the September bush. They are covered in mauve sweet pea-shaped flowers in abundance on the first day of spring.
This fast-growing, indigenous shrub grows naturally round, making it a good choice for any fynbos garden. The myrtle-like leaves are a pale green and oval-shaped on slender branches. Polygala is endemic to the West Coast all along the coastal region through to Kwazulu Natal. It occurs naturally in the coastal mountains, forest, streams and open grasslands. It needs watering when newly-planted but drought-hardy once established.
The flowers are attractive sweet pea-like, pink to purple in clusters on the tips of the branches throughout the year. But, most prolific in September (hence its common name September bush). Nectar-rich flowers are where you will find the birds and insects. The seeds are also rich in protein and are a good food source for birds. Polygala plants also serve as the larval host plant to the Lucerne Blue butterfly. Polygala prefers sun, although it will grow in semi-shade but will flower less. The flowers are also long-lasting in a vase indoors.
Being fast-growing, they need a well-drained loamy soil. In springtime, a good mulch of organic compost will improve flowering the next year. A good prune after flowering in spring will encourage more leaf growth. Polygala will do well planted into containers, as a hedge, and as screening plants. They can be pruned into formal hedges and is a good (and beautiful!) plant for planting as a wind barrier.
Polygala fruticosa “Petite” is a dwarf variety that grows up to half a metre. Polygala virgata is a slender shrub with needle-like foliage.
This colourful evergreen shrub is a perfect plant for small and large gardens as its roots are non-invasive. Charming and tough, Polygala is a must-have shrub for your spring garden.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Sep 11, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
Common names: Suurknolpypie, Piempiempie, cobra lily or flames.
In the Western Cape, during winter, you will see alongside our roads, mountains and in some gardens, the bright orange flowers that are loved by all – and especially appreciated by sunbirds for the nectar it provides at this time of year. Chasmanthe floribunda is a vigorous bulbous plant, endemic to the Western Cape, with vibrant orange flowers that makes a bold statement in large plantings during winter and the beginning of spring.
Sword-shaped
The leaves are erect, fresh green, sword-shaped and with a medium texture and a main prominent vein. The erect spike with bright orange flowers normally appears around mid-winter. It has 30 to 40 flowers which are arranged in opposite directions.
Caring for Chasmanthe floribunda
Chasmanthe emerges from the ground in autumn generally after the first winter rains, and flourishes and flowers in both sun and shade. Bulbs can be planted from as early as February. As soon as green shoots appear: start watering and continue to keep the soil moist during winter (that is if it doesn’t rain).
These plants need well-drained, and enriched soil, and (although originally from the winter rainfall area) can be grown in the summer rainfall areas with success if watered in the winter and the soil is well-drained in the summer. They can be used in rockeries, on slopes and in mass planting where colour is needed in winter. They are at their best when used in large groups to provide a spectacular display of colour. It self-seeds, and if grown from seed will only start flowering after 2 to 3 years.
As soon as the leaves start to become yellow, withhold watering gradually until the leaves are entirely yellow and start drying out (generally about November). At this stage, one can lift the bulbs out of the ground and store in a cool, dry place until the following February. They may be left in the soil if conditions are suitable, in which case the yellowed, dry leaves can be removed and the ground covered with a thick mulch of compost to enrich the soil for the following year.
They will thrive for several years in the soil and form new side bulbs. After several years, the quality and number of flowers on such old plants will start to diminish. Then, the whole clump can be lifted with a fork after the flowering season. Separate the bulbs, and replant or stored it until the next planting season.
More species
Chasmanthe floribunda var. duckittii is the yellow form of Chasmanthe floribunda, and Chasmanthe aethiopica and has fewer orange flowers in the spike facing the same direction. The flowers start opening from the bottom to the top on the spikes, and the flowers and leaves are often used in flower arrangements. They are long-lasting in a vase. These are one of South Africa’s showiest bulbous plants and are a must for attracting sugarbirds to your garden.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Sep 10, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
Common names: Wild Rosemary or kapokbossie
Eriocephalus africanus, common name ‘kapokbossie’, is derived from the white flowers along our roadsides and on the mountains.
The Cape Snow Bush
They look like snow when they flower in the winter and spring and this indigenous shrub is widely distributed in the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape.
Eriocephalus africanus is a hardy, attractive shrub with a small to medium height up to 1 metre. The leaves are needle-like in shape, soft in texture and are intensely aromatic. The flowers are not showy on their own, but the bushes are quite pretty when they bear their clusters of tiny white daisy flowers, at branch tips (in winter when we need colour and spring). The small white flowers are roughly scalloped petals with reddish-brown centres and are quickly followed by fluffy white seed-heads that look like cotton wool. These fluffy seed-heads are used by birds for nest lining, and the plant is also essential to many insects as a source of nectar and pollen, and they attract bees to your garden.
Evergreen and Hardy
Eriocephalus africanus is evergreen and hardy shrub, which is fast-growing and needs regular pruning to keep it in shape. It is drought-hardy and can be planted in rockeries, retaining walls, slopes and in grasslands. They are also great for coastal planting and only need a mulch of good organic matter in spring. The Cape Snow Bush can also be pruned into an informal hedge, and it only requires well-drained soil and a sunny position. Remember to water well until your plant is established.
Potpourri and Relaxant Friend
This special plant can be used as a fragrant addition to potpourri and as filler-in for fynbos flower arrangements. Medicinal uses include antibacterial, relaxant, treatment for coughs and colds and as a foot bath for swollen feet. Eriocephalus africanus is also used in cooking and essential oils. The oils are derived from the leaves and used as an ingredient in medicinal and perfume industries.
Eriocephalus africanus is a true South African plant with many uses in and around the house, and even when it doesn’t flower, the foliage adds a different colour and texture to your garden.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Jul 22, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
One aspect of plant care that often causes a few headaches is pruning. How and when it should be done varies from plant to plant, and if done improperly can harm your plants or delay your flowering or fruiting time.
Here are a few basic tips so you can enjoy your flowers, fruit and even your pruning:
First things first …
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
I am a tool fanatic, and proper pruning is impossible without the right tools.
Secateurs
They are used for the young and thinner branches and always should be sharp to avoid tearing and splitting twigs and branches.
Lopper or long-handled secateurs
They give you more strength to cut thicker branches, and also give you added leverage to reach way into bushy shrubs or up into a tree.
Pruning saw
For the thick branches or trees or older shrubs.
Hedging shears
For the pruning and shaping of formal hedges and topiaries, or general trimming of shrubs.
All these tools should be kept sharp so that they will cut cleanly and easily. It is also good practice to wash all these tools after use with soapy water and to sterilise them by wiping it with ethanol. This prevents the spread of pests and diseases in your garden. Always dry thoroughly after cleaning to prevent rust and grease all the moving parts.
Pruning tips for al shrubs, roses and fruit trees
1. Remove all dead, diseased or broken twigs and branches;
2. Remove water sprouts, suckers and crossing branches;
3. Remove all crowded and crossing growth that doesn’t allow air circulation (especially when in full foliage);
There is one basic rule for shrubs, climbers or groundcover and succulents that only flower once a year: they need to be pruned or trimmed immediately after flowering has stopped.
In autumn and winter, you should prune back the following shrubs after flowering:
Plumbago, Barleria spp., Lavender bushes, Leonotis, Senecio spp., Thrachelospermum jasminoides, and Hydrangeas.
Hydrangeas need to be pruned mid-July, and you need to prune one- third of the plant back.
Roses and fruit trees (deciduous fruit trees) also needs pruning in their dormant season. With roses half to two- thirds of the branches needs to be pruned back. Always cut above an outward-facing node.
Bonsai and formal hedges need regular pruning or trimming to keep their shape.
Pruning encourages new growth, helps manage the size of plants, promotes better blooms and fruit, and also healthier plants. After pruning, remember to give your plants a good mulch which will help your plants with that extra “vooma” when new growth starts.
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