by Hannetjie Du Toit | Jul 22, 2020 | Alimandi Tips
Euryops is an indigenous plant group from the Cape for the Cape. Winters in the Cape can be wet, windy and cold but with Euryops in your garden, your day will be filled with warmth and colour.
Euryops is a group of evergreen, hardy and bushy shrubs that grow fast, and are wind and frost resistant. They need a sunny position and will tolerate some semi-shade but will flower less. Plant them in well-drained loamy soil that contains plenty of compost. They are good landscaping plants where colour is needed, and because they are fast-growing, they quickly fill a gap in any sunny position. They are great plants for mixed borders, mass planting and rockeries. Euryops are low maintenance and only need pruning after flowering in spring to keep its shape. Also, every 2 to 3 years prune back hard to keep plants from becoming woody. In spring, give a good layer of compost, especially in coastal gardens.
Euryops are free-flowering shrubs that attract birds, bees and butterflies to any garden with the flowers also lasting some time in a vase.
Euryops pectinatus:
Common name: Golden Daisy Bush or Harpuisbos (afrikaans)
It is the shorter more compact growing Euryops with attractive, soft grey-green foliage and bigger, yellow, daisy-like flowers throughout the year but more in winter and spring. The flowers stand above the foliage, making it a striking eye-catcher specimen in any garden. Deadheading will help to prolong the flowering season.
Euryops virgineus:
Common name: Honey Daisy
The common name says it all of this Euryops. When flowering, it smells like a pot of honey and hundreds of bees will hover around the bush. Euryops virgineus’ foliage is a fine, dark green, fern-like foliage and at the end of winter hundreds of small yellow flowers will cover the plants for weeks.
If you need an indigenous plant with little fuss and a lot of joy, then Euryops is the plant for you.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Oct 11, 2019 | Alimandi Tips
Yes, Plumbago auriculata is worth singing about! This beautiful, indigenous, evergreen shrub is really a stunning plant with beautiful flowers – complete and perfect.
It is a fast-growing shrub, mostly for sunny positions. It will tolerate a little bit of shade, but then will flower less and it needs well-aerated, fertile soil. They need moderate water in summer, but should be kept fairly dry in winter. Plumbago should be enriched with compost once a year, and should be mulched well. This plant is fairly pest and disease resistance, and therefore caring for Plumbago is pretty basic – every gardener’s dream!
Plumbago plants are very versatile. They appear as sprawling shrubs and will naturally scramble up nearby trees. It is a great plant for screening, and can be used as a groundcover, be pruned into a low-growing hedge for a formal garden, be trained up a trellis to form a vertical feature, or can be cut to form a topiary ball. The beauty of the Plumbago plant is that they respond well to pruning and will even flower more profusely because of it.
Beautiful enough to sing about – for sure!
The leaves are a delicate pale green, but glossy. The flowers are five-petalled, phlox-like, are borne in clusters and produced in large masses. Their colours are a soft blue or white, and are borne on new growth. Plumbago flowers from early spring to early autumn, and attract bees and butterflies to your garden. Sunbirds also love these nectar-rich flowers. The fruit of the Plumbago has sticky barbs to attach to animals who aid in seed dispersal – their stickiness can also be used to entertain children, so be sure to remember and show your kids and grandkids how to make flower earrings with this very sticky seed! Simply, stick them to their earlobes.
In addition, Plumbago, if used correctly, can be used to treat broken bones, wounds and treat warts. In days gone by, it was also used as a snuff to alleviate headaches and some believed it could dispel bad dreams.
Whatever you believe, Plumbago auriculata is a beautiful flower for any occasion.
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by Hannetjie Du Toit | Jul 9, 2019 | Alimandi Tips
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Common names: Arum Lily, Pig Lily, Calla Lily or “Varkblom”
At this time of the year, you will see vendors along the N1 and N2 selling Arum Lilies. Being indigenous to South Arica and a long-lasting cut flower, everybody wants to buy these beautiful flowers. But, please, rather buy from trades in demarcated areas and NOT from hawkers. The illegal harvesting of Arum Lilies will not necessarily lead to the extinction of Arum Lily frogs, but it is definitely a cause for concern.
Frogs on Arum Lilies
There are two different species of frogs, the Micra frog (Microbatrachella capensis) and the Arum Lily frog (Hyperolius horstockii) which are found living in close proximity with the Arum Lilies. The Arum Lily frog grows up to 4cm in length and they are only found in the Western Cape. Both these frogs breed in wetlands where Arum Lilies grow wild in the wintertime. The Arum Lily frog is very pale and they hide their bright orange feet and legs under their bodies during the day. In this way, they use the white of the Arum Lily flower as camouflage against predators. The frog is frequently found lying at the bottom of Arum Lilies trying to catch pollinating insects. Contrary to popular belief it is not threatened by the collection and sale of Arum Lily flowers, but there is evidence of the population having disappeared due to the effects of urban and agricultural expansion which has resulted in habitat loss.
So, how can we help?
Let’s plant Arum Lilies!
And, this is how:
1. Cultivation
Zantedeschia aethiopica plants propagate well from seed and plants can be divided by splitting clump tubers at the start of Spring.
2. Natural habitat and distribution
Plant the lilies in swamp areas with the sun to semi-shade. A too-dense shade will render fewer flowers with long leave stalks.
3. Water requirements
Keep moist, especially in summer in the Western Cape, where the plants will be dormant if the soil dries out.
4. Maintenance
Arum lilies are low maintenance plants. Keep them mulched and cut off dead leaves and flower stalks to keep tidy – avoid pulling them out as it could damage the plant. Remember to add plenty of compost in summer.
5. Landscaping uses
A versatile plant perfect for mass planting in marshy areas and stream banks. They are beautiful filler plants and a good cut flower.
6. Foliage and flowers
The foliage is heart-shaped and varies in size depending on growing conditions. Their leaves contain water stomata which can discharge excess water – this prevents waterlogging and enables the Arum Lily to grow in wet conditions. Arums have large white flowers that are magnificent cut flowers, lasting up to two weeks in a vase. They travel well and will last for at least a day out of water.
7. Ecological benefits
Besides sheltering the 2 frog species, the Arum Lily is also a larval host plant to the Hummingbird Hawk Moth Caterpillar. This caterpillar can eat overnight a large leaf leaving just the bare stalk left. Fortunately, they are never present in large numbers and can be removed by hand in the evening with the aid of a torchlight – they actively feed at night.
Warning! All parts of this plant may cause severe discomfort if ingested. The sap may irritate the skin and eyes. Zantedeschia contains calcium oxalate which may cause a severe burning sensation and swelling of the lips, tongue and throat if ingested. Another side effect is stomach pain and diarrhoea.
Zantedeschia aethiopica is part of the Western Cape and what will a Cape Winter be without all the white flowers along our roadsides?
Please help us conserve these beautiful indigenous plants.
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