Afrikaans: balsemkopieva, copaiba, geelkatstert, katstert
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My Crassula multicava (Fairy Crassula) is in full bloom. It is a neatly-growing evergreen low-growing plant that rarely exceeds a foot tall in the landscape and is even lower when grown in dry shade.
Indigenous to South Africa, this Crassula occurs naturally along forest margins, riparian areas and within coastal vegetation from Mpumulanga (Eastern Transvaal), Natal to the Eastern and southern Cape provinces.
The beautiful petite flowers, which are pink in bud and then open to charming little white stars that are very showy as a spray above the foliage on reddish stems, appear in Winter.
Read more HERE.
Tonight all my Spekbooms (Portulacaria afra) look spectacular after a few days of rain - they actually do much better with more water than less, but they are absolute die-hards and will just go into rest-mode during a severe drought.
And just in case you wondered, these pics were really taken tonight. The iPhone 11 Pro actually has quite a spectacular camera.
I never thought I’d be saying, ‘waiting for the rain’ so soon after the massive floods we had here on the Dolphin Coast a mere three or four weeks ago (we had 244mm in less than 23 hours), but if I don’t bring out the hosepipe soon, I’m going to have a very grumpy succulent garden on my hands. Under the Tradescantia (above), the Callisia repens is dry and brittle and I have actually removed huge patches of it (they spread like a wild-fire anyway) to make way for new growth. Provided I water it. All the plants here at the coast are used to regular rain, at least twice a week, so no rain for the past month is not good.
Spekboom also make great container plants and already the birds enjoy roosting in the one above as it is near their favourite bathing place. Spekboom is totally edible and widely used in salads. I've often seen the birds taking bits of the leaves. The taste of spekboom leaves are pleasant but changes throughout as the sun rises and sets. During the day leaves have an acid flavour and they become less acidic towards the evening. The delicious greenery is heavily browsed by game and firm favourite of several wild animals, especially elephants! There the English name of Elephant Bush.
The leaves are used medicinally and in traditional home construction. Here are the most popular traditional and contemporary uses of spekboom leaves:
The spekboom flowers are nectar-rich and provide food for many insects – endangered bees love them! This, in turn, attract insectivorous birds.
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue or Sansevieria trifasciata is native to Asia and Africa. Snake plants (Sansevieria) have a number of health benefits. They filter indoor air, remove toxic pollutants, may help boost mental health, are easy to care for, are effective against allergies and may help enhance the “energy” of a space, according to feng shui, therefore they are ideal in the bedroom.
In the garden they thrive in full sun as well as partial shade and quickly spread through rizomes. They are also great in pots indoors or on the patio.
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If you’re looking for a succulent that’s easy to care for and propagates readily, get hold of a Graptoveria fantome. By propagating leaves, you will never have to buy another one and will soon have enough plants to start a nursery!