The Succulent and Cactus Lady : kwazulu natal

About me

🌿 I've been gardening ever since a child, when I spent time with my father in his vegetable garden. But my fascination with Echeverias started in the 1980's, when my father gave me a pot with five Echeverias, which turned out to be E. imbricata. At first I wasn't much interested in them and planted them in some obscure corner of the garden and completely forgot about them. How great was my surprise when, a couple of months later, I noticed that they had spread and made a beautiful display - I was hooked!

Showing posts with label kwazulu natal. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 July 2019

Aloe thraskii (Dune Aloe)

During one of our walks on the beach at Umdloti, not far from Ballito (KwaZulu Natal), I came across these large Aloes growing right on the beach. Fascinating! Not many plants can withstand the onslaught of wind and sea spray and yet, here was this beautiful specimen absolutely thriving in these conditions. Hence the name, Dune Aloe.

Indigenous to South Africa, it is a lovely plant for coastal gardens. This Aloe is a single-stemmed plant with giant, thorny-edged leaves that curve outwards and downwards, like fleshy arches. The sturdy inflorescence's with their racemes of bright yellow flowers appear in June and July and it is one of the few aloes that will withstand wet conditions

Pronunciation : AL-loh THRAS-kee-eye
Afrikaans: Strandaalwyn
siXhosa: Ikhala
IsiZulu: Umhlaba

The Dune aloe grows fast in cultivation and is especially suited for coastal situations as it tolerates wind and salt air. It can be grown in inland gardens with mild winters and not overly damp summers.

It can grow up to 10 feet (3m) tall and is naturally found in dune vegetation along the coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It is a hardy plant but not completely frost resistant.

Aloe thraskii is classed as Near Threatened in its natural habitat, due to habitat loss from urban and coastal development and illegal collecting for the specialist succulent horticultural trade. Experts estimate that 20-30% of the habitat has been lost to urban and coastal development in the last three generations (generation length 20 years). Severe storms are also likely to become more frequent with climate change, and may impact more severely on dune systems in the future.

Saturday, 8 December 2018

Firesticks - Euphorbia tirucalli

Firesticks - Euphorbia tirucalli in the Summer on the North Coast, Ballito, KZN - green with no yellow or pink (Sheffield Beach, Ballito)

This is what Firesticks - Euphorbia tirucalli - looks like in winter on the North Coast, KwaZulu Natal - note the beautiful pink colour on the tips. And here they grow absolutely HUGE! (Sheffield Beach, Ballito)

It has been said that the pink and orange colours only come out when the plant is grown in the shade, but this specimen is in full sun year-round.

Saturday, 9 September 2017

Aloe striata

Aloe striata - pics taken in a garden in Ballito, KwaZulu Natal

Aloe striata is a stemless aloe with blue green leaves. Attractive coral red flowers are borne during the winter months on tall flat-topped inflorescences.

This species is comprised of three subspecies; the typical subsp. striata as well as the two less well-known subsp. karasbergensis and subsp. kommagasensis - which are both more difficult to cultivate than the subsp. striata and consequently seldom seen in gardens. The subsp. striata is widely distributed over the Eastern & South Western Cape province. It grows in stony soils on rocky hillsides in arid areas near the coast and the drier inland karoo areas.

As with most aloes, the plants provide nectar during winter which is an important source of food for the attractive sunbirds and many other nectivorous birds during the cooler period of the year when food is not readily available.

Aloe striata is a popular and most rewarding garden plant. It is relatively easy to cultivate under a wide variety of climatic conditions provided it is planted in a well-drained situation in full sun and given adequate water but not over-watered. It can withstand extreme frost and prolonged drought. This species is not only very showy when in flower but also during the rest of the year on account of its attractive foliage.

Propagation is from seed which germinates easily if sown in well drained soil and covered lightly with fine sand. Seedlings grow fast, reaching flowering size in three to four years. This species, as with most Aloe species, is subject to attack by snout weevil, white scale and aloe rust, although healthy specimens don't fall prey to pests and disease as easily as stressed plants do. These maladies are best treated symptomatically when they occur and your local nursery or garden centre should be able to advise on products suitable for your particular situation.

(All info from PlantZAfrica.com as I knew nothing about this particular Aloe)

Featured Succulent

Echinopsis grows pretty much anywhere. Here in South Africa they can tolerate summer temperatures of 30°C or greater, which is hot enough to spur growth of both Echinopsis pups and their amazing flowers. They also tolerate cold temperatures well during winter months. However, I bring my potted ones inside during hard freezes or their water-filled bodies will freeze as well. Compared to most cacti, Echinopsis bloom fast and furious. They typically begin blooming in spring. Most blooms only last one or two days and they frequently open at night. But it’s common to have several buds on one plant developing at different rates; so a single plant can be in bloom for several weeks. As a general rule, the smaller the diameter of the blooms a Echinopsis species produces, the more blooms the plant produces. Species that produce monster blooms (some over 6” in diameter) tend to have fewer blooms as so much plant energy goes into producing each one. Echinopsis generally begin to produce flowers when they are two or three years old. Echinopsis is a large genus of cacti native to South America, sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. One small species, E. chamaecereus, is known as the peanut cactus. The 128 species range from large and treelike types to small globose cacti.

A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. Gardeners are well primed to provide food for birds and animals, but the key to encouraging the widest possible range of wildlife is to think of creating a habitat for creatures to live in. The most important aspect of this is the provision of shelter from the weather and from predators, as well as a place to lay eggs, rear young or hibernate.