Page 22 - Blue Valley News June/July 2021

GARDENING
PLANTS LOOKING GOOD THIS MONTH

Source: Random Harvest Indigenous Nursery

December. Throughout the rest of the year
the attractive red-edged leaves add colour
and texture. Plant in a grassland garden,
or in amongst pebbles or small rocks in a
succulent bed, in sun or semi-shade. It also
makes a rewarding container plant.

Tabernaemontana elegans - Toad Tree
This wonderful small spreading, deciduous
tree grows with an almost flat top. It bears
spikes of pure white, fragrant flowers. These
are followed by large, paired seed pods
with white warts that look like the backs
of toads, hence the common name. When
the pods split, they reveal seeds embedded
in edible pulp. Plant in sun or shade. This
appealing tree is ideal for smaller gardens or
in courtyards and containers.
Cotyledon barbeyi - Plakkie
A hardy, evergreen, branched, succulent
shrub with finger-like, fleshy leaves, the
Plakkie is a great attraction to birds and bees.
It bears masses of long-lasting, pendulous,
satiny, red, tubular flowers in clusters at
Scabiosa africana - Pincushion the tip of flowering stalks from March to
If you are looking for a plant with an September. This drought-hardy shrub makes
exceptionally long flowering time that will a good addition to a succulent garden or
attract masses of butterflies to your garden, rockery and is lovely in a container. Plant in
you need look no further. This small shrub or well-drained soil in full sun or semi-shade.
bedding plant has lovely quilted leaves and
carries its delightful, pincushion-type flowers
on long stalks above the leaves. Plant in sun
or semi-shade and prune lightly to keep in
shape.

Scutia myrtina - Cat-Thorn
This large rambling shrub is true to its name
due to its hook thorns. It has wonderful small,
glossy leaves that are almost mirror-like. The
flowers are small and quite nondescript, but
they are followed by masses and masses of
large berries that the birds love. Plant in sun
or light shade. The Cat-Thorn is perfect to train
along the top of a wall to deter unwanted
visitors, making it a good plant as an element
of a security hedge. It is also ideal for a bird
garden. You can also use it as a container
plant - but then do prune it regularly.
Kalanchoe rotundifolia ‘Signal Red’ -
Common Kalanchoe
There is nothing common about the
magnificent display of flowers this small
succulent plant will give you. The plant grows Polygala virgata - Purple broom
to about 10cm but bears long spikes of red, This floriferous, slender shrub bears spikes of
yellow or orange flowers from March to mauve to purple pea-like flowers at the tips
of graceful branches. The flowers attract a

20 • Issue 3 2021 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS