Page 21 - Dainfern Precinct Living 3 2021

GARDENING

2 ere are some plants that we 6. Grewia flava - Brandy Bush/
suggest for your garden this
Rosyntjiebos. The common name
Hautumn. for this plant, Brandy Bush, is quite
apt as the delicious fruit of the small
1. Crocosmia paniculata - Zigzag to medium-sized shrub is used to
Crocosmia/Waaierlelie. This lovely, make ‘Mampoer or Moonshine’. This
deciduous, bulbous plant is extremely shrub bears impressive numbers of
hardy and hails from the grasslands yellow star-shaped flowers with fluffy-
around Dullstroom. It has attractive, looking stamens in the middle. It can
pleated leaves and can be planted in be pruned into a tiny tree or kept as
3 clusters in a grassland garden or as a a bushy shrub. Another attractive
backdrop to a pretty ‘Cottage Garden’
feature is its grey-green leaves. It’s a
styled flower bed. This is a bulb that marvellous wildlife-friendly plant for
will pleasantly surprise you when it your garden that can be used as a
pops up in the spring. focal point.

2. Impatiens hochstetterii - Mauve 7. Maytenus undata - Koko Tree/
Impatiens. This attractive, soft Kokoboom. In autumn, this beautiful,
perennial thrives in shade and will extremely hardy small tree bursts
grace the shady areas of your garden into flower. The flowers are small but
4 5 with pretty leaves and many small pink carried in attractive clusters. The fruit
flowers until late autumn. Then they that follows splits to reveal bright red
should be cut back and mulched for seeds. This is an irresistible tree for a
the winter. Don’t despair if they are hit smaller garden.
by frost as this is natural pruning. Even
if the mother plant dies, the seeds it 8. Sclerochiton odoratissimus -
has dropped will germinate in spring White Lips. This attractive shrub is
and you will once again be able to medium-sized and can be used in
enjoy this lovely plant. both large and small gardens as it
takes well to pruning to keep it to the
6 3. Sideroxylon inerme - White size you need. You can even trim
Milkwood/Witmelkhout. This beautifully it as a formal hedge. It has glossy,
shaped, medium-sized evergreen tree dark-green leaves and masses of
is a protected species in South Africa. white flowers, like tiny hands, that
It bears clusters of white flowers that are streaked with purple lines. When
are followed by black berries which are in flower in autumn and again in
relished by birds. Plant as a specimen summer, it is a sight to behold. An
shade tree or as an element of a forest added bonus are the many insects
in your garden. This species has a rich that visit the flowers. You can plant
7 history and has a long lifespan. If you it in a sunny position or in semi-
visit Mossel Bay, you can visit the Post
shade - it can even tolerate damp
Office tree which was used by early conditions.
explorers to leave post to be taken to
their homes. 9. Erythrophysa transvaalensis
- Bushveld Red Balloon. This large
4. Aloe tenuior. This rambling, shrub or small tree has wonderful
shrubby aloe bears some flowers grey-green feathery leaves and bears
almost all year round but mostly beautiful spikes of pink and green
from May to August. The tall spikes pendulous flowers. These are followed
of flowers are carried at the tips of by large, inflated, papery seed pods
8 the branches and attract pollinating that turn bright red with age. Although
insects. Plant in full sun, (although it the pods contain large black seeds,
can flower well in semi-shade too, but they are as light as a feather. This is
it then needs to be supported). Plant for seed dispersal as, when it rains,
as a backdrop against a wall or fence enough of the pods will float away
or in amongst other shrubby plants. from the mother plant. The pods will
eventually break up, and the seeds
5. Aloe dyeri - Large Flowered Aloe. will drop and sprout where they fall.
This is one of the rosette-forming They grow naturally in rocky areas in
spotted Aloes but it is a giant one full sun, so they are perfect for planting
9 which makes it a wonderful accent on koppies or rocky slopes - although
plant. It prefers to grow in dappled
they do equally well in normal garden
shade, or almost-full shade, but should conditions.
receive an hour or two of sunshine
per day. In early autumn (they are Enjoy your autumn garden and all the
flowering now) it sends up a long, seasonal changes that are happening.
branched flowering stem that carries For more information, call
a myriad red-orange flowers. It also 082 553 0598, or visit
makes a wonderful container plant. www.randomharvest.co.za.

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