Tag: My Garden of Twelve

Six, Seven, Eight

In January this year, Diana of Elephant’s Eye invited us to write a plant portrait each month. “I challenge you, in 2012, each month choose a plant. Archived pictures of flowers, berries, autumn leaves, wildlife endorsing your choice. Start fresh – what will be your signature plant?” In January I profiled Carex evergold and in February I raved about the Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegata’. In March it was Dietes grandiflora and in May it was Clivia that was featured. Then in June I was enamoured with my Camellias that were flowering profusely and then … well winter hit us, life got in the way of regular gardening and blogging and so I’ve missed a few months.

So today I am playing “catch up” and featuring three of my favourite plants. Truth be told, I find it hard to wax lyrical for paragraphs on end about some of my choices, so a combined post is perhaps not such a bad idea right now. These next three are all fairly common plants. Common yes, but not in a negative way. Popular is probably a better way to describe them. I’ve also found that being quite new to gardening its been a lot of traial and error that lead me back to these dependable plants and one of the main reasons I feel I could not garden without them.

First of all, I simply love Lavender. I mean really, really love it! My garden with all its shade is really not an ideal environment for Lavender, but I have a narrow bed against a wall, bordering our pool that gets enough sun to allow Lavender to thrive. And thrive it really does. And another absolute favourite that I paired with Lavender is Gaura lindheimeri. I absolutely love the combination of the two and have added plenty of new Gaura this year in the hope of an even more magical display this summer. Both bloom together in this bed for months on end and give me tremendous pleasure. Both get a huge thumbs up from me as plants I will plant in any garden I own … even in pots on a balcony if that is all I have.

[one_half]Gaura and Lavender together[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Perfect companions against a wall[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The Lavender blooms are so pretty[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And the whimsical Gaura lindheimeri[/one_half_last]

And now, I hope I don’t get shot down in flames over this choice, my next one is Nandina domestica. I’ve read very negative reports about Nandinas, I believe they are considered undesirable in some parts of the world, but here in my shaded Cape Town garden, things would be very bare and dull without the backdrop of green provided by evergreen and ever-pretty Nandinas tucked into many places where not much else would provide such a lovely, easy to maintain background to all the other plants in my garden. And I am delighted every season by the changes in these lovely shrubs, especially when they are adorned with massive bunches of bright red berries which some of my birds seem to love.

[one_half]How stunning is the foliage on this?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The leaves when they turn red[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Sometimes the leaves are pink[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Two as background shrubs[/one_half_last]

So there they are. My numbers six (Lavender), seven (Gaura) and eight (Nandina).

Not the most original choices, I know, but much loved here in my garden.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags Gaura lindheimeri, lavender, My Garden of Twelve, nandina

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Camellia is fifth of my Twelve

Post author By Christine
Post date June 22, 2012
12 Comments on Camellia is fifth of my Twelve

My shade garden in the middle of winter would be dull indeed if it were not for the bursts of colour provided by the Camellias known as ‘The Empress of Winter’. Another fabulous foundation plant in my garden, Camellias are wonderful evergreen shrubs or small trees that provide seemingly never-ending large blooms in hues of white, pink and cerise, even red. Any post I do in winter seems to feature at least one or two of these beauties. This year the red Camellia is holding onto its saucer sized blooms for weeks on end providing much-needed cheer and colour where otherwise there would be … well nothing!

Diana of Elephant’s Eye asks us to profile our twelve favourite plants. The ones we could not do without in our gardens. Camellia is a foundation plant in my garden – due to all the shade I would not have a colourful winter garden without them. They also require very little attention and reward me with what I consider “sophisticated colour” starting in April all the way through to August. This month Diana profiles Juncus – which she grows in her pond.

The genus Camellia comprises more than 250 species. Among the ornamental species, the Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica) (which despite its name is also found in Korea and Eastern China) and Camellia sasanqua are perhaps the most widely known, though most camellias grown for their flowers are cultivars or hybrids.

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I consider Camellias “investment” plants. You know how they talk about “investment dressing”? That designer coat with the high price tag that is considered a justifiable expense because it will last for years and years? Well that is how I view my Camellias. A higher price tag than the average plant, Camellias will grow and mature, getting better and better every year until one day … you might have a specimen or two to rival the amazing Camellias at Vergelegen Wine Estate (The outstanding collection of over 1000 Camellia bushes at Vergelegen have been recognised as an International Camellia Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society). I’ve seen 30-year-old Camellia trees that are absolutely magnificent in full bloom. There is nothing quite like it.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, Camellias are one of the most popular winter and spring-flowering shrubs. Although they need acid soil, they are easy to grow in containers of ericaceous (acidic) potting compost. Mine are all in the ground, and I have lots of them. Camellias are woodland plants that grow best in shelter and light shade, although with careful watering they can be grown in sunny positions. They prefer free-draining conditions, with plenty of organic matter, such as leaf mould, incorporated into the soil. I make sure mine are well watered and always have plenty of mulch.

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Useful Links for Camellia lovers:

The International Camellia Society Website
Camellias by the Royal Horticultural Society
Fall Blooming Camellias at Carolyn’s Shade Garden

What are your favourite plants? The stalwarts that provide the backdrop to your garden?

Diana of Elephant’s Eye invites you to write a plant portrait each month. “I challenge you, in 2012, each month choose a plant. Archived pictures of flowers, berries, autumn leaves, wildlife endorsing your choice. Start fresh – what will be your signature plant?” Join Diana and friends on the 3rd Friday every month and showcase one of your favourite plants and see what others have chosen as theirs!

In January I profiled Carex evergold as my signature plant and in February I raved about the Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegata’. In March it was Dietes grandiflora and in May it was Clivia that was featured. Next month we will look at the bulbs I love so much. Come back and see!

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags camellia, My Garden of Twelve

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Clivia is Fourth of my Twelve

Post author By Christine
Post date April 21, 2012
13 Comments on Clivia is Fourth of my Twelve

Gardening in shade in South Africa almost requires the gardener to grow this most beautiful of native beauties, the Clivia. Prized for their ability to flower in shade, Clivias are ideal for massed planting under trees or in shaded areas. Extremely hardy and drought-resistant, they will not thrive in direct sunlight or frost areas. As I have lots of shade I also have lots of Clivias …

An evergreen beauty, during the winter months I hardly pay them any attention, their large strappy leaves blend into the scenery providing a beautiful background to all the other plants in the shade garden. Come late winter and spring they burst into colour delighting us with beautiful blooms that last for weeks and brighten even the darkest of corners in my shade garden.

I don’t call it a favourite plant. But I do call it a reliable stunner that brightens even the darkest corner. Clivia is a genus of monocot flowering plants native to southern Africa. They are from the family Amaryllidaceae and their common name is Bush lily. The flowers are carried in clusters on stout stems and range in colour from rich oranges to shades of deep red. The leaves are strappy, fleshy and even when not in flower; the foliage provides excellent dark green cover.

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Clivia miniata is a clump forming perennial with dark green, strap-shaped leaves which arise from a fleshy underground stem. The flowering heads of brilliant orange (rarely yellow), trumpet-shaped flowers appear mainly in spring (August to November) but also sporadically at other times of the year. The deep green shiny leaves are a perfect foil for the masses of orange flowers. (Info from PlantzAfrika.com)

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Clivia are endemic to southern Africa, meaning that they do not occur naturally anywhere else in the world! In many areas colonies of wild bush lilies have been destroyed by harvesting for traditional medicine and also by plant collectors.

What are your favourite plants? The stalwarts that provide the backdrop to your garden?

In January I profiled Carex evergold as my signature plant and in February I raved about the Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegata’. In March it was Dietes grandiflora and next month … perhaps a ground cover or shrub. Come back and see!

Happy Gardening
xxx

[note_box]PS: Please join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we’ll be so happy if you do![/note_box]

Tags clivia, My Garden of Twelve

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Dietes Grandiflora is Third of my Twelve

Post author By Christine
Post date March 19, 2012
10 Comments on Dietes Grandiflora is Third of my Twelve

I would not be a true South African gardener if I did not have this wonderful indigenous plant in my garden – Dietes grandiflora. I’ve briefly discussed Dietes before – it is a reliable plant in my garden and forms part of what I consider the “background planting”. It forms a stunning backdrop to all my other foliage and flowering plants and is beautiful in its own right.

Also known as Wild Iris, this is a large wild iris grown throughout South Africa for obvious reasons. It’s evergreen, easy to grow and thrives in most conditions. For example, I have it growing in my sunniest beds with the roses where it gets about six to seven hours of full sun every day and I also have plenty of them growing in the back garden under the trees where they provide a wonderful contrast with their large strappy leaves which can grow to over a metre high.

Dietes grandiflora are both frost and drought hardy and will grow in either sun or shade. For best results and most flowers, plant Dietes grandiflora in full sun or light shade in well composted, well-drained soil and water well in summer. (Full plant profile at Plantzafrica.com).

Diana of Elephant’s Eye asks us to profile our twelve favourite plants. The ones we could not do without in our gardens. Dietes grandiflora is a stalwart in my garden – so this is one I won’t do without. They require so little attention and reward us handsomely season after season. This month Diana profiles her Pioneer plant – Spekboom.

[one_half]Dietes grandiflora in the rose bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Dietes grandiflora in bloom[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Close up of the flower[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The large strappy leaves[/one_half_last]

I honestly pay these hardy perennials very little attention. They don’t demand any. I’ve hardly ever seen any insects on them (no tell-tale bite marks), they rarely require any sort of grooming and my rambunctious pets don’t even manage to damage the plants when they go bounding through the flower beds.

[one_third]Dietes in combination[/one_third]

[one_third]The attractive seed head[/one_third]

[one_third_last]The lovely Wild Iris[/one_third_last]

[one_third]Big upright strappy leaves[/one_third]

[one_third]Dietes grandiflora and Gaura[/one_third]

[one_third_last]White, purple and orange[/one_third_last]

I “cut my gardening teeth” on Dietes grandiflora. As a beginner, brown-thumbed gardener these plants gave me a great boost initially by simply thriving and providing attractive foliage and the bonus of lovely flowers. It is for this reason that although I don’t talk about it often, it is on my list of plants I won’t garden without.

What are your favourite plants? The stalwarts that provide the backdrop to your garden?

In January I profiled Carex evergold as my signature plant and in February I raved about the Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegata’. This month it’s Dietes grandiflora. Next month … perhaps a ground cover or a fabulous flowering plant. Come back and see!

That’s all folks!
xxx

Tags dietes, dietes grandiflora, Dozen for Diana, My Garden of Twelve, twelve

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels Trees

The Second of my Twelve

Diana asks this month to choose a tree with your heart. That one tree you will always plant, always want to have in your garden. If you have a new garden you will look for a place to plant it. That’s how much you love that tree! Well here’s my problem. In my “Garden of Twelve”, I already have a tree – an existing Betula pendula, Silver Birch. And it is a small bed. So planting another tree is not an option. So my favourite won’t make it to the Garden of Twelve.

My favourite tree is Pittosporum eugenioides ‘Variegata’ and I have two in my back garden. That tree that would go everywhere with me. Come enter my little forest with me and see how this tree lightens up the otherwise rather dark area.

Made with new software, I’m playing around with panoramas. Its lots of fun. Here you see a portion of my back garden, photographed and stitched together from three photographs. From the one Pittosporum to the other. This is the “youngest” area of my garden. Apart from the mature trees, every other plant here in this area, including the Pittosporums, all the Camellias etc. were planted 17 months ago. Everything had been ripped out of this bed and the shock to my system afterwards was great. I hated seeing the walls, I loathed seeing the neighbour roof and house. But now seventeen months later I am seeing the plants fill out and its starting to look fairly nice. It’s still my least favourite park of the garden but I spend the most time here now adding plants, trying new things and trying to make it a lovely place to just “be”. It’s the area favoured by birds. On any afternoon in the last few weeks you will find all sorts of birds here.

Panorama of the area with the two trees

The arrows mark the Pittosporums. Imagine how dark it might be without them twinkling in there. (The photo enlarges if you click on it).

And here are the gorgeous trees

[one_third]The Pittosporum on the left …[/one_third]

[one_third]Foliage detail[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Pittosporum on the right[/one_third_last]

A last look at before and after …

[one_half]This was taken in December 2010[/one_half]

[one_half_last]And taken 14 months later, in Febraury 2012[/one_half_last]

So there you have my FAVOURITE shrub or tree.

What’s your favourite? Join Diana at Elephant’s Eye in her monthly “Dozen for Diana” meme. (Dozen for Diana by Elephant’s Eye – on the 3rd Friday of every month Diana invites you to write a plant portrait. “I challenge you, in 2012, each month choose a plant. Archived pictures of flowers, berries, autumn leaves, wildlife endorsing your choice. Start fresh – what will be your signature plant?”).

The look I’m going for … woodland or mini-forest – this photo below taken at and angle and hiding the wall. I’m planting now for flowers in this garden. Japanese anemones are about to bloom, Digitalis planted for colour, Camellias and Azaleas will do their thing again and in Spring we have Freesias and other bulbs.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags Dozen for Diana, My Garden of Twelve, pittosporum, tree

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The First of my Twelve

I’m joining Diana at Elephant’s Eye in her monthly “Dozen for Diana” meme. Our friend Donna in New York is calling hers “Simply the Best“, I’m calling mine, “My Garden of Twelve“.

So I’ve known about this for a few weeks already and honestly, I’ve started my post for it four times! 4 times I started and four times I deleted. I just couldn’t get it right or feel any real passion for the plant profiles I was trying to do. Then I read the brief again. What does she really want us to do?

“1. I would like you to imagine a new empty small garden: Perhaps an enclosed courtyard? The view from a window? That new garden bed?
2. Choose Twelve plants that grow happily in your climate and soil! Make a list tailored for your garden.
3. Diana favours indigenous/native for wildlife. She also has roses. What do you like? What works in your garden?
4. Colour / scent / texture / interest – so we see A Garden.”
~ Diana of Elephant’s Eye (Western Cape, South Africa)

Right, now I get it.

Only, I don’t have to imagine an empty bed. I have one. A recently stripped bed. Its been stripped, composted, mulched, watered, left. It’s ready for some planting action. I have no plan. So lets use the bed and make a plan. 12 plants. 12 months. 12 progress blog posts.

[one_half]Bare Garden of Twelve in Jan, 2012[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another angle, January 2012[/one_half_last]

Current bed details:
Size of the bed: 3,2 metres long, 2.1 metres wide.
Aspect: East facing, against my west boundary wall.
Full sun / partial shade under the Birch tree.
Existing Plant material:
• A Birch tree, fair size.
• A young ornamental cherry (could be moved).
• A few random plants (Carex, Helichrysum petiolare, Lamium) that may be moved to other areas in the garden. Or not.

Desired Style: My own. I’ll work it out as I go along, but I’m thinking roses and grasses … perhaps. I can have 12 plants. And they need to work.
Name of the bed: For now I’ll call it my garden of twelve.
Intended plants: 12 plants. 12 that work. 12 plants that I love.
Problems / special considerations: My pets often walk in the front part of this beds so plants situated at the front cannot be delicate or fragile.

The First of my Twelve
Right, it’s nothing very exciting, terribly exotic, prestigious or even desirable. But I love it!

[one_half]Carex Evergold with petunias in my garden[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Carex Evergold grouped in my garden[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Bordering the Heliotrope in the Rose bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Chameleon plant peeping through Carex[/one_half_last]

Plant: Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’ – Sedge
Why? I took a walk around my garden and asked myself the question … “If I pulled out every single plant and started from scratch, what is the very first plant I would plant again?”. In my garden, its Carex evergold. I just adore everything about this hardy plant. I know its not indigeneous, spectacular, bla bla bla … but it makes me happy and makes me want to be in the garden. So if I have these, then the rest follows.

In my garden of twelve, they already exist from the previous planting. As you can see in the photos (of the bed, above), they are planted all in a row – my rookie mistake. I plan to remove a few, then reposition the rest to create a more natural look. staggered, perhaps with a low growing, flowering ground cover in between, or something else, we’ll get to that … this is the First of my Twelve!

Plant Profile:
Type: Rush or Sedge
Family: Cyperaceae
Height: 0.75 to 1 feet / Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet
Blooms: Yes, but rather insignificant
Sun: Partial shade to sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Very low
Growth habit: It is a fairly dense, clump-forming sedge grown for its foliage effect.
Leaves: The leaves are grass-like, arching and variegated (creamy yellow with dark green borders).
Problems: To date I am not aware of any problems with Carex in my garden. I’ve lost one (a newly planted one) to what I think was cutworm. Other than that, they are easy, low maintenance, with a nice mounding growth habit. It is not spreading itself in my garden so is very well behaved and a bonus is that it can take a fair amount of abuse in terms of my pets trampling on it – which they like to do!
Seasonal interest: Carex is evergreen here in my climate, and looks great in all seasons with no colour changes.
References: Some information from the Missouri Botanical Garden, the rest is my own observation and experience.

My Garden of Twelve by Month in photos (Starts January 2012).
(From my Flickr Gallery which will be added to and updated monthly)

For a list of good memes, see our list at Gardening Blog Memes.

Tags Carex, carex evergold, Carex Frosty Curls, Dozen for Diana, My Garden of Twelve