Durban - It is interesting to see what is coming into flower and leaf this month. All these are indicator plants to tell you that spring is just around the corner and it is time to start planting your crops or veggies and to get moving with any changes you want to make to your garden.
One plant in particular that I enjoy in early spring is the blood lily Scadoxus puniceus. This bulb belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae and can grow up to a metre in height.
It grows best in shade, though it also grows well in full sun.
The leaves will appear with the flowers, which are light green and will remain on the plant throughout the summer months. These leaves die down in winter so make sure you don’t dig them up.
The bulbs grow large and are used by traditional healers as a poultice, to treat coughs, headaches, stomach ailments and poisoning.
The flowers are reddish brown, striking against the foliage. Once the flowers appear, they attract many insects to pollinate them.
Red berries will appear after pollination which are eaten by many different birds. These birds then spread the seed all over the country.
It is said that the African communities in the rural areas start to plant their crops when this plant comes into flower as it won’t be long before the rain starts. We all know how welcome the rain was this past week after a fairly warm and dry winter.
Many of your winter flower plants will now be over for the year so it is time to prune these plants. Pruning is done for many reasons. It stimulates growth, allows you to shape your plants and removes any diseased or dead branches.
I was recently at the famous garden of Neville and Helen Schaefer in Balgowen pruning their wisteria creeper, which needs to be pruned twice a year, in summer and winter.
If you don’t prune this creeper it becomes very woody and the stems will get very long and the plant will not flower well. This creeper needs to be pruned in winter back to about three nodes from the main stem. This then allows all the hormones and energy of the plant to initiate flowering in spring.
Many of the local cycads will be pushing new leaves. Watch these leaves carefully as the leopard moth which lays its eggs on the under surface of the new young soft leaves will decimate these new leaves before you are aware that they are around. If you see a black and orange moth flying around your cycads, go each day and look under the new soft leaves to see if they have deposited any eggs. If you see any little white eggs remove them from the leaves.
I warn you if you don’t they will eat all those leaves in a weekend. It won’t kill the cycad but it will make it look very sad till the next flush of new leaves.
* Collect the seeds of winter flowering plants such as aloes and Leonotus. These seeds must be sown as soon as they are collected to improve their viability. The seeds can be sown in trays with a general potting medium or seedling mix.
* Cut back winter flowering shrubs, in particular, Leonotus leonorus, Plumbago auriculata and Tecoma capensis. Remove all the thin and weak, dead or insect-infested branches. If left on the shrubs, these branches can lead to the decline of the plant and even its death. Pruning also stimulates new growth on the plants and encourages better flowering the next season. It’s important to prune your shrubs every year. Many become overgrown and that can look untidy.
* Continue to place fallen leaves around the base of your trees and within the flower and shrub beds to keep moisture in, weeds down and the root system warm. If you do not have any leaves to put around the base of your plants, buy some compost.
* If you need to plant trees or shrubs now is a good time. It will allow the roots time to establish before spring and the rain. Try to get plants that are a decent size and have an established root system. Healthy roots mean healthy plants. When you do plant, use lots of compost and add superphosphate to strengthen the roots. Also make sure the tree is planted straight. If not, it will try and grow straight causing a kink in the stem. Not good for future growth. - Independent on Saturday
Happy gardening. You can contact me at Superlandscapes.
* This article is sponsored by Superclean 031 303 4141.