Divine combination

We trolled the streets, studying neighbourhood pavements and accessed gardens (with permission) to see what's growing and found red vygies and blue felicias in a late winter-colour-clinch with pretty rocks...

Vygies or mesembryanthemums are our most colourful plant group containing many species with their abundance of bright, iridescent flowers. Few other plants can hold a candle to the glowing vibrancy of a patch of vygies in full flower!

In this combination, Drosanthemum speciosum (red ice plant), a vygie which naturally occurs in Worcester, Robertson and the Little Karoo, catches the attention. Drosanthemum means ‘dew flower’ in Greek which refers to the glittering water cells on the succulent leaves of this low-growing groundcover or small shrub. Scarlet, yellow or orange flowers will bloom from September to February. The flowers are light-sensitive and will only open after 9am on a sunny day and close up at 5pm.