There are few places in South Africa where cymbidiums won’t grow – they are tough and can handle fair amounts of cold, even with some light frost.
The plants can even handle hot summers. It was always thought that cymbidiums couldn’t be grown and flower along South Africa’s east coast, but with careful selection you can find a few cymbidiums that will even flower in places like Richards Bay.
Cymbidium plants have oval to rounded pseudobulbs that sit just above the substrate, and long grass-like leaves that arch towards the tip. The flowers come in a range of different sizes and may be carried on upright, arching or even pendant stems. In general, the miniature and intermediate type of cymbidium hybrids are the first ones to start flowering during autumn. The biggest group of cymbidiums tend to flower during winter, and in spring the large-flowered hybrids as well as the pendulous types start flowering. Cymbidiums are popular as pot plants as well as for the use in the cut-flower trade, and the long-lasting flowers will keep just as long if cut and placed in water in the home as they would on the plant.
Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av The Gardener.
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Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av The Gardener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.