One of South Africa’s most important contributions to world horticulture is the Barberton daisy, a beautiful, usually orange- or red-flowered herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family.
The genus Gerbera has about 40 species distributed in Africa, Asia and South America, of which about 15 species occur in South Africa. The scientific name Gerbera jamesonii commemorates the German naturalist Traugott Gerber (1710-1743) and the Scotsman Robert Jameson (1832-1919). Jameson operated a jam manufacturing business in Durban and later a gold mine near Barberton, where he collected the plant in 1884. However, the actual discovery of the plant had been made some years earlier in 1875 by William Greenstock in the Houtbosch area of Mpumalanga. On his return to Durban, Jameson brought back plants or seeds, which were grown by John Medley Wood, curator of the Durban Botanic Garden, who sent live specimens to Kew Gardens in 1888. A plant flowered at Kew the following year, and the first colour painting was published in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine in 1889.
Denne historien er fra Aug 2017-utgaven av The Gardener.
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Denne historien er fra Aug 2017-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.
