Winter is very much succulent season, with many of the plants looking their bright and colourful best during the cooler weather. Most kalanchoe types are grown for their attractive flowers, which usually appear during the short day lengths of winter, but some are cultivated specifically for their interesting or unusual foliage. Here are examples of three such kalanchoes, which all originate from Madagascar. They are easy to grow and thrive in many gardens around South Africa, especially in the drier areas.
Kalanchoe beharensis
(felt bush or donkey’s ears)
This kalanchoe grows into a large shrub or small tree with stout branches that can reach in excess of 5m tall over a period of time, although garden specimens seldom reach these large proportions as they are usually pruned or cut back to keep them neat and tidy. Leaves are thick and large, triangular or oak-leaf shaped with wavy margins. The upper surface is covered in a thick layer of grey felt-like hairs. Green to yellow urn-shaped flowers with purple centres are produced in erect panicles high above the foliage. Felt bushes are unusual succulents that really make a profound statement in the garden.
Denne historien er fra June 2018-utgaven av The Gardener.
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Denne historien er fra June 2018-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.