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Dreaming of a powdery white winter? Well, there’s an answer to South Africa’s lack of snow, and it comes in the form of blooming snowflakes – lots of them if you’re lucky. The common name for Leucojum, these living snowflakes may not be conducive to tossing around in snowball fights, but they sure do cover the ground in a magical carpet of glimmering white when grown in the right conditions. Continue reading Leucojum – making winter white

Have you ever wondered what inspired Mike Oldfield to record his iconic 1973 tune ‘Tubular Bells’? Musos will say it was his percussion instrument of tubular-bell chimes, but we horticulturists are convinced he was paying tribute to the tubular-bell-shaped Lachenalia, also known as Cape cowslip or wild hyacinth. After all, it’s difficult not to be drawn to dedicate music to our fascinating, cutely shaped indigenous plant. Often bi- or tri-coloured, there are over 120 species of Lachenalia from South Africa and Namibia. Just imagine all of these colours dancing in the wind as if swaying to the sound of Oldfield’s verses, spreading their sweet scent as they rock to and fro. Yes, we’re sure this was his motivation. Continue reading Lachenalia, the flowering harmony

By the time I arrive at the end of August, I’m tired of the cold, drab world. I’ve had enough of thick socks and boots. I want to fling all the windows open and sit at my desk without a heater, scarf, beanie, blanket and leaden fingers. I want a world that is dust free and washed clean. I long for the rain (Highveld dwellers are parched by the end of winter) and I yearn for fresh new greens and bright colours. Continue reading I simply adore daffodils.

There’s never been any doubt that Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 to 1792, had a great penchant for beautiful things. This love of beauty extended to flowers. The Palace of Versailles was always filled to its golden extremes with an abundance of sweet-smelling blooms, she decorated her outlandish hairstyles with petals and her clothing and accessories were all scented with floral notes. It’s no wonder that the hyacinth, with its strong, sweet, heady aroma and long-lasting flowers, was often incorporated in her perfumes and placed in her vases, thanks to a daily delivery of hundreds of hyacinths to the palace from the Netherlands, as ordered by her husband, King Louis XVI. Continue reading Hyacinth – fit for a queen

There’s a colour revolution going on around us. Colour-blocking recently saw a major resurgence in fashion and décor, and then out popped some blooms, and people realised that their flowers had been following this trend for centuries already. Continue reading Getting your garden spring-colour ready

When the Flemish botanist Clusius travelled through Spain in 1564, he was so fixated by the blue Iris xiphium that he sent bulbs back to Belgium, introducing what is known as the Spanish iris to the country. Fast forward to the end of the 19^th century when this Spanish variety had spread to the Netherlands and was crossed with Iris tingitana from north-west Africa… The resulting plant, because of its hybridisation taking place in the Netherlands, was immediately known as the Dutch iris, its flower presenting as larger and broader than its two parent plants. Continue reading Dutch iris – more than just a master painting

It’s a common belief that good things come in threes. Chasmanthe holds a very strong case for this rule of thumb. With three species included in this genus, it’s a triple whammy of iridescent goodness, ready to be planted over the next two months. Continue reading Chasmanthe – the goodness of threes

The Anemone, known by many as the windflower (anemone is Greek for ‘daughter of the wind’), has a special form named after one of Ireland’s three patron saints, Saint Brigid of Kildare. Her story is one of miracles, and could be an indication of how the Anemone got to be named after the wind that spreads its breath across a land. Continue reading Anemone – flowering with the wind

This week let’s talk about keeping bulbs in containers. Whether you go for a single perfect specimen in a delicate, beautiful pot placed at a focal point in your home, or a living bouquet of flowers in a huge urn to grace an outdoor space, either way you can create a show stopper. Continue reading A living bouquet – bulbs in containers

January is one of the most vibrant months of the year; summer has settled in and your flower bed should be brimming with blooming bulbs. The question often asked at this time of year is “How do I get my garden to carry on flowering so well”? Continue reading Extend your flowering time – blooming bulbs marvelously