I am always amazed to find such delicate flowers such as this Gladiolus vaginatus in full flower at the driest time of the year. The earth is powdery dry and we have barely had any rain for months. Gladiolus vaginatus is flowering at … Continue reading
Gladiolus brevifolius (March pypie, Autumn pipes) is a late summer/autumn flowering Gladiolus that grows on sandstone and shale slopes from Clanwilliam to Riviersonderend and Bredasdorp. It flowers in 8- to 12-flowered pink spikes with yellow markings. A solitary, sword-shaped leaf … Continue reading
One of the fastest growing species after fire that I have come across is Asparagus rubicundus (wild asparagus, katdoring). The photo below was taken just one month after fire showing the amazing growth of this resprouting species. Not only had … Continue reading
I am often asked to help design gardens that will have colour and flowers throughout the year. With the abundance of Cape species that flower in autumn, winter and spring these months are not difficult to cover. However, late summer … Continue reading
When I first moved into the Uilkraals Valley I was amazed to find so many Amaryllis belladonna (March lily) flowering all over the valley. I had never seen this species flowering on Grootbos or in the Walker Bay region (which … Continue reading
In the fourth week following the fire Heiner took some great photos. The bright red flowers of Haemanthus and Brunsvigia were appearing all over the landscape. Many of these plants had been smothered by old, dense fynbos prior to the … Continue reading
Today I accompanied our new intake of twelve Green Futures students to Salmonsdam Nature Reserve near Stanford on the Agulhas Plain. The beautiful little nature reserve is tucked away off the beaten track and not very well known by visitors … Continue reading
Ok, so here is a bit of a cheaky one but I cant help but put this beauty up for all to enjoy. As a staunch Western Province rugby supporter the red disa has always been one of my favourite … Continue reading
Three weeks after the fire and despite no rain there is lots of growth amongst the resprouters. Relatively few fynbos species are resprouters, regenerating by sprouting from their burnt out stumps after fire. The vast majority of fynbos plants are … Continue reading
Cyrtanthus leucanthus or the witbergpypie (white mountain pipe) is flowering at the moment in Walker Bay. This is an endangered species and local endemic that is restricted to the area between Betty’s Bay and Potberg and grows on limestone and … Continue reading
