my aloe garden

2011-06-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Before-and-After photos in our aloe and succulent water
saving garden
Aloe litorallis is a tree aloe growing at least to 3 meter high.
It is special in that it blooms very young and small for a tree aloe.
The dry inflorescence stem from May is visible on the photo taken September.
The aloe in centre front is an Aloe aculeata x Aloe zebrina hybrid.

The first photo dates September 2007. The last photo was taken May 2011.

It is a pity that the aloe and messemb do not bloom together for the photos.
The messembs should be beautiful this year. I will take a photo September.
The inflorescence of Aloe litorallis is high compared to the size of the plant.

The wine red Crassula sp. is darker in dry summer.
This photo was taken shortly after the rain season started. The Crassula
sp. was cut back often over the years, as was the Euphorbia left back.

2010-11-28T02:44:00.000-08:00

Few gardens have the space or conditions to grow these
extraordinary aloes, but it is worth the space and trouble. These
plants never fail to attract attention to a garden.
1 Aloe dichotoma x Aloe ramosissima hybrid is
easier than either one of the species to grow.
2 Aloe pilansii the top of the range of "must
have" for the serious experienced aloe gardeners. It is also the most
difficult of the tree aloes to grow - if you are able to get one!
3 Aloe ramosissima is the smallest of this group
but more difficult than Aloe dichotoma when grown out of habitat.

Above:- Aloes growing in the Vanruynsdorp nursery situated
in habitat of these aloes.

Below:- Aloe dichotoma, Aloe ramosissima and a hybrid in the garden.

Below:-
4 Aloe barberae below is not from a harsh habitat
and an easy tree aloe to grow in a garden.
The range of this aloe is a broad coastal zone from East
London in South Africa northwards up to Mozambique.

Above:- This is a group of trees planted together.
Here it is growing very well in the winter rainfall frost free
climate. Aloe barberae does not like frost but even there you will
find them in gardens in Namaqualand or in the Karoo botanical garden where
there is frost. The secret is that it is dry frost and the trees were
protected by other plants or against a house. Wet and cold kills most aloes.
This tree grows high. The wall is two meter high on the photo above.

Here is Aloe barberae as a single tree planted next to
Aloe marlothii to the left and Aloe ferox to the right.
Both species are also described as tree aloes.
The photo was taken in the botanical garden near
Worcester. The tree grows on a hill where the cold air will move
downhill quickly. This climate is very dry compared to the habitat of
Aloe barberae which proves again that this is an easy aloe to grow.

2010-11-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

A new book, on Limestone Fynbos, published by the Duiwenshok Conservancy.(not a profit organisation!)

Limestone Fynbos is an intriguing flora that occurs on our southern coast, wherever there are limestone hills or cliffs. Most of the plants occur in a broad sweep from Gansbaai to the Gouritz River, including pockets at Cape Point and Macassar. This flora can be divided into three natural units, Agulhas Limestone, De Hope Limestone and Canca Limestone. In December 2007 Veld and Flora published an article on the Agulhas Limestone. The Duiwenhoks Conservancy has added a new aspect to the literature available on this rather unknown flora by publishing a book that describes the Limestone Fynbos of the Vermaaklikheid area, near Heildelberg, which falls in the Canca Limestone unit.

Limestone Fynbos is floristically very different from other vegetation. The reason for this is that these plants thrive on a soil type that would be toxic to most fynbos plants, which are normally found on acidic or neutral soils. They grow on limestone soils, which are so alkaline that if you squeeze lemon juice on them they will fizz. It is this alkalinity in the soil that is toxic to most fynbos plants. In a remarkable adaptation to a hostile soil environment, Limestone Fynbos has evolved as a unique flora that shares only a few species in common with sandstone fynbos and sand fynbos. As one would expect from a flora that is confined to such specific soils, many plants are endemic, meaning that they grow only on such soils or even at only one locality.

At first glance, this little-known flora appears as dry woody scrub. On closer inspection a fascinating array of intriguing and sometimes tiny flowers emerge. Over the past ten years, the author Louisa Oberholzer began collecting, describing and photographing the plants in the Vermaaklikheid area of the Western Cape ( Near Stillbaai). The Duiwenhoks Conservancy provided financial support for the identification of the species and finally for the publication of the book, Limestone Fynbos of the Vermaaklikheid Area. It presents a photographic record and description of 124 species. Of particular interest are the intriguing Fabaceae, or pea-like flowers and the pungent buchus, which belong to the Rutacea or citrus family.

The aim of the publication is to inform the public and particularly landowners about the value of Limestone Fynbos and the importance controlling alien vegetation, which is a major threat to all the fynbos plant communities.

The book is priced at R130.00 available from the Duiwenhoks Conservancy, (info@duiwenhoksconservancy.co.za) and also from the author, (louisa.stanford@gmail.com)

2010-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Kalanchoe beharensis is a tree size succulent plant from Madagascar.
It keeps up the Kalanchoe legacy that is: hardy and
grow very easy from leaves or pieces of stem.

Photo above is one plant. This could have been an
even bigger bush if it was not that the branches are often blown
off by the wind. The stems are not strong enough for the heavy
leaves full of water.

Showing size of leaf.

The bullterrier also posed for size. One leaf will
easy cover her head.

The pattern where the leaves were attached on the stem is
pretty.
The "thorns" on the stems where the leaves were attached
are blunt and do not cut or scratch.

The inflorescence is very large and heavy.

It is a pity that the flowers are so very small.
The pale buds are more obvious.

2010-10-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Kalanchoe genus vary from odd to interesting and
beautiful succulent plants. For the most part popular,
but there are a few species that are hardy and grow very
easy from leaves or any piece of vegetation so that they
are seen as weeds.
Kalanchoe bossveldiana, could be the most popular
species cultivated for beautiful flowers. The plants are
mostly sold in pots but they do best hanging.
Here on my rock garden wall the pink flowering one is
so pretty I bought the yellow flowering one this year.
They are cultivated in many colors gorgeous in bloom.

I am looking forward to the yellow flowering Kalanchoe
blooming as nice as the pink one next year.

The hanging aloes on the wall are a small one from
Madagascar to the left of the pink blooms. Then to the right three
Aloe pendens from Yemen followed by a few Aloe hardii from South Africa.
It was easy to build this succulent plants wall garden.
Instructions on my site.
http://succulentplants.net/rock-wall.garden.create.htm

2010-10-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

The theme in our garden is aloes with other water saving plants to keep it interesting.
Maybe "water wise gardenïng" fits the theme better.
Any succulent and drought resistant plants which do not harm my aloes are welcome.

Strolling through the garden a few days ago, this scene triggered a memory.

Take a second look.

That was very long ago I know - but does "feed me !!!!" ring a bell ?

The weird plant in "Little shop of horrors" ...   A very old rock
musical (but the kids still enjoy to see it.)
This plant is so realistic to the plant in the musical
that I could hear it say - "Feed me !!"

While taking this photo I had a strange feeling it might snap at my finger.

Now serious.    This is a very easy water-wise plant that can grow
well over a meter high. The hairy leaves are soft with a velvet touch.

It was cultivated from Kalanchoe beharensis from Madagascar....

aha ... I knew it. I would expect something like that from Madagascar.
yes?....

2010-08-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ever changing scenes in the garden.
The focus here is on Aloe vanbalenii in front and
Aloe barberae (tree aloe) to the right just behind the stump.
The daisies are blooming it is winter - 20007 (that is June-July).

June 2010 and the rain season started at least 2 months
ago. The aloes are washed shiny clean from the summer's
dust.

Interesting how the one Aloe vanbalenii plant grew way
faster than the two on the side and Aloe barberae the
tree aloe in the middle, more than doubled in size.
The smaller type aloes in the background are not in the
picture any more, they have reached their maximum size
long ago.

Special about Aloe vanbalenii is the color changing in
the leaves when it is grown "hard". That is a lot of summer
sun and very little water.

Special about Aloe barbarae - it is a tree.

2010-08-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

Euphorbia species
It is extraordinary how many Euphorbia there are and how much
they differ from each other. The only way to know they are related
is by the flowers.

Here is a photo of the tiny ground cover. The leaves are very small
in dry weather and much larger(in comparison) in easy conditions.
I added my finger tip for scale.



It was only recently that I found out that this old favorite ground
cover was in fact an Euphorbia!

Never forget that the milky sap or latex of the Euphorbia plant
is highly toxic. Especially in the eyes. There is one very fierce
large tree size Euphorbia in the northern parts of South Africa
where it is dangerous in habitat where those large plants grow
to walk downwind when they are in bloom. Your eyes will start
burning and you better cover the eyes and nose with a piece of
cloth quickly.
Surprisingly the bees and butterflies love the flowers !




There are animals - even domestic cattle - that eat some of the
Euphorbia species. This is life saving for the animals in
Namaqualand and the Karoo.
I would like an assortment Euphorbia between the aloe
plants but most of the pretty or odd ones are rather difficult
plants out of their habitat.

2010-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Orange slime for Gisela.
If you have some info on this then we can add it here.
Let me know if you want the larger photos and I will email it to you.
I saw it only once - early morning. By midday the
bubbles have all "melted" into a thin layer of orange liquid.
If I had a scientific mind I would not have picked it up
but I wanted to have a closer look and did not realize it was so very
fragile.

To give some idea of size. The snail was not bigger than my thumbnail.
The green leaves are from a very small (weed) groundcover of the Euphorbia family.
I like that ground cover even if it is seen as a weed.
It is too small to overgrow my aloes and it is drought resistant.
There was no sign that the slime damaged the plant in any way.

2010-08-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

Ever changing scenes in the garden.
After I took the photo I realized how much the scene changed.
Seeing it every day it seems to be the same.

The aloes are Aloe gerstneri in front and you need to look close to
see Aloe speciosa behind.

Photo above was taken January 2007
Photo below was taken January 2010

Aloe gerstneri blooms in summer and Aloe speciosa in winter.

The photo bellow is to show Aloe speciosa in bloom, winter July
2009. The angle of this photo is slightly different. There are
still two Aloe gerstneri plants, the second one is behind the
first one. The toppled plum tree can be seen in the background
with only a few yellow leaves on it.
The winter growing mesemb on the left is now bright
green.

Photo below of Aloe speciosa was taken 1Aug. 2010.
In fact I went and took this photo a few minutes ago.

Those flower racemes are at least 50 cm high and there
are three!
Below:- Aloe speciosa from the side showing the tilted
rosette facing north which is the rule for this aloe species.

2010-03-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

This rock garden is excellent for a veranda, balcony or indoor.

The plants are in pots hidden by the stones. To reduce the weight on
a balcony - place polysterine foam around the pots which then need
only a single layer stones to cover it.
Scatter small pebbles between the stones to fill gaps and holes.

Bright lights are needed to grow the succulent plants in this
eye-catching indoor rock garden.

2010-01-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Trusting you enjoyed the festive season

and wishing you a healthy joyful new year.

Take a look what I found in the garden for xmas.

It is a member of the Dandelion family.
The seeds are large, about the size of a tennis ball.

A little glitter added to the festive season, but the
natural glitter is even prettier..

I picked them the beginning of December and they are
still exactly the same.
That must be because I keep them out of a draft
and nobody touches them.

2009-12-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

The garden changes in time and season. My friend gave me

this tip. Take photos of the garden in the same way as taking

photos of kids growing up. It is not obvious from day to day,

but looking back on the photos there are differences and a

lot of memories.

This planting was started at least a year before the photo was

taken. It is easy to overlook the aloes on the photo but a closer

look will find them. Not visible are the small succulents in

between the stones.

It is summer and the color is shades of dry and lazy.

One of the two large Euphorbias in front rot about 3 years later.

I made the mistake to water it one very hot summer.

A few years later and the large impressive aloes catches the eye.

This photo was taken soon after the rain started showing clearly

how much the scene can change from the warm colors to the greens.

The aloes in bloom. All aloes do not bloom at the same time, but

most from the summer rainfall area, bloom in winter. That is about

90% of the species in South Africa. The scene is calm and pretty,

the mesembs and daisies are not in bloom yet.

Now the mesembs and daisies are in bloom too. The last blooms

on the racemes of the red hybrid (Aloe ferox X Aloe arborescens)

are opening.

It is a carnival of color and some visitors are having a ball.

These glittering little bugs are harmless to the flowers. They live

on nectar and pollen, assisting in the pollination of the plants.

2009-09-05T04:31:00.000-07:00

The back door garden without a lawn.

That was a wise decision.

Way back we reached a point where keeping the lawn healthy

and green became too much of a task. At that point we received

notice of water restrictions - that was the last straw.

We dug up every piece of grass. The photo above was taken

after a few month's work has been done and we already started

planting aloes. June 2005.

This photo was taken in July 2009 from the left side if

compared to the first photo on this blog.

It might help if you look at the tree on the left of the two

photos I am standing next to the tree for the photo above.

The aloes - blooming or not - are much prettier than a

half-dead lawn and the bonus is that we save a lot of water

and work. We do not water at all, the rain is enough.

The scene on this photo is at the opposite side of the tree.

One of the portions we planted first. The aloes are from

left to right:- Aloe ferox x Aloe arborescens, Aloe mutabilis x

Aloe arborescens and Aloe cryptopoda

This planting is on the left side of the tree. A portion

of the rock-wall that I built is visible in the left back.

The aloes are Aloe petricola x Aloe globuligemma hybrids

which Rudi raised from seeds. The close-up below shows

more detail. Rudi planted a group of five plants which

shows off very well when blooming together.

Aloe petricola has an upright raceme and the raceme of

Aloe globuligemma is horizontal. The hybrid plants seems

to be somewhat confused which pattern to follow, but

I am quite happy with that, it gives an interesting effect.

The hybrid seems to come in two colors. Dark orange

opening to yellow and red opening to a creamy white,

both with black stamens. The green style is easier

to spot on the photos.

2009-07-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

Aloe speciosa the aloe that turns it's head.

The size of the raceme is 43 cm long and 27 cm around.
That is not remarkable for this species but it is very pretty on
a young plant with a stem that is not over a meter high.

Photo above: The aloe in the foreground is Aloe gerstnerii.
Aloe speciosa starts off growing upright like any other aloe,
but it soon turns the rosette sideways facing north.

Aloe speciosa blooming in the Karoo. This aloe is a tree aloe,

these plants would roughly measure between 3 and

5 meter in hight. The record is 6 meter.

2009-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

There is something nice and not so nice in all seasons.

Our winters are wet, but mild with brightly colored

wild flowers.

Welcome! new visitors to our blog. We are at home

in the south western province of South Africa.

Winter is in the middle of the year. Aloes recover

their full splendor very quickly once the rain starts.

This is Aloe rubroviolaceae (Yemen) a few weeks ago.

The brick is there to give an idea of the size.
Photo above was taken in March 2009
Photo below was taken in June 2009.

What a difference the rain makes!

Why not water the aloes year round? We have water

restrictions but that is not the main reason - aloes

must have their natural dry cycle. Aloes that are

watered and grow in shade tend to become soft.

Insects, snails, fungus and bacteria will quickly find

a spot to break the skin and damage - if not kill

- the plant. The leaves grow long and sloppy and

the flower stalk grows further apart which does

not show off so well. Note in the background.

The flower buds of Aloe sabaea.
Another gem from Yemen. I will show it another time.

2009-04-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

This nest of the malachite sunbird Nectarinia famosa
can be right in your face and it will still be invisible.
We have two sunbirds on a regular basis
in our garden in the Western Cape. The
malachite sunbird with the male a glittering
green all over and the smaller sunbird
Nectarinia violacea (also refered to as
Anthobaphes violacea) where the male has a
glittering red/orange breast. The females of both
are little brown jobs. They love the nectar of the
Aloe sp. and also the Cotyledon sp.
I am not an expert in birds feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

The nest was exactly the height of my face right above the
path. I do not know if the they hatched any chicks but the
sunbirds must have spent a lot of time building the nest
without us noticing them.

It is a pity that I do not have a camera with a zoom. The birds
will think nothing of sitting right next to us when we are in the
garden, but we must not have anything in our hands. I tried
walking with the camera. Fine, they got used to it, but the
moment I lift it in their direction, they dash away.
There are more nests in the garden. The juveniles resemble the
females I guess we might have seen some without realizing they
are "our" birds.
All birds are welcome in the garden and we see to it that they get
some treats and water, but we are not into birding as such.

--------------- I had to add this September 2009.

I found this little female sunbird nesting on the other corner of the house.

The height of the nest above the ground is obvious by
the window in the background - the white is the window
pane, not the sky, with the redish window sill at the
bottom. The nest is slghtly larger than a man's fist.
Now that I know about the nest I make a small
detour around the tree, where I would normally pass
directly against that branch. It obviously did not
bother the birds in building the nest,
but I will do my share.

There are more nests in the garden. The juveniles
resemble the female I guess we might have seen some.

All birds are welcome in the garden and we see
to it that they get some treats and water,
but we are not into birding as such.

2009-02-27T23:23:00.000-08:00

Like most hobbies there is just as much fun in the getting as in the having. We planted small portions of our hobby garden at a time, as we got the aloes. We enjoy it as we have the memories how and when we got them. Some planning and designing went into it, but not anything intelligent e.g. by region, climate or species.

My
next project is to create a garden under the Ceratonia siliqua
tree. Half belongs to Rudi (neatly divided like the rest of the garden). I
have no idea what his half would look like, my half is for my smaller aloes and
Gasteria. Gasteria and the small aloes usually grow in the shade of rocks or
bushes and this shady space will suite them well.

Giving some idea of the size of the tree. The space beneath

it is a circle about ten metres wide.

The outside branches of the tree bend down to the ground

forming a secluded area around the tree, but these branches

had to be removed as the aloes would want some direct sun.

The area around the tree was overgrown by trifasciata

which we cleared and replanted elsewhere. The leaves of the

Sansevieria sp. grew dense and long in the shade supporting

each other. Having removed some plants the rest to toppled

over but all will go.

Some nice logs to use for decoration. Watch this space !

2008-10-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Snail damage in the garden.
You can not win, get used it..

This morning was a lovely cool morning, one of the last cold fronts over the western cape before the long hot summer. I stroled through the garden enjoying it for a few moments then my eyes caught this aloe. The snails were out late on this cool morning having a brunch before they hide for the day !

"People pay to have snail slime on their skin, I am getting this for free" - I told myself while squashing the snails between my fingers.

In case you do not know it seems the word is going around that snail slime is one of those "proven" remedies for a youthfull skin. I took many years off the age of the skin on my hands but it did not improve the beauty of my hands which were scratched and bitten by the sharp teeth of the aloes at the same time. It is not easy to get the snails out between the aloe leaves.

I feel like doing something to that neck !

Something slower than a quick squash between my fingers.

Unbelievable ...this juvenile snail could not have eaten all that much in one sitting, he must be the last one remaining after a party. Rot can set in where the skin is broken in aloes and other succulents. The hole, on the top right side of the photo above this one must be from the previous party, it dried out well so there is no danger of rot any more.

I believe these two snails are an endemic snail species. I do not know anything about the identity of snails, you are welcome to help me out there. We see them often along the western coast (South Africa). They climb on the wooden fence poles and sit in a bundle. It seems easy to kill them, but those on the poles is only the tip of the snail-mountain. I have not seen them sitting in bundles on poles where we live, 100 km inland. They are not as many as on the coast, but they do a lot of damage all the same.

Could this be the delicatessen snail which arrived here from France? I am not tempted to try, but if we would learn to enjoy eating escargot that would solve more than one problem.

2008-09-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

Aloe arborescens in habitat.

This aloe has a very wide distribution from the eastern side of the Cape peninsula up through the eastern regions of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

These photos were taken in the Tradouw Pass of the Small Karoo.

2008-07-20T04:02:00.000-07:00

The cricket known as a Corn Cricket. This one which is drinking beer with us is the species that is most often seen.

The black corn cricket is not quite as large as the common brown cricket above.

The damage the insects did to these aloes are not as gruesome as it seems. An aloe has no problem to replace the leaves. There will be a problem if the aloe can not replace a portion of the leaves with enough water reserve for the long hot summer.

2008-05-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

Hanging aloes are adapted to a pensile life. These aloes are growing suspended as a rule and not because the seeds got stuck on a ledge. Many aloe species grow well on mountain slopes. As long as they have some grip in the soil they are happy, but that does not make them hanging or pensile aloes.

Aloe ferox just loves slopes. I doubt if anybody would think they are hanging. Just wanted to add the pretty scene.

Aloe dewinterii grows in the north west of Namibia on the steep dolomite slopes and high cliffs. On the cool side of a cliff is better than in the open sun but it can grow just as well on the ground usually on or under a dolomite rock.This plant has large leaves. The very soft pastel colors seem to be the rule in the Namibian aloes and the pale blue-green tinted with pink rosette is beautiful in the green garden . Next to the aloe is a dry bush, it is not old flower stalks.

Aloe comptoni growing in the Small Karoo. It also grows well on the mountain cliffs. On the ground it will grow creeping along with the upper part of the stem and rosette straight up and the old growth lying flat, later dying off. It looks better on a cliff. I would like to call it a hanging aloe but as it grows just as well on the flat ground it will not quite qualify.At last. Aloe hardyi is a cliff hanger growing close against the cliff. The obvious way that it hugs the stone or edge over which it grows gives a lovely display in the garden over a wall. The flower stalk growing from the plant in the middle is visible on the photo. The inflorescens grows a little way horizontal and then it turns upwards. The thick aloe leaves are stiff. Pull out the plant where it is growing and the rosette with the leaves remain in the bended shape it had fitting over the stone. New leaves will adjust shape..

Aloe hardyi blooms in winter.

Another pending aloe named Aloe pendens from Yemen. It has a relative thin stalk by which it hangs down, but the rosette face horizontally and away from the cliff. The thick stiff leaves grow in the half circular shape, it is not soft and hanging down. Turn the plant upside down and it will look the same as when you turn the photo. (You will have to take my word as there is no way that I will uproot it to show my point.) The flower stalk grows a little way away from the
plant and then it turns upwards. The small flowers are pretty, shading red with green tips. Buds are not open yet on the photo below. Aloe pendens blooms every 5-6 months.

Aloe hardyii (from the northern parts of the Republic of South Africa) and Aloe pendens (from Yemen) can not really grow comfortable on flat ground. They probably would survive, anything is better than dying, but what will they look like bending and growing over each other?

The relative small grass-like Aloe ballii from Zimbabwe also grows hanging from cliffs. It is a very pretty aloe for a hanging basket. It grows fast and easy and blooms throughout the year. It would not fare too bad growing on flat ground except for the flower. The flower stalk is a thin soft thread hanging down and that would not function on flat ground. On the photo is an inset of
the pretty flowers.

PS. I have only one plant, so sorry, no seeds (will try to make some hybrids).

I built this wall for my pending aloes. Aloe ballii to the right top is in a basket hanging nearer to me than the wall. It seems larger than it is. Aloe hardyii is to the right on the wall and Aloe pendens is in the middle. There are a few smaller aloe types on the top of the wall and some other succulent plants. The wall is very narrow and takes up little space but a lot can be planted on it. (flowers would be pretty too) Instructions to build your own wall is on my website.

Click the photo to enlarge it.

2008-03-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Aloe color the
difference in habitat vs. the garden. The aloe rosettes shades of pink browns and greens are interesting and attractive in the garden. In the habitat those same shades hide the plants. The previous blog shows the aloes in the garden, here are a few of the aloes in habitat.

Aloe microstigma. In the garden this aloe stands out, here it disapears.

Aloe hereroensis ads a very special effect to a garden, but it is not an easy garden plant. Aloe hereroensis does not like to be wet and it needs good drainage. Plant it on stones in the garden in the sun and do not water. The rain, whatever it is will be enough. I know this and still killed a few. This way is easier and more successful in the garden. Giving very light but regular watering so that the plant does not go dormant is better than no water and then starting to water at the wrong time. The wrong time is - when the plant is dormant it should be stimulated

first with very little water when the temperature drops. Never water on a hot day (that is true for most plants) Very little water until it shows signs of growing, it can then be watered freely as long as the drainage is good.

Aloe khamiesensis in the same color as the stones! This aloe is also very attractive in the garden but it will be green in color unless it is watered very little and in full sun. In the habitat the seeds will get stuck under the bushes and the young aloe will grow in shade until it is large enough to face the scorching heat.

2008-03-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

The dry hot summer in colorful shades of pink and green. January and February are our hottest months. It was the end of February today and I already noticed for some days that the sun was up later than me. From now on the temperatures will be cooler with just some hot days between. However until the rain starts in six weeks or more, the soil will dry out more.

The very dry aloes are hanging on to their water reserves - waiting not growing. Each season has a distinct attractiveness in the aloe and succulents garden.

Aloe microstigma turned pink and shows off very pretty in the garden, but on the mountain slopes where they grow, they are near to invisible between rocks and dry bushes. To the left and front are two different Euphorbia species.

The leaves are rolled up like narrow spikes. The fine mesemb to the right back keeps the roots cool and the green background is a good contrast against the aloes.

Not all aloes fold the leaves inward protecting the young tender leaves at the growing point. The aloe left front is Aloe khamiesensis which grows in a very harsh habitat. It is much greener than it would be in the wild. It must feel like a mild summer to this aloe.

One thing I really like about the dry summer - no weeds in summer!

2007-11-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

I was tagged as 'meme-victim' by Ewa.

Rules are as follow:

When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post these rules before your list, and list 8 happy things about yourself. At the end of your list, you must tag and link 8 other people.

A few happy thoughts

I am most grateful to have my husband Rudi still with me after 40+ years of marriage.

We function as one by this time and he carries the brain.

Rudi was geologist at the copper mine TCL in Namibia. The mine went broke and we retired early in the Republic of South Africa. Leaving Namibia was the saddest part of all. Good thing is - We learned to enjoy what is free in life.

Our three kids are doing very well and our grandchildren are adorable. "the usual grandma syndrome". I am happy that we did not have the www , computer games and TV. when the kids were small. We all know life with and without the media.

Our cats are our children now and I am proud of their quality in health and type.
Best of all they get me on my feet and away from sitting in front of the computer.

Our aloe hobby cultivating their seeds is another very healthy way of life. We enjoy the excursions to see the plants in their habitat. It is the same situation in this hobby, Rudi and I fit together - he likes the jobs I do not like and the other way round.

Some of the things I mentioned are two or three in one - I believe that will qualify as eight. It can be monotonous if it is too long and people will skip over what I suffered to write in any case.

A tag with only one good drama or something really juicy, will be much more interesting - on second thought, I do not have the writing skills for that.

I will tag

THEA and her hobby blog Greintjes

Granny J of walking prescott

Angie Gardens and junk they go together

Julie Succulents by J and other stuff

mmw Two Gardens

Bare Bones Gardening

Sam Chan

This tag is also on my website http://made-in-afrika.com/myblog/44meme.tag.htm
that is the web site of my blogs where I work off-line. We are not yet online 24/7. That is still too expensive over here.

2007-10-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Nature park in the heart of the Karoo.

We wanted to see Aloe broomii and Aloe claviflora in bloom in their habitat. There can be no nicer place to go and look for them than in the Nature Park at Beaufort West in the Karoo.

The inflorescence of Aloe broomii is unbranched with densely packed small flowers. The buds are still tightly closed on the photo above. This aloe is endemic to the arid central Karoo region.

More aloes in the small garden at the entrance to the park The bungalows are at the foot of the mountains in the background, far from the noisy N1 traffic.

Photo above:- The view late afternoon from the back of our bungalow. There are some walking trails but visitors may walk where they please in the park before 17:00. The only warning is to remain in the car if the rhinos are visible. And take note bird watchers - In the park there is also bird watching huts at a dam where a large variety of birds will at least visit to drink.

We saw only the dung of the rhino on the dry river bed. Much more interesting was the exposed history where the river cut into the terrain exposing large rocks deposited by a glacier some 250 million years ago. Those rocks are about one and a half metre high (four to five feet) and a few are larger. I thought I could use the tree to show size but it is not as effective as it would have been with one of us standing there.
I took one of the small boulders home, so that I can look at a 250+ million year old souvenir in my garden. By the way at this stage Africa was still part of Gondwanaland, with South America, India and Australia.

It was only millions of years later when the continents drifted apart making cracks in the crust where volcanoes erupted, that the forces of nature folded and turned whole mountains on their side, as if it was playing with clay. This photo was taken in the Small Karoo to the south of Beaufort West. The folds can be seen much better when the photo is larger. Click on the photo.

Back to the present, we were driving up and down mountains looking for our aloes. One of the roads is visible to the left and back of the photo. We took the footpath to the top of this mountain but even that was without success. The aloes we saw at the entrance were nice, but the purpose of our visit was to see them in the wild. We saw many different wild antelope but the only wild things that we wanted to see were the aloe plants, and we found nothing on the top of the mountain or even in the deep crevices (where aloes often grow, no joking). We had a laugh to think we wanted to see them in flower, now we will be happy to see any one. There will be aloes somewhere in this very large park, but it seems they are not near any of the usual trails.

2007-09-23T02:50:00.001-07:00

Technorati Profile

2007-09-22T02:10:00.000-07:00

the road of death is that part of the N1 starting roughly at Lainsburg to Beaufortwes in the Karoo, just over 300 km long. It is a perfectly good road as far as we could see. We were on our way to the Karoo National park to see Aloe Broomii and Aloe claviflora in bloom in their natural habitat.

The enormous notice at the side of the road gave me a bad feeling. It stated - "Record without an accident is 11 days" and "The latest accident free record is 1 day ". It was early morning 9:00, the day was only starting.

This road carries the main freight between the northern parts of South Africa and Cape Town. There are very few cars amongst these enormous heavy freight trucks. We watched the trucks pass while having breakfast at a roadside picnic table. I found them beautiful, the sound was exciting too. Not that there was heavy traffic by any standard. 2-3 trucks would pass and be gone before a car or another truck would pass again. How on earth could there be so many accidents on this road?

The reason is not very obvious at first, but apparently it has to do with a straight monotonous road and tired drivers. The overall distance to travel is way over 1000 km for most of these trucks. The drivers work for a bonus if they rush or penalties if they take longer than the allotted time to deliver. There are stops to pull off the road and rest, as well as ripples in the tar that make a noise to wake up the drivers, but only so much can be done - money has the last word.

The day started without an accident but before noon we passed an accident near LeeuGamka, one of the very small towns near the main road. A truck full of apples was standing on the shoulder of the road leaning over at an angle which just needs a tiny bump to roll the truck over. Nobody was hurt (except the pocket of the unfortunate driver). The top layers of boxes filled with apples were thrown off the truck and apples were strewn all over the side of the road. Children from LeeuGamka settlement were having a ball carrying apples in anything, mostly their shirts. The police have little patience with cars stopping at the accident sites, so we had to drive on without taking a photo of the kids.

We spent the afternoon and night in the Nature Park at Beaufortwes (very nice, we can recommend it - in our next blog) and left at about 9:00 the next morning to return home on the same road. The notice read "days without accident 0" zero! at the start of the day... then we saw the flashing lights of the police at the accident. This time it was a small pick-up truck. It was badly damaged as it rolled far into the veld. We did not see any sign of what it was carrying and that is bad as the local people like to hitch a cheap ride on the back of these pick-ups. No stopping permitted so we drive on hoping nobody died in that accident.

We wanted to see more of the Karoo so we turned north to Fraserburg, away from the road of death. We felt relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful Karoo scenery - but then absolutely unexpectedly at the roadside we were reminded that there is no "safe from harm" place.

UNSERER LIEBER MUTTI EIN GEDENKEN + 12 - 12 - 1994

In memory of our beloved mother.

2007-09-15T00:54:00.000-07:00

Our winter garden for the year 2007 .

The winter garden in bloom with aloes and an enchanting lily endemic to South Africa.

This photo was taken slightly more to the front and in the opposite direction than the photo of the previous winter. All the daisies are not in bloom yet, which is good as they tend to dominate everything.

It is a wet winter this year with few sunny days. The disadvantage is that the pollen is wet and pollination is difficult. We had so many new hybrid aloe seeds in mind, but that is life... sigh. The aloes that bloom in winter are from the summer rainfall area where there will be no problem with pollination in winter. Most South African aloes ( 90%+ ) are from the summer rainfall - which is logical as only the western cape has winter rainfall.

I exchanged some lily bulbs and these two lilies were first to bloom. Lovely!!
Ignore the leaves in the background. That is a wild geranium a.o.

Note that the two lilies do not have exactly the same flowers ? I never saw so much difference in flowers before. Could be it is two different species of the same genus?

I am not a botanist - if you have not noticed.

Anybody know what lilies this might be? Clue - they are endemic to South Africa.

Most lilies are so quick to bloom and disappear, but it is exciting to find the blooms
every year, if only they would remain a little longer.

2007-08-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

Aloe out in the cold. We have been admiring the snow covered mountains from afar for many years but we never saw the need to drive to the bottom of the mountain just to see the snow above.

This year the snow caught our attention when it was announced that the roads to Sutherland were cut off as a result of heavy snow and rain. Sutherland is known world-wide for the new observatory which is the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere namely SALT (Southern African Largest Telescope)..Situated on a plateau in the dry Karoo the air is clear with little distortion. Fine for the stargazers but the dry air cools off very quickly making Sutherland the coldest town on the TV weather map. In short, we decided to go and see some snow from up close.

Purple mesembs and small bright yellow lilies are amongst the first wild flowers starting to bloom.The road winds up to the plateau through two mountain passes, but it is a nice drive with no
steep climbs.

What a surprise to find Aloe microstigma so close to Sutherland. This may be good news for the aloe growers in cold climates, but again the trick is that the climate is not only cold but also dry. Many aloes can withstand cold freezing temperatures in a dry climate. These aloes were growing on west facing slopes only. The aloes grow and bloom happily here because the snow will melt quickly and rocks warmed by the afternoon sun will keep the plants through the night.

Aloe microstigma in our garden. It is a neat attractive plant with a short stem.

Aha... snow at last. The snow melted quickly in the heavy rain with not much left over for us, but it is real enough to touch.

Snow! Now what can I do with that snow !? No, I will rethink that, it is a far walk home.

The round trip was 700 km and we did it in one day. I can imagine that readers in the cold countries must have a good laugh at what we do to touch some snow.

It was worth it, but for one flop ........ I forgot to take photos of Sutherland the peaceful small town in the shadow of a very important observatory. aghh... 700 km. to go back? It will have to wait a few years.

2007-07-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

The cotyledon succulent flowering plant for the garden

There are about nine species in the Cotyledon genus of which five are in Namaqualand. This plant is very easy to grow, it flowers well and the birds love the nectar.

The leaves are covered more or less by a wax layer which change the green to different shades from dark green (no wax) to blue-green and near to white. The shape of the leaves are also different and the color of the flowers are shades of pink, red and orange. This makes it possible to have an interesting water saving low maintenance garden with mainly Cotyledon.

These photos are from plants in my garden. I do not know their scientific data and I do not feel that it is important for me to know as there is no need to read up on growing or cultivating them. In any case, the garden plants will be mainly hybrids of different Cotyledon species. The sugar birds are the main polinaters and they can fly far and wide with the pollen. The only maintenance I do is to cut back the plants during or after the rain season.

The Cotyledon plants bloom throughout the year, but not as much as they do in the rain season. We do not water them at all during the dry hot summer.

Happy colors.

This color was known as "baby-pink ". It will be interesting to know what it is called in modern times.

Cotyledon soften the formal effect of the aloes.

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alt="http://made-in-afrika.com/myblog/cotyledon.small.species.aloes.jpg (63751 bytes)" WIDTH="350" HEIGHT="236">

This is a small Cotyledon species. The yellow-green emphasize the blue-green of the aloes.

For more photos of the different cotyledon in the garden visit our web site

2007-06-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

The iceplant Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum

The thought struck me that I should at least give the scientific name of the iceplant in my description of this plant in the previous post. To my surprise the first information I looked up on the web gave the distribution of the plant as Mexico and the USA. That was when I decided to go to the web site of the University of California. The plant is from South Africa but it was accidentally introduced to America by the first seafarers.

Crystalline iceplant occurs along the immediate coast from the SanFrancisco Bay region south into Baja California, Mexico. It can also be found on all the California Channel Islands..... It is found primarily in saline soils on coastal strand, coastal sage scrub, coastal bluffs and cliffs, and other disturbed ground. It tolerates saline soils, but not frost.

Mesembreyanthemum crystallinum grows not only on the coast but also in the dry sandy loam of Namaqualand which contains a lot of salts. There is frost inland so that it could not be very sensitive to frost in habitat possibly because it is protected by shrubs and boulders.

Something special about the plant - In the old days it was (probably still is) used to clean pots. A little sand added to the leaf mush will scour and clean a pot quickly. Not so long ago I met a woman who grew up in a household where the pots were scoured and cleaned in this way. I can imagine the women who live far from towns in the dry Namaqualand with very little cash money, could still be using this plant for soap and water. The juice and pulp of the iceplant is very good treatment for the skin.

I found a photo of the iceplant that we took a previous winter. This photo was taken in Namaqualand. I was more interested in taking a photo of the dashing grasshopper "knight with his armor" than the iceplant.

Is he smart or what ?!

See more photos in the previous post below.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

2007-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

the quiver tree Aloe dichotoma in habitat. During his visit to us my son wanted to see the "Quiver Tree forest". That is an experience not to be missed by anybody visiting South Africa or Namibia. To appreciate the full effect of the harsh climate in which these aloes grow visit in December, which was when these photos were taken.

The drive is roughly 500 km there and back. Our grandson Thomas enjoyed the boerewors and mielies for lunch (beef sausage and corn on the cob) at a picnic spot in the shade.

Exploring the world with Grandpa - on the shady side of the tree.

Note there is only a hint of green. Everything goes without water until the rains start after April.

Where are the lions and elephants ?

The Ice-plant in bloom. That is good strategy. In the rainy season there are daisies and mesemb flowers all over. In the dry summer months the few insects around will not miss the chance to visit this flower and pollination is for sure.

The name ice-plant has nothing to do with temperatures, but the cells filled with water must have reminded the local people of ice. It is more obvious in winter when the plant is bright green with the cells full of water and glistening in the sun.

Because of its sponge like fibrous composition the trunk of Aloe dichotoma has a very light weight. Thomas (aged three years and five months) kindly agreed to demonstrate the weight of a dead Aloe dichotoma trunk. The wind was strong and made it difficult for him to keep his balance, but he was not going to give up.

If a guy must pose on a photo for Grandma he will do it with a smile.

Finally the stem was in line with the wind and he could pose.

A last stop to get some of the high quality sandy loam for Grandpa's seedlings.

Visit our hobby garden web site for tips to grow aloes from seeds

2007-06-03T07:09:00.001-07:00

terrestrial orchids companion plants for aloes

The small terrestrial orchid Pterygodium.volucris can grow happy in the same conditions as the aloes in the garden. The name orchid usually goes with pretty or very odd flowers, but not in the case of this small orchid. The flowers are so plain and the same color as the leaves so that it is easy to overlook them. The plants are neat and they grow very easy.
Pterygodium.volucris is from the winter rainfall area so it needs rest in summer and water in winter. It can remain in the ground in a dry climate.

The orchids grow next to the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius (photo above) which bloomed a few weeks ago. The leaves in the background are from another lily Amaryllis belladonna.

The two large leaves are from the Paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius.
The Paintbrush lily sends out the flower first, then the leaves. They measure, each 39 cm long and 17 cm wide. In inches that is roughly 16 inches long and 7 inches wide. I measured them.

The little blue aloe is a hybrid growing without asking anything. I would have liked to ask it to make an offshoot or two, but it is not going to happen.

The winter rain has started and the dry patches between the aloes are turning green - soon there will be flowers all over. For now we enjoy the green and the anticipation.

2007-05-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Cultivating the perfect garden aloe hybrid which would bloom throughout the year (preferably) is ongoing and not far away. There are aloe hybrids which bloom three or more times a year, with only a few weeks between the previous inflorescens and the new one. There are also the tropical aloe species that bloom twice a year and the aloe species growing in very arid regions will bloom after good rains whenever that opportunity arrives. Combining these aloes in hybrids is difficult as the seeds are seldom viable when the plants differ so much, but there are people out there who just love a challenge.

We started off with Aloe species plants. It is convenient to know exactly how the plant will look and what it needs to grow when planning where to plant it. Then in time we obtained some hybrids. A few times we thought (or was told) that the hybrid was a species plant and at first we were disappointed, but in the end we were not unhappy with the mistake as the hybrids were always very nice.
These plants were easy to grow and more often than not, they had very nice flowers.
Then we saw some hybrids not done by the birds and bees but by careful cultivation. They were stunning. However we do not have the years on our side, so we make some uncomplicated hybrids and enjoy the surprises given to us by the birds and bees.

Aloe dorothea hybrid is ideal for a border. The aloe sends out offshoots which will form a solid border. The leaves are a shiny yellow-green which will shade dark olive in full sun. The bright red flowers are also glossy and to top this, this aloe hybrid blooms at least three times a year - that is less than a month from the seeds on the old inflorescens to when the new one starts to grow out.

Some medium size aloe hybrids for the a garden.

Photo above. The aloe from my previous blog on buds Aloe petricola x Aloe speciosa, is a convenient size plant for most small gardens and a blue aloe always shows off well in a green garden - even when not in flower. Flowering time is in winter.

Aloe framesii x Aloe arenicola hybrid is a deep green and would not show off from a distance in a green garden - it usely has the effect of surprise at finding the pretty plant when it catches the eye of visiters in our garden.

photo above. Against the wall - what better than an assortment
of Aloe arborescens hybrids and cultivars.

A focal point

Photo above. The red hybrid is Aloe ferox X Aloe arborescens (red). The other side of this hybrid and in bloom at the same time, is an Aloe thraskii hybrid.

The focal point could be on size. We had no idea that this would be the size that this hybrid below would aim for. It is not planted as a focal point but on the side of the garden behind a tree. Many aloes grow higher than 2 m. but that is mainly due to a long stem not a large rosette like this aloe. This seed decided to go one better on Aloe marlothii. The effect of this hybrid on visitors in the garden is - "What is this?!" A man can stand in front of this aloe with his arms spread out and the aloe will still be higher and wider (and it is still growing).

The pole is 2 m. above ground.

At half the size in bloom.

It is possible to see the parent plants of an Aloe F1 hybrid. Further back than
that is for the experts with experience in hybridizing. Some garden hybrids have
been going on for generations, we do not even try to think what is in their
background as long as they are pretty and easy for the garden, that is what matters.

2007-05-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

more aloe buds Our winter is an exciting time with at least 80% of our aloes blooming from late fall to early spring. The real thrill is when a rare aloe blooms for the first time and buds are visible on our Aloe sabaea from Yemen! I have not seen this aloe in bloom except on a picture. Buds are also showing on Aloe rubroviolacea, also from Yemen and I have not seen it "live in bloom" either.

The raceme is often mentioned in describing aloes, it is the part of the stem on which the flowers are attached. The length of the raceme change the image of the flowering aloe a lot. Directly below is Aloe mitriformis with a very short raceme and at the bottom Aloe speciosa has a raceme that is roughly 40 cm long.

The buds of Aloe mitriformis on the left has just passed their green phase. This is the stage in the development of the flowers that I find the most attractive of this aloe, before it changes to the flowering shape on the photo right. There is no dramatic shading in the growth of the buds or in the open flowers.

Aloes tend to vary in the same species. As can be seen in Aloe mitriformis flowers above. The raceme is longer which space the flowers wider apart. The new bud can be seen on the right bottom of the photo on the left. It is obvious that the flowers will not be densely packed. However, that is not the only difference, these flowers are wider apart but much longer than the Aloe mitriformis flowers above - and how do you like those open flowers! The curling of the pedals are so charming. The bees do not have a problem pollinating these narrow long flowers as the nectar flow down and the pollen is also right at the opening of the flowers. The stigma will appear after the pollen is gone, most aloes are not self-fertile.

This is a lovely hybrid of Aloe petricola X Aloe speciosa. Aloe speciosa is obvious in the flowers and buds and Aloe petricola is prominent in the size and shape of the plant. A. petricola is not quite 50 cm high and Aloe speciosa is a tree aloe reaching 3 meter easy. This hybrid plant is just under 50 cm.

The many flower buds of Aloe speciosa are packed so tight that the raceme with buds feels as hard as a rock. Compare the buds of this aloe with the hybrid above - The buds are much alike but Aloe speciosa buds are very dense. The raceme with flowers on the photo right is 40 cm long - the same size as the hybrid plant (without inflorescens) above.

---------------

What is the meaning of the word "cola" - The lovers of the drink need not answer.

It means "inhabiting or dweller ". petri (from petros) = rock + cola means rocks/stones dweller.

There is also an Aloe arenicola which grows on the west coast and it is a sand dweller.

2007-05-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

but it is a bud...
It is obvious that the Aloe species differ a lot in the shape of the leaves, rosette
and flowers but the buds are also different. The best way to identify an aloe is by the flowers as the leaves and rosette will change shape and color depending on whether they grow in shade, sun or drought but the flowers remain the same. The buds are not taken into account mainly because they change in shape and color nearly on a daily basis and the flowers are so much easier to identify. It can be interesting to watch the change and to note the differences in the buds of the aloes species and hybrids.

Aloe cryptopoda. The bracts give a prickly effect. The buds point upward and as they grow they tip over and color yellow when the flowers open. Then after pollination they tip upwards again. All the different stages are easy to see on the photo.

Aloe gerstneri. The buds hang down from the start and lift slightly as the flowers grow and ripen. The shading of the buds to flowers are lovely. The seedpods point upwards. I can not remember seeing seedpods that hang down.

Aloe glauca is another one of the few aloes with "fluffy" bracts.
The buds point upwards and the floers tip over to point down in a one-by-one fashion. The flowers seem spaced far apart but they are large which does not show on the photo - Prettier in real life. The teeth on this aloe are very sharp.

Aloe nuwerus. A lovely hybrid. The inflorescens branch with the racemes near to each other. This gives a nice show. The bracts over the very young buds look like fish scales. The flowers do not shade much. It is already obvious looking at the bracts on the young buds that the flowers will be many and tightly packed on the raceme.

I will write another blog with a few more buds, one blog will load too long.

2007-04-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

grass-aloes are rarely seen.
- The name grass-aloe fits the appearance of these aloes and camouflage them well where they grow in the grassveld. Few people take notice of them unless they are in bloom. The aloes are well adjusted to survive in their habitat. A grassveld is set on fire by lightning during thunder storms on a regular basis but the grass-aloes survive as the short stem and the top part of the roots are filled with water.
Aloe verecunda - photo below - is typical for a grass-aloe. The plant rosette (above the stem) is roughly 30-40 cm high (just over 12 inches) but some side leaves will be longer. It does not make a very long inflorescens with a short flower raceme very much like Aloe boylei on the photo further down.

Aloe boylei - photo below - is a larger grass-aloe with broader leaves than A.verecunda above. Not much higher, the rosette is about 40cm - 50cm high, but the leaves are broader making it a larger plant. The plants on the photo are still young, in time it will also develop a short trunk where the previous leaves were attached. Aloe boylei looses the leaves in winter where the climate is cold, making this an aloe which can be planted in cold climates.

I thought myself very lucky to get Aloe albida one of the rarer grass-aloes - photo below, showing size using my finger tip. This little aloe grows in crevices of one mountain range. It needs fire to keep the grass under controll as it can not compete with the larger grasses.

The rosette is maybe 10 cm high as the leaves do not stand up and it is a very small plant. The bright green leaves are covered in a waxy substance that protect them and give them a pale color. The leaves are less than one centimeter broad with tiny white teeth. See the photo below for the color of the rosette that is easier than words.

To be safe I kept Aloe albida in the pot where it was growing fine when I bought it.
The little aloe never looked back. I stopped fussing over it and Aloe albida often became completely dry before I realized it should be watered. Like most aloes it did not complain or wilt when it was dry. As A. albida has now overgrown the pot and the plastic is disintegrating I will have to replant it. I am going to plant one half in the garden and the rest in another container. I do not have seeds as I have only one plant with offsets and (most)aloes do not self-pollinate.

Up to now Aloe albida grew outside in our dry hot summer but in the shade with plenty mist and rain in winter. The opposite of the habitat of this aloe which is summer rain with mist in the mountains.

Most if not all grass-aloes like shade. It would look nice to plant a small patch of grass with the aloes growing in the grass, but I am still thinking on that. The patch of grass would have to be where the grass can not spread and most grasses die here in summer, but maybe not if I plant them in shade. The dead grass would also look good, sort of natural - I am thinking on that.

...... and now a beautiful grass-aloe hybrid.

We bought the young plants as Aloe vossii which is a critically rare aloe. The plants grew too well and was soon way larger than it ought to be. We then knew that this must be a hybrid even though the description of the leaves fitted Aloe vossii.

Then when it bloomed with a branched inflorescens the secret was out - this is a hybrid for sure.

We like our two miss-named aloes. The plants give a nice show and require no care with very little water.

The color of the flowers from the hybrid resemble the grass aloe A.cooperii. Could be a hybrid from a hybrid? Oh-well give it a name and make a new cultivar.

With all these grass aloes in a grass patch (different grasses), just think how the birds will enjoy it. Seeds followed by sweet nectar.

2007-04-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

The seeds of the paintbrush lily Haemanthus coccinius are so pretty that I would like to show them to you. The fleshy seeds of the Amaryllidaceae family should be planted immediately when they are ripe.

The seeds are placed on top of the soil and pressed into the soil to just below the soil level. I have planted seeds much deeper. It took them some weeks later than the other seeds, but the lilies managed to grow all the way through the soil and I know a gardener who places the seeds on top of the soil and that works too.
That was not meant to confuse you but to relax you - if they want to grow, they will grow.

One point can not be changed and that is the seeds do not last long. They can be kept cool for a few weeks but the fresher the better.

For the growing medium use normal potting soil and add some sand. 1 x sand and 2 times potting mix. Do not desturb the young lilies for at least a year, preferably two years.

I am going to plant the seeds on the photo. It always feels like a waste to throw seeds away and such pretty seeds can not be wasted. Pity it is so difficult to send the fragile bulky seeds or I would have asked who wants them.

2007-03-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Indoor succulent plant gardens

Aloes succulents and fat plants grow easy indoors in pots or containers. Good drainage and strong light is all that they need. Here are two indoor gardens. A succulent indoor garden in a flat container with mainly fat plants from South Africa and a desert garden in a bowl with succulents and aloes from Namibia. The soil mix contains dolomite gravel, coarse sand and soil. A very weak plant food is given every 6 months with a sprinkling of a few Magnesium sulphate crystal between the plants. (A quarter teaspoon at the most.)

click on the photo to enlarge. The succulent plants in this indoor garden from South Africa. The white plant at the back is a Cotyledon, next row from the left is Aloe davyana, Aloe hybrid in the center and to the right back. Front row from the left is Euphorbia mammilaris. Gasteria species, Gasteria x Aloe hybrid and a group of Aloe brevifolia plants. The ground cover is two Crassula sp. The container is watered thoroughly and then permitted to dry out.

click on the photo to enlarge. This is a desert garden with plants from Namibia. The back row left to right:- mesemb, Tylecodon species, Aloe variegata, Euphorbia gariepina. Front left to right:- mesemb, Cotyledon species, the small plants are Euphorbia juttae, Aloe melanacantha and the small plant to the right of Aloe melanacantha is Anacampseros buderiana. This garden receives only enough rain water to damp the soil. It is then permitted to dry out. It may be necessary to merge the bowl in rain water once a year to rinse out salts or better would be to replace the growing medium with a fresh mix.

For more information and tips see cultivating succulent plants in pots and containers

2007-03-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Stop a minute to smell the roses
It is an honor to be too busy to smell roses after the age of 60 years. I have so much to do, never worked so physically hard in my life and never realized how lucky I am being able to do it.

The photo below was taken by Sandra Legg who is now the Mom of this boy who likes to smell roses.

Not even a dog is too tough to resist the beauty of a rose!

Between you and me, that rose lasted a few minutes. This dog belongs to our son-in-law and our grand daughter Else took the photo, she is a real sport to do things with grandma.
I think I should introduce Else to you

One thing about retirement bothers me - time passes so fast ! The week is at the most 2 days long, a good month has one week and I will not mention how quick a year flies by.

They say that doing something new is important at this stage. Come to think of it - A year feels very long for a child because there are so many new things that the child experience and do, but at this stage of my life new things are either very expensive or against the law. joking, but it is very near to the truth .. sigh..

I did smell the roses after I finished the earnest task of taking a photo. This photo was taken in England visiting my son. That was a lovely visit. Now how do I get my other son into the USA so that I can smell roses there too.

2007-03-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

The lilies are always welcome in the aloe garden. They remain in the ground during the resting period and appear again each year to brag a little with their pretty flowers.

Ammaryllis belladonna a scented lily endemic to the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The wild lily is as lovely as the cultivated lilies of this very popular genus. It blooms in March and is known by the name Marchlily, which is a pity as what could be prettier than the name Belladonna.

The smaller bright red Haemanthus coccinius (just behind the lilies photo above) is starting to open too.

Haemanthus coccinius. A month early for this lily but it might be the heavy rain shower we had in February that confused the lily. The flower is not fully open and smaller than it should be, but it is welcome all the same.

Four days later and the Haemanthus coccinius lilies are open. It is obvious why this lily is known as Paintbrush.

2007-03-10T04:13:00.000-08:00

This orchid Eulophia petersii which grows widespread in eastern Africa is very happy in the aloe garden. The plants are doing well under trees where they do not get or need any special attention. The relative small flowers look charming with the curling petals.
My mother got these orchids from a Fauna&Flora rescue expedition where a road would be built Natal. I did not take any plants as I always thought they would be difficult until about three years ago when I decided to give them a try.

The orchids bloomed in our garden for the first time December 2006, the same month my mother died. I spent 2 weeks with her and then 2-3 days after I returned I found the orchids hidden under the tree in full bloom. The first thing I thought was I have to phone Mom and tell her ... then I realized I can not phone her anymore.

2007-03-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

every drop counts
With the ongoing water shortage gardeners started to replace lawns with pebbles, gravel and crushed rocks. Some designs are remarkably eye-catching. Even where nothing more was done than to replace the lawn with pebbles, it looked pleasing in a calm way. It could be that it seems like that to me because I am aware that every drop of water saved counts, while the gardener just wanted something different to a lawn, but the end result is it saves water. Most of my life in Namibia saving water was part of life. Now saving water is starting to become the part of life in most cities all over the world.

I used to think it was difficult to keep gravel neat, but now I am surprised at how neat it remains. We have a gravel path on one side of the aloe garden for eight years now. The dust and small debris disappear under the gravel. We have never needed to rake as the gravel is open on all sides and the wind blows the leaves away.

A tip:- Nobody can walk quiet on gravel. Work the gravel into the garden's design to look pleasing but also as security on those sides of the house where it is needed.

Whatever the reason for the new designs in gardening, it opens a lot of possibilities for something different in the garden. Here are a few photos.

The lawn of the garden on the other side is just visible on the photo. Which garden looks better - with or without lawn is not the question. The point is that it is refreshing to see something different.

This garden used to have lawn all the way. That was somewhat dull.

2007-02-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

I got tagged by Colin & Carol mediterranean garden spain, so I had to jump on the www and find out how this blog game is played.
It does not seem complicated:- tell 5 things that other bloggers do not know about yourself and tag 5 bloggers.
The 5 things are not quite so easy, I do not want to reveal personal secrets but I do not want to seem dull either.

1. After I married my first hobby was cutting and polishing semi precious stones. My husband soon got fed up that I spend too much time on it, so it did not last long - about 3 years.

2. My second hobby was aquariums (I had a fishbowl before I got married) I upgraded to a whole room full of aquariums and no amount of threats could get me off it until we retired. I wrote a book on aquariums, in the days of black and white.

3. I spent 13 years at home after marriage and that was no joke. I will rather work for a salary and pay somebody to clean the house. I am no good at housekeeping.

4. I like reading science fiction to relax. My favourite author is Izak Assimov and in contrast for my other self, I love to read Somerset Maugham and after I read them all, I start over. As I do not read fiction often, those authors last me years.

5. I am married to the same man for 40+ years (peleeze my age is a secret, that is near enough). I have never met a man with whom I even thought I would rather be married to.

I hope this is juicy enough. Now to get 5 bloggers !

Growingtropicals in the Midwestern United States

Five wells Freeville New York Building my own Eden

Ingy Plants
If you give it just a little bit of love every day, extraordinary things can happen

Janet's Garden
gardening blog that I hope will be informative and useful

Mo garden
Gardening with Mo Gilmer

2007-02-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

green gardening love

We never thought much of Valentine day. Seems like one more way for people to make or spend money and love should be year round. However when I saw this photo today and I saw the heart at the end of the tunnel I decided to share it with all the garden and plant lovers.

May your love for gardening last forever.

And so say all of us.... you can leave out that bit about gardening.

The kittens were bred by us http://made-in-afrika.com/kittens2cats
and are now living very happy with their parents Diane and Rudi who took the photo. Visit Diane at gizmobears.homestead

2007-01-20T05:27:00.000-08:00

stretching space
Usually a rock garden needs a lot of space, but this rock garden in the shape of a wall can be build in a very small area. There seems to be a shortage of planting space in any garden. Even if there is an open area then more often than not it will be in the wrong place.
If your hobby happens to be succulents then you can expand your hobby by building succulent plant walls in the relative small places like on a porch or patio against the wall or in the corner. In this situation it might be a good idea to use lightweight fake stones and a ready made small garden pond as base to catch the water and keep in the soil.

Hide an unsightly old wall by building the rock wall against it. For information on this rock wall garden go to my website http://succulentplants.net/rock-wall.garden.create.htm
I wanted a rock wall in the backdoor garden mainly for the cliff hanging aloes. You might see a small portion of it in the left back corner on the last photo of the previous blog (thank you for water restrictions). It is behind the Aloe africana in bloom.
Here is how I built the wall. I have no doubt that most who do it will do it better but here is a rough idea to get you going.
Not counting hauling all those rocks - The rock garden wall was easy and relatively quick to build, while sitting on a folding chair. Rudi did not help (no need). I "use" him only when I must - and that is a lot.

The large heavy cement blocks do not need cement, just put them down. Cement the rocks to keep them in place on top of each other, unlike the normal rock garden where the rocks do not need cement as they are packed on and into a slope of ground. Leave a space between the building-blocks and the rock wall and leave some holes for the plants between the rocks. I found afterwards that if the wall was watered from the top, the soil spilled out of many of the planting holes. I stuffed the holes with paper which will decay in time and by that time the plants would have made enough roots to keep the soil from spilling out. Maybe if I had though of it I could have built the wall in "compartments" using paper as stoppers instead of the frustration afterwards to get the stoppers into the holes without damaging plants. It is also easier to fill the soil while building, than to try to force in soil into the small planting holes. blush... I should have thought of that while building.

The work scene. As you can see, it is easier with a little help and encouragement from a best friend. Mix the size, colour and shape of the rocks if possible. The wall must have a rough appearance, like a heap of rocks lying where they fell.

The succulent plants need to grow a lot more before the wall would be like I imagined it. It is nice to see the plants grow and find odd small succulents and small type aloes to stick in the holes.

The aloes on the top are Aloe hadyi. It is a cliff hanging aloe. Those leaves grow pointing down, they are not soft hanging down. If one of those aloes would be placed upright those leaves will stick out sideways. New leaves will change direction to grow down once more. I have seen that aloe grown from the watering hole underneath a hanging pot. It looks quite interesting. The flower inflorescens grows sideways for a short way, then it bends and grows upwards past the rest of the aloe plant still going downward.

This rockwall garden is standing for 4-5 months. The cement is too clean and most plants must fill their space and some will be removed. I will keep you posted in another year, with some close-ups - I hope.

2007-01-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

thank you for the water restrictions
2004 was another dry year where the dams that supply water to towns in the Western Cape were running very low. One of the dams that supply both Cape Town and Moorreesburg were at a 15% low. Water restrictions were vital.

It was then that it finally dawned on us that we did not need a lawn. Especially not this small block of grass 9 metres x 10 metres with bare patches and holes dug by the dogs. I did not even take a photo of the lawn (or rather grass patch) as there is no need for me to be reminded of the frustration that went with it.

This was the first part of the transformation after we were sure all traces of grass were dead. We had to dig in compost and dolomite gravel as the soil was in poor condition. I love digging, pity there are always weeding to be done in the garden, seldom any digging. The photo was taken some time in January 2005.

This photo was taken June 2005 which is in winter and that is our rain season. The green moss growth can be seen on the path, right front of the photo. So far only the triangle middle back has been planted, but the other plants were growing fine and ready to be transplanted. It is not wise to replant aloes in wet conditions. The thick sap filled roots are brittle and break easy where rot can set in. There are three options at any time if the roots break; let them dry out before planting; cut them off completely (good idea as the roots will rot away or dry up in any case); or in dry conditions plant the aloes but do not water the aloe for at least 6 weeks. It is best to plant aloes when the new roots (they are bright yellow) start to show, at this stage they are not easily damaged. The roots of an aloe can be seen as expendable. The plant absorb the roots in bad times and regrow them very quickly in good times.

The photo above, of our backdoor garden December 2006, which is our summer. Two years after we started with the garden on the photo at the top. It was summer with few aloes in bloom. The Aloe africana was blooming out of season due to it being disturbed by transplanting such a large plant. It was transplanted by Rudi using his trusted method described in his blog resurrecting an aloe

The plants on the photo far left are all immature, they should make a better show in a few months time. I will show more details of the plants in the winter (June-July 2007)

For more information on aloes see my website

2006-12-31T04:47:00.000-08:00

Summertime blooms with small differences
Summer is not the best time for flowers in our aloe garden, as most South African aloes bloom in winter. It is only the small area down here in the Western Cape where the winter rainfall aloes bloom in summer. It is logical coming to think of it, flowering in summer result in seeds ready for the rain in winter and the opposite holds true for the summer rainfall aloes. However rainfall in the dry desert areas of Namibia is the mainly in summer but the aloes will bloom before or after winter if there was good rainfall, shifting the flowering times to make the most of the rain. Then there are the tropical aloes which blooms at least twice a year and some hybrids bloom twice a year too. I understand there are some aloe cultivators who aim to develop a hybrid aloe which will bloom the whole year round like many of our cultivated garden flowers.

In short - it is possible to have at least one of the aloe species (or hybrids) in bloom at any time throughout the year. That does not mean changing the watering times will change the flowering times, nature tuned the plants finer than that. The plants have a daylight length timer and temperature timer as well. Having said that, it is possible to manipulate water, light and temperature including hormones, but not for the normal garden.

My favourite in our garden at this time is Aloe comosa with an inflorescens (flower stalk) that grows around 2 meters high. It keeps growing as the flowers open. Note the size of the plants (the two blue plants at my feet) in contrast to those long flower stalks. These plants were cultivated from seeds and it is their second year in bloom.

The habitat of Aloe comosa is just about 100 km north of Moorreesburg so we do not have any problem growing this aloe. A. comosa is a tree aloe. The flowers are a pastel peach-pink shading to cream as they open. The plant is a very pale blue-green shading to pink in the summer sun. At this time the rosette is very dry, it seems that there can not be any strength left to survive, but it will - provided nobody waters it. This aloe has adapted to no rain in summer.

Aloe comosa in habitat. The stems alone are higher than I am - add to that the rosette and the very long inflorescens. It will be a long time for my plants to grow this size but that is not a problem as they bloom before they develop a stem.

By the way - This aloe makes a fine pot plant. As long as you can keep it out of the rain in summer. The contrast of the blue-pink rosette amongst other green plants makes an attractive display. Aloe comosa can withstand light frost.

Another lovely aloe blooming at this time in our garden is Aloe africana. It should bloom July - September but it seems slightly confused by our climate. The habitat of Aloe africana is from the southern to the south eastern part of South Africa. It gets summer and winter rain, but before any-one from the rainy countries get excited, no frost.

Photo below is Aloe africana and the spade is to show size. From the distance it looks like "just a typical aloe", but it is a good looking typical aloe and it has a cute flowers.

A habitat photo of Aloe africana does not show much. Everything is green and that is where this bright green aloe fits in. It is difficult to see on a photo but the whole hill is covered in Aloe africana unfortunately not in bloom at the time. Pity, but imagine it.

Below are the close-up photos of the flowers. Aloe comosa has a raceme more than 2x the length of the Aloe africana raceme. The A.comosa buds point upwards then they tip over to hang pointing down in the end. Aloe africana buds tips over right at the start and then the tips of each flower bends slightly upwards. The effect is completely different racemes.

2006-12-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

The Spitzkoppe an enchanted very harsh world of beauty and horror. Crystals gems, rare plants, insects, animals all played a role to attract adventurers through the ages.

Heading back to Windhoek from Henties Bay. Those are not just any hills up front. Pass them, then turn off into a smaller dusty road where only donkey carts and 4wheel driven vehicles can go and enter a wonderland of gemstones. We were there once many years ago. It was a weird feeling to have to watch your step not to trample on a gemstone.

Please note. I do not suggest that you go there without the necessary permission. The minerals belong to the person/persons who have a mining claim on it. The area is guarded by the Damara people on who's ground it is.

I find the natural beauty of crystals dazzling, more so than a cut precious stone. In these informal stalls along the roadside near Usakos, stones are sold way cheaper than in any of the many shops that sell the mineral crystals, gemstones and semi-precious gemstones in Namibia. Gemstones and crystals have been traded for centuries although not on the scale as the last decades.

These informal traders know their stones. Not only the common names but also the scientific names and some gelogical information too.

It is difficult to resist "all that glitters" - but that is another blog.

2006-11-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

Aloe asperifolia and the salt road along west coast Namibia
We are on our way to see the desert aloe Aloe asperifolia. Driving along the salt road to Swakopmund and on to Walvis bay where we saw a large crane trying to pull out a stranded fishing boat.

As to the salt road. It is really made of the salt from the salt pans which are plentiful along the west coast. The gypsum, which is one of the components in the salt binds with the sand, the salt as such helps to catch the water from the fog that keeps the mix from drying out and form a hard crust. It is a good road to travel on, like a tar road. This road can not exist where it rains or where the air is dry.

We traveled from Windhoek to Karibib, visited the cemetery at Usakos and took the turn-off into the dust road. That took us to Henties bay, from there along the salt road to Swakopmund and tar road to Walvis bay

Karibib - can you believe that quiet street? I am standing in the main road taking this photo. This is the main road down to the coast, so there are always cars traveling through and some people on the main road at the few shops. There is one shop that we do not pass when we are in Karibib and that one sells gemstones and rock crystals. It looks like nothing from the outside, but inside it is huge with the things that glitter which stops a woman's heart. sighhhh

The photo (above) is large because I need some information here. The large plant without leaves is a Cyphostemm species, I do not know the plant next to the Cyphostemma. The plant with the thin long greyish branches and pretty seedpods which look like wings of a bird flying. Those pods are large. One pod is nearly the length of my hand. If you happen to know the plant, please e-mail me. In the background is the Karibib police station.

At Usakos the plants were dry with no sign of the wide spread rain that fell in the rest of the country. The Aloe hereroensis in the old cemetery were not in flower like Aloe hereroensis in the south. Some of the aloes showed a faint green coloring in the center of the rosette assuring me that these aloes are tough, they will survive.

The dust road to Hanties bay. The grass fields in the desert are stunning. The local habitants (mainly small animals and insects) did not experrience this in a century.

The main road between Swakopmund and Walvis bay. Lovely picturesque dunes.

The crane pulling the fishing boat out of the sea. The fishing boat is past the point of seafaring ever again, it will be sold as scrap.

Imagine what it would have been like centuries ago to land on this shore. Nothing but large dunes. Not altogether so bad as the mouth of the Swakop river is less than 5 kilometres away. Skeleton Coast starts to the north, but anybody shipwrecked would not be able to get far without water on this coast, even if they are not yet in the skeleton coast area.

One of the trees adapted to the life in the desert. The branches ar not higher than 40 cm at the most and the diameter of the tree, all branches included is not quite 2 m. but it is actually larger as the main stem is underground like a huge water reservoir.

Aloe asperifolia can survive the desert habitat very well. The plants are in excellent condition with the pale green plants showing new growth and fat leaves full of moisture.
Most plants have bloomed out. The single raceme with flowers that we saw was very small and not much to look at. It happens that aloes send out a sub-standard raceme after it bloomed. It shows the typical sideway growth of the inflorescens

2006-11-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

aloe littoralis the pride of Windhoek Namibia. Aloe littoralis is on the emblem of Windhoek city. Aloe littoralis is a tall tree aloe hardy from below freezing to sizzling summer temperatures. The outstanding point about Aloe littoralis for the garden is that it blooms from a young age.
Windhoek is small for a city and a capital city to boot. This neat clean city without smog, is situated between mountains on an uneven hilly terrain. Wild animals like the Kudu, jackal and different small mongooses can be seen in the hills around the city, especially in times of drought.

The habitat of Aloe littoralis is Namibia up to Angola, to the east into Botswana and a short distance into the northern Province of South Africa. Photo below shows the dry winter scene. Aloe littoralis blooms early winter before frost can damage the blooms and seeds.

A visit to the botanical garden in Windhoek is certainly worth the effort for succulent plant enthusiasts and anybody who would enjoy to see the endemic trees and rare plants of Namibia. The botanical garden covers a large area over the hill with walking trails.

Aloe dewinterii planted in the botanical garden the same way as it grows in the natural habitat - hanging from cliffs.

The baboons tend to be a dangerous nuisance. They are cute to look at, but they can attack and the males are large enough to kill a human or dog. The photo below is from a large handsome male who saw the ripe papaw in the garden and decided that it was just what he wanted. We did not want to agitate him so we took the photo through the kitchen window. This gives the impression that he is behind bars, but we were strictly speaking behind the bars not him.

The wild life in and around Windhoek includes many cute animal like this gecko.

Gorgeous little fellow. Those large eyes are handy for his nightlife adventures. He can run on the ceiling by tiny slits under his feet that form a suction on the substrate. His feet feel like velvet if he is on your hand. I do hope the old tale that they are poisonous has been cleared in modern times. He will hiss to try and defend himself and his bite feels like a soft pinch. It does not even leave a red mark, far from drawing blood, let alone the ridiculous poison tale.

He will run if he is on a wall but on this carpet he thinks that he will disappear like when he is on the bark of a tree, so he remains still. This works out fine in nature on a camelthorn tree but at night on a carpet some-one will step on him. Consequently any gecko on the carpet, no matter how cute he looks, is put outside.

Meet Kambi the kudu doe from Elisenheim guest-farm Windhoek, with her innocent eyes and long eye-lashes in our cat blog.

2006-10-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

Aloe dichotoma and Aloe hereroensis in the southern Namibia. All endemic aloes are strictly protected in Namibia.
Namibia has only 2 seasons, a long hot summer and a short cold winter. It is now September which should be spring, but here that is no option. The dry heat is not as depressing as humid heat of tropical countries, but the hot day temperatures reach dangerous levels in the sun.
Namibia has 27 endemic aloe species. The habitat of some of these aloe species go over the borders into the neighbouring countries as plants do not grow inside political borders, but there are aloe species with a very small habitat inside Namibia only.
This was not a tour to see all the aloes of Namibia, but a quick trip up to Windhoek with a day trip to Swakopmund visiting family. It is a pity that time was short.

The dry semi-desert southern part of Namibia is the habitat of Aloe dichotoma.
It was exhilarating to find such a healthy young Aloe dichotoma tree. Very few seeds reach this stage. The photo below shows an old tree with dead branches - battle scars dealt out by nature.

An Aloe dichotoma garden with pelargoniums and mesembs at a petrol garage with Bed&Breakfast bungalows at the small town, Gruenau. It was a pleasant surprise to find the petunias in bloom protected by some reeds on the other side of the Aloe dichotoma garden. The dry hot day temperatures scorch anything that is green and yet here are these fragile flowers growing happily.

The distance from the border to Gruenau is 120 kilometres and to the next town Keetmanshoop is 146 kilometres. Few tourists do not stop for petrol here, which is just fine for al concerned in this lonely location. (petrol = gas in the USA)

Informal shops catering for tourists, at the roadside opposite the Bed&Breakfast. Never be out in the midday sun over here. Note the barren mountains in the background.

The elephant is astonishingly realistic. I hope that the pile of hardwood for sale as well as the carved animals and figurines are from dead trees. Namibia has a very low supply of hardwood trees. The Camelthorn tree is very hardy but in a harsh climate it grows slowly.
The seedpods and seeds of most Acacia trees are edible and used as fodder for farm animals. (The wild herbivores appreciates it too). We saw many small stalls alongside the roads where people were selling bags of Acacia pods in the central parts of Namibia.

There are a few very special and rare aloes in the southern regions of Namibia. We did not have time to drive out to Aus but I would like to mention Aloe pachygaster. I took some photos of this aloe in the botanical garden in Windhoek.
Aloe pachygaster grows in the most harsh conditions in Namibia. Aus is the coldest place in this country with freezing winters, even snow. This should be good news to aloe enthusiasts in the cold countries. There is no need to bring Aloe pachygaster inside in winter but keep this aloe out of rain all year round. Water it sparingly in autumn only.
for more photos and tips see my web site

Aloe hereoensis in bloom a few kilometers past Keetmanshoop on the way to Mariental.

Aloe hereroensis has a wide distribution throughout Namibia to the neighbouring countries. Photos below left were taken during the good rains in the beginning of the year 2006. Photo right were taken in September 2006 - the aloe plants are in bloom and the grass so green on the photo left are now dry with the seeds blown away by the wind.

Aloe hereroensis in the old cemetery of Usakos. We expected them to be in flower, but although they showed some new growth, the rain was obviously not enough.

2006-09-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Aloe habitat and wild flowers in Namaqualand

photo above: Namaqualand in summer above

Namaqualand in the winter with splashes of purple mesembs and orange daisies

Most people know Namaqualand as a large flower garden in winter, but that is just one side of the plant world in this part of South Africa. The flowering time last 3-4 months of the year if the flowering time of all the lilies and other plants are included with the daisies and mesembs. All plant life seem dry or dead in dull shades of brown the rest of the year, but most succulent plants are alive in a dormant or semi-dormant state.

I want to show a few photos of Namaqualand (Namakwaland) which are not often seen. Flowering plants and lilies which do not grow in large masses and which are overlooked in the veld with a few photos of the small inhabitants.

One of the aloes growing in this region is Aloe melanacantha. Aloe melanacantha is impressive with large black thorns on both side of the leaves for protection. The raceme is long with dark pink flowers.

Aloe melanacantha with seedpods. Most of the seeds were damaged by the larvae of insects eating them. No food is wasted - the dry season with little to eat is very much longer than the season of plenty.

Photo left:- Aloe melanacantha plant curled up in drought and below the plant opens up in the rain season showing new growth with white thorns. On the right is the long raceme with dark pink flowers fading colour as they open

A grasshopper on an Cleretum sp., ice-plant.

Life goes on. We saw these tortoise skeletons some distance apart, while walking in the veld, August 2006. The skeletons had no injury marks on them which would suggest that the animals died as a result of the drought before the rain season started.

Three of the many beautiful lilies. Above left is a Feraria species and right is Synnotia variegata which is a Gladiolus species. Below is Gladiolus orchidiflorus.

Photo left:- The beetle-daisy invites the beetles with markings on the flowers which resemble beetles. The beetles pollinate the flowers when they visit for nourishment and also to meet their own mates.

In this dry climate where there are no flowers for near to eight months a year, beetles seem to be the main pollinators. The flowering season for the daisies is short. Competition to get pollinators are tough in good rain years when huge areas are covered in thousands of flowers. Any attraction out of the norm will give that plant's flowers an advantage over the rest.

Photo below left:- pretty glittering little lovebugs covered in pollen. They eat nectar which does not harm the flowers in any way. The small longhorn beetle on the photo right, eats the flower pedals, but that is not much for the flower to pay in exchange for pollination.

On the photo left is only one of the "living stones" succulents of the Conophytum species - Some plants in flower. The single plant is about the size of the tip of a lady's finger. The plants go dormant in the dry season protected by a papery covering, which slough off in the rain season as the plants grow and fill up with water. It is very difficult to see them when they are dormant. In the top left corner on the photo are some real stones.

2006-08-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Aloe ferox medicinal aloe with photos
Aloe ferox has a very wide habitat distribution in South Africa where this aloe has
been used for its medicinal qualities for millennia. Only the gel of Aloe ferox (or any other aloe) should be used by the novice. The sap or bitter yellow exude originating from the green outer cells, can be used for its purgative effects, but it is not recommended as there are better and safer laxatives available.
For more information and recipes on my web site click here http://storm.prohosting.com/farm4u/health.htm

This scene is to the left of the Breede river photo above.

How to prepare the gel

Cut the leaf in portions and peel off the green outer part. The gel is in the translucent leaf pulp. It is not bitter, in fact it is near to tasteless
with only a slight "fresh" taste.

Fresh gel on the skin has a cool feeling. The gel is absorbed by the skin
cells in seconds with only a thin silky layer that remains on the skin, giving the skin a
lovely silk smooth texture. The gel revitalizes the cells and the layer protects the skin
on the outside.

Store the gel in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days only. It is better to freeze the gel in cubes for use and then remove a cube as needed.
The whole leaf can be stored in a cool dry place for a long time, even weeks. Cut off a portion of the leaf as needed.

The gel of most aloes (species or hybrids) can be used, but most aloes does not have much gel. Aloe barbadensis (known as Aloe vera) is well known for its gel. The gel is not as consentrated as the gel of Aloe ferox, but that does not matter. It is easy to cultivate Aloe vera from offshoots.

Aloe vera has been used for about 3000 years. The habitat of this aloe could be Arabia, but it has been cultivated for so long that the origin of this aloe has been lost in time.

Another South African aloe that is very good is Aloe maculata, also known as Aloe saponaria or the common name "soap aloe". The hybrid Aloe maculata x Aloe striata grows faster than Aloe maculata and it has the same high quality gel. The downside is that it is a much smaller plant than A.ferox or A.barbadensis, thus the gel is strictly speaking more expensive, but the gel is the best.

I take a teaspoon gel (mixed with any food or drink, it is tasteless) daily to build my immune system. I also give it to my pregnant cats in their food. I do not like to suggest anything to be taken internally, so please do it on you own risk. Do not take the green skin or sap! A quick rinse after you peeled the gel will remove the sap. A little sap would not hurt. If the gel taste bitter, then there is sap on it. eee-yuk .... do not believe the old tale that it has to taste awful to be good!

Aloe ferox is a large heavy aloe but it blooms from a young age at a relative small size. This easy growing aloe is an excellent focal point for a garden.

for more photos see my garden web site

2006-08-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

Aloe framesii in bloom for the last time ?

Visiting Aloe framesii in bloom each winter and Aloe mitriformis each summer, was on our agenda every year for at least ten years. Aloe framesii blooms the same time as an assortment of winter flowering plants on a small hill in StHelena Bay.

StHelena Bay is on the south western coast of South Africa, where Vasco da Gama landed all those years ago, in his search for the southern point of Africa.

The outings to this quiet bay were always refreshing, but now there is a large wound in "our" hill! That is only the start, the whole hill has been cut up and sold for luxury holiday homes. The sea shore has been bull dozed together with many plants - mesembs, stapeliads, caudiciform plants, euphorbias and more. I do not expect propress to come to halt or something like that, but could Nature Conservation or some other organization not contact plant lovers to remove those plants first ? They fine people for removing plants, but bulldozing? Having said that, I am not going to shout around. My motto is if you do not like it, do something about it, or keep quiet. To tell the truth, I do not have the motivation to organize something so that plants could be saved in future. The people of this country seems to have so many problems, nobody wants more on their shoulders. There may be an energetic nature lover reading this blog who is willing to take on the challenge.

Looking down on progress. Many jobs are created and a lot of people need that badly. If I think of children and families having a better life then it eases the loss.

Aloe framesii in bloom. It is a lovely blue aloe. In the summer when all is dry it seems to merge into the blue granite rocks. In winter it needs to be seen by the pollinators and the flowers show off well.

Aloe framesii center front shared this hill with Aloe mitriformis to the back left and right. Aloe mitriformis blooms early summer and Aloe framesii blooms in winter which enabled the two species to grow side by side without hybridizing.

2006-07-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

A visit to the Karoo Botanical Garden in Worcester, South Africa.
On our way to the Small Karoo we made a quick stop at the Karoo Botanical Garden in Worcester. No way that we can drive past our favourite garden. As it is, we travel the 250+ kilometre(there and back) to the garden so often, they know us by name.

Photo left shows a very small portion of the botanical garden. I like this portion, it has a natural look and atmosphere. The syphostemmas with their fat naked stems and branches held up towards heaven, always catch my eye. The small flowers blooming between the large plants are gazanias. The very high tree aloe is Aloe barberae.

Something special amongst the aloes was the white Aloe ferox photo left and the red Aloe tenuior bush in flower photo below.

A white aloe ferox is scarce. The white Aloe ferox flowers become much lighter as they open and the antlers are maroon-black. A very nice contrast. see photo at the bottom.

Even with seeds from two white Aloe ferox plants, the chance of getting white is very small. It is better to have Aloe ferox with different color flowers growing together and pollinate them all with each other. Then sow 100-200 of those seeds and maybe you will get a few of them blooming white

red Aloe tenuior bush

photo left:- Alexandre Viossat

This photo was not taken in the Karoo Botanical Garden. Alexandre Viossat kindly permitted me to place the photo to show some of the different natural colors in Aloe ferox. These colours were not cultivated, the colours occur naturally in the very large Aloe ferox habitat.

2006-07-02T05:10:00.000-07:00

This excursion into the small Karoo is once more into the drier parts of the country to see some succulents. We were heading for Montagu.

The Klein Karoo will make the heart skip a beat of any person who loves succulent plants.

Kogmanspass is just a short tunnel through the mountain. Remarkable as it was built by hand 1876 - 1878

Geological history Kogmanskloof passes through folded layers of the table mountain sandstone in the Langeberge mountains. Rivers deposited the sediment of which these rock were formed along a coastline some 400 to 450 million years ago. Then about 280 million years ago compression forces in the earth's crust began folding the beds for the next 60 million years. Upon this followed forces which formed large crustal fractures roughly parallel to the present coastline. One of the largest of these, the Worcester Fault passes near the southern entrance to the kloof and displaced beds to the south of it downward by several kilometers. Kogmanskloof is but one of several deep gorges carved through the tough sandstone of the table mountain sandstone by the erosive action of swift flowing rivers for millions of years.

The view immediately out of the tunnel into the Kogmanskloof gorge.
To enlarge the photo click on http://made-in-afrika.com/myblog/Kogmanspass..jpg

It was a lovely winter day on 28 June 2006. This very hot region is greener in winter than in summer. As on most of our winter trips, the misty weather was not very good for photos but very much better than the summer heat for walking and climbing.

Rudi loves the climbing. He is geologist so he is used to climb over rocks just to see what is on the other side of the rock.

photos below:- The aloes on the slopes are Aloe comptonii.

The very short capitated racemes of Aloe comptonii The leaves are broad and short with blunt teeth.

2006-06-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Aloe haemanthifolia the rarest of aloes and their natural habitat - This aloe grows high up in the mountains mostly in crevices of cliffs which also gives it the necessary protection against anybody who would like one for some reason.
The trip was the oposite direction from our usual succulent country into the mountains with fynbos vegetation. I do not mind walking on a mountain but driving at speed (any speed faster than a walk) round corners on a wet misty road at a dizzy hight, is not my cup of tea. Rudi had to stop at the look-out spots so that I could unclench my fists and breathe.
A misty morning did not make for the best photo. The proteas were gorgeous. There was many small types and also the well known large pink one.
The rain filtering through the fallen leaves on the ground color the water like tea but I would not advise anybody to drink it! There are many different leaves in that tea and the water is very acid which is what most proteas like.

I would not expect an aloe here anywhere near. Although I know that Aloe plicatilis grows just around the mountain more to the west in the Cape Town area. Aloe plicatilis likes slightly acid to neutral soil and does very well in winter rainfall gardens.
Photo right:
This photo does not give the real impression what this aloe looks like. The thin stiff leaves are large. A foot long (30cm). I would have passed this plant thinking it is a lily of sorts. (The flower would give it away. )
Good news for the colder wet countries. e.g. Canada, UK and Europe. This aloe is for you !
Photo above left:
Aloe plicatilis is a tree aloe with fans instead of the usual rosettes. It would seem that Aloe haemanthifolia is a large fan without the trunk. Aloe plicatilis grows much lower down than Aloe haemanthifolia and in a larger warmer habitat. Aloe plicatilis does not mind water but unlike Aloe haemanthifolia it grows in a frost free area.

2006-06-10T02:56:00.000-07:00

Aloes in containers can make very decorative indoor houseplants. Aloes do well as pot plants because they do not need a lot of soil around the roots. Aloes can be enjoyed as a hobby in pots in a room or on a farm - there is more - a fancy or plain container can make a big change in a garden, in fact a garden can be made entirely in containers or pots only (save on weeding).

Potted aloes can be left without watering for long times, which is very convenient when going on a holiday
Aloe plants which would have been impossible to grow because of cold or too much rain can grow in pots and containers both outside and as indoor houseplants. When the weather is bad the potted aloe plants can be brought indoors for a special effect.

How to plant.
Use normal potting soil and mix with about 50% soil with small stones, broken pottery or the loose pieces of packing material(if light weight is needed) for very good drainage.

The hobby plants, and photo top of page is by Scot Ross
The containers, plants and photo above is from Ben Botha.

2006-06-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

If you want to kill an aloe do it with water, it is not easy to kill an aloe with drought.
The photo above left of Aloe Glauca, an aloe with a beautiful blue rosette, was taken close to two months before the photo on the right. There was a good rain shower two weeks after this photo (left) was taken. Then a month passed and the winter rain arrived with days of rain on and off. The photo above right was taken some 8-10 days after the winter rain began. After the first shower nothing happened visibly but that rain shower and short interval is necessary for the roots to start swelling out and to get ready for the long wet periods that follow the winter rain.
In the few rare years where the winter rain started without a few preceding short showers we always lost some aloes due to rot. If an aloe is water sparingly but evenly all year round, it seldom rot. If the aloes have a long dry period, especialy if the dry period is through a hot summer, watering should be started slowly.
On the photo above to the left of the aloe is Tylecodon. which sent out leaves at the first sign of rain and to the right of Aloe glauca is Aloe ramosissima. It seemed quite all right when it was dry but now that it doubled in size it is obvious that it was shriveled a lot.
Note on the drought photo how the aloe leaves fold over thus protecting the center growing point of the rosette.

2006-05-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

The winter is here with rain and aloe flowers. I can not remember ever looking forward to winter before I had an aloe garden.
We have more than 100 different aloes, mostly species, but a few hybrids too. The aloe in bloom is a hybrid with Aloe framesii (on the left next to it) and Aloe krapohliana which is a smaller aloe. Aloe krapohliana grows in the very arid Namaqualand and Aloe framesii grows along the west coast. Their habitat overlap, but there are very few natural hybrids. We saw one only once.
To enlarge photo click on http://made-in-afrika.com/aloes/succulent.aloe.garden.jpg
The climate in Namaqualand is very harsh in the summer, but in winter when it rains Namaqualand changes into a flower garden. Mostly succulents, mesembs and daisies, but also lilies and even ground orchards. The Western Cape where we live border on Namaqualand and our rain season is also in the winter - our rainfall is quite a bit higher, but strictly speaking we are very near to Namaqualand and many of the plants can grow in our garden.
By the way the garden above is part of Rudi's garden. The aloes in front are left to right. Aloe comptonii, Aloe framesii (two plants ), Aloe hybrid mentioned above and Aloe thraskii.
photo below is roughly what my side of the garden looks like in bloom.

2006-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

An aloe is not just a succulent plant with orange flowers and teeth around the edges of the leaves - Aloes differ in the shape of the rosette and the shape of the racemes with the flowers being anything in white, yellow, orange, red, green, and any combination of these colors or shades of these colors. More than slightly different to the idea that an aloe has orange flowers.

The aloe species bloom at different times so that it is possible to have an aloe in bloom in the garden throughout the year. They will grow in rocky ground or under trees where most other plants suffer. See more than 30 different aloes with photos and descriptions at http://made-in-africa.com/aloes.

Aloes are associated with health. Enjoy the flowers and use the gel. Aloes are associated with health. Enjoy the flowers and use the gel to make your own fresh skin cream. Cut the leaf like you would slice a carrot. Peel off the dark green outer skin. Keep the clear very slippery gel. The gel has no taste, the bitter taste associated with aloes comes from the green outside layer. Rub the gel through a sieve and use the fresh gel on your face and neck. It has a cool refreshing feeling and dries quickly to form a silky layer that will protect the skin. The gel can also be mixed into a cream lotion for a quality hand or body cream. Do remember there is no preservatives in the gel. Cut a small ring from the leaf to use immediately and keep the lotion in the fridge. The gel lasts weeks when left in the leaf in a dry place

That is not all ..... Established plants can survive for months without water. No need to worry about going on holiday. It is better to leave the plants dry than to get somebody who do not love them, they are very sensitive to that.

my aloe garden wilderness

2005-12-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Rudi and I could not agree what aloe to plant where so we divided the garden with each one doing what he or she pleases on that part of the garden. That does not mean that any one of us do keep out of the other one's territory when he is not looking. The two different sides give an interesting display but it is a far cry from landscaping. It is closer to an "untouched by human hands" wilderness than any landscaper would be able to design.

We are expecting a visitor from the Netherlands to see our aloe garden. We do want to make a good impression, he fitted us into a busy schedule and he must be expecting something like a botanical garden to go to all the trouble to see our garden. First thing was to tidy the garden. There is no choice but to pull out weeds by hand amongst the aloes. That is very tricky, those teeth are sharp and gloves just get hooked and torn. My hands look like a war-zone. At least now I have an excuse for how they look.

There were a few empty looking spots, but some aloes sent out too many shoots in the rain season in other places. That is one very convenient thing about aloes. They transplant easy, no matter size, and being succulent they do not wilt and show that they have been transplanted in a hurry to impress a guest.

Nothing like a few stones to give a succulent garden a face-lift. I painted a snake on one of the stones and hid it partially under an aloe. oohh I am so proud of that snake. Not to mention the clean garden paths that are now visible leading off to some aloe wilderness. See our garden on http://storm.prohosting.com/farm4u