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Lovely pictures, Senyetse! Your garden must be splendid!

I wish I could give you some pictures of my garden..

it is very untidy, but I have learnt to love it.

I have a half completed pond under a Jacaranda tree.
it is partly a grave for one of my deceased cats.
I do have a Koi Pond hidden in the back.
(with 3 very big handsome Koi)

there are also many other trees there.
I do have some lovely blooming plants, (lots of nectar) but no pictures.. no camera
I also left my binocs in a rental car in Cape Town

What I do have is a most magnificent avenue of Acacias that form an arch of African beauty.
at the moment they are all dry, but when it blooms, it is like a fairyland.

I have a White Eye that won't be identified. (I have been told that if it is what I think it is, I will make history )
I have 8 Grey Louries that scream loudly while eating my neighbours succulents.
I have LBJ's with babies in my roof.
I have Weavers, weavers, weavers..
I have a Robin..

I have Wild Fig,
Australian Oak,
Bougainvillea.. lots
Pecan nut,
roses,
Yesterday, today and tomorrow,
an impossible pool,
a garden that sometimes looks like an Orpen cam fertiliser company

a very big dry space waiting for my Impala Lilies.

lots of dreams
a very big Monkey Acacia that drops lots of seeds.

oh dear,
I needed to say this,
cos I also have very difficult sewerage and a pool with a mind of its own

Thank you restio - we had an unexpected black frost in May that did quite a bit of damage. I'm slowly cutting back all the frost damage - lost a couple of plants.

MM - your garden also sounds lovely

Some more pics:

Unidentified aloe (my brother-in-law has my aloe book)


Aloe maculata


Bulbine natalensis



Strelitzia reginae


Vygie


I see the puzzle bush is about to bud
The Mickey Mouse bush (Ochna serrulata) is starting to fruit. I will get a pic of those and you'll see where it gets its common name

Senyetse .

What a surprise for me to come back from the KTP and find everything in bud .
The black frost in may also anhialated some of my things .
Even endemic highveld trees suffered with dead branches etc , but I see everything is sprouting further back .

I will have to get out with the macro lens first thing tommorow and get some pics !

Hi there all, I've got a garden with a few headaches.
Let me start from the top:
1. Lots of sunshine
2. Top soil about 200-300mm then there is stone(small stones that look like iron)
3. When watering seems to hold water(no drainage)

I need some advice as to how to fix the issue when coming to plants, could you shead some light on what plants(indigenous of course) would be able to grow in such circumstances ?
The plants must be able to handle frost in winter...
Please help

Hi bentley

I'll give you a few to start off with. Have a look at plantz africa for more information and pics.

Trees and shrubs:
River bushwillow Combretum erythrophyllum - this tree is quite popular in office parks. It is a largre tree so make sure there's enough space.
Weeping wattle Peltophorum africanum
Common karee - Rhus lancea
Common wild currant - Rhus pyroides
Bluebush - Diospyros lycioides

Aloes:
Veld aloe Aloe davyana
Mountain aloe Aloe marlothii

Bulbs:
Wild squill Scilla natalensis
Orange river lily Crinum bulbispermum
Sore eye flower Boophane disticha
Pineapple flower Eucomis autumnalis
Agapanthus Agapanthus campanulatus, Agapanthus caulescens, Agapanthus inapterus, Agapanthus praecox

Forbs:
Blue felicia bush Felicia amelloides
Twinspur Discia rigescens
Botterblom Gazania sp.
Carpet geranium Geranium incanum
Pincushion Scabiosa africana

All of these are obtainable from indigesnous nurseries (I can PM you a list of some if you like) and some you will find at normal nuseries. Remember to work in compost and some bonemeal.

Hi Senyetse, please do send me some info...I have been onto plantzafrica and seen some great looking plants/flowers, would be nice to see what the whole plant looks like though. Some of the plants you mentioned are on my list already(great minds think alike)

Check out the thread labeled indig plants in the highveld .

I think I listed some nursery names there .

Are you east,west north ?

Hey there Bucky, on the eastrand...to top it off I stay on a ridge right next to freeway. Bucky you seem to clued up on plants, what indig creeper will cover the most ground(length & hieght) ? The plan is to grow the creeper as to block out some the noise from the freeway.

Hi there Bentley .

Sorry for the delay , I am just catching up after getting back from the kalahari .

Are you going to grow this up a wire fence , or wall ?

Hey Bucky no problem, it's a precast wall...I've put some fencing up above the wall about 400mm high(to give the creeper something to hold onto).

Hi Senyetse your pictures are awesome

I THINK your unidentified Aloe could be ALOE MICROSTIGMA (Cape speckled aloe). Check it out once you get your book back. Aloes are awesome plants in the garden.

Thanks Rosemary. Haven't got my book back yet.

I have found that various types of cycads do well under trees. Particularly Villosus and Ferox. Even Stangeria eriopus does quite well (on the Highvelt) providing it is planted near a tap because it requires more water (just beware of frost!). All the different types of clivias were "designed" to be planted in the bald patch under trees. Amaryllis belladonna and various types of Haemanthus (paint brush) are also a shade loving plants and the flower displays are magnificient.
But they just seem to do better when planted under indigenous trees.

There ia also a picture of my Ansellia africana but it grows in the atrium which is completely protected against frost.