Welcome to Gardening in South Africa!

Armeria 'Ballerina' Lilac. Picture courtesy Ball StraathofDescription:

Thrifts can be found growing in the wild on maritime cliffs and meadows, salt marshes and mountain rocks all over Britain and Northern Europe. It is an evergreen perennial plant that produces compact tufts of grass-like leaves. The long stems are topped with papery pink or white flowers from spring to autumn and the plants grow about 15 to 30cm tall and spread 30 to 40cm wide. They over-winter as rounded, dense cushions of growth. 

(Armeria 'Ballerina') The Fleuroselect gold medal is a coveted award in the plant world, and for the first time it has been awarded to two Armeria varieties, A. pseudarmeria 'Ballerina Red' and A. pseudarmeria 'Ballerina White'.

These are first year flowering perennials that produce striking, ball-shaped flower heads on short, strong stems (20cm). They flower in summer, and are heat and drought tolerant. They can be used in mixed borders, as edgings and in containers. They grow to a height of + 20cm, and can spread +-15 cm, clump-shaped with mid green linear-shaped leaves.

 In the Garden:

 The flowers last long in a vase. It is a good ground-cover or border plant, forming a slowly spreading carpet. It does well in water wise gardens designed as xeriscape, rock or pebble gardens.

Cultivation/Propagation:

This tough little plant grows well throughout the country and is frost and drought resistant.

It is not suited to very humid regions but will tolerate salty winds at the coast and saline soils.

It will grow in nutritionally poor soil and prefers light sandy soils that drain well. Thrifts love full sun and cannot grow in the shade.

If you remove the dead blooms, the plants will continue to flower into autumn.

If the plants are overcrowded, they can be divided once they have finished flowering.

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Holcus mollis 'Jack Daws' Picture courtesy Green Acres Nursery CaliforniaDescription, History & Interesting Facts:

Holcus has 8 species of perennials which belong to the grass family (Gramineae/Poaceae). It originates from the woodland and grassland areas of Europe, North Africa and western Asia. These grasses do the majority of their growing in early spring and start again when temperatures start to cool down in late summer and autumn. During the warmer summer months, they stop growing and some will even go dormant. Most cool season grasses also grow best in a consistently moist soil.

Because these little grasses struggle through our hot and often dry summers, they have become less popular than they once were, and Holcus mollis 'Albovariegatus' is no longer freely available, but I have left it in my plant index for identification purposes, as you will still find them growing in many older gardens.

 Holcus mollis 'Albovariegatus' is the smallest, softest little creeping grass, with deep green leaves which are broadly margined in creamy-white. It will grow moderately to 15 to 20cm tall and spread 30 to 60cm wide. In summer it produces pale green or pinkish flowering panicles, which turn beige with age.

In many countries around the world the most damaging invasive plant species are grasses. However, the status of exotic grass invasions in South Africa has not been widely documented. As responsible gardeners I believe we should be extremely cautious when selecting exotic ornamental grasses for our gardens.

Although they are easily removed, Holcus can become invasive, especially in moist soils, and species like Holcus lanatus, a long-lived tufted perennial grass which grows up to 1 m tall, has widely naturalised itself in many countries, including southern Africa, tropical Asia, La Réunion, New Zealand, Hawaii, the USA, Canada, Central America and South America. In these regions it has become a weed of pastures, open woodlands, grasslands, watercourses, swamps, wetlands, crops, roadsides, disturbed sites, and waste areas.  Holcus mollis 'Albovariegatus' is not as invasive and is not classified as an invasive plant in SA but perhaps it is a good thing that this lovely little grass is no longer widely planted in South African gardens.

In the Garden:

Creeping velvet grass is a low-growing perennial which forms a creeping mat and enjoys growing in cool, slightly damp places in the garden. It can even be mown, and makes a pretty lawn or groundcover for shady areas. It is also a lovely edging plant for the shady border and great for rock gardens. It will even grow in little cracks in paving and walls etc. clinging on and slowly spreading, as long as there is sufficient moisture.

Cultivation/Propagation:

This little grass performs best in regions with cool summers and adequate rainfall, thriving both inland and at the coast. In hot regions the clumps will look untidy in summer and will need to be cut right back. It can also survive extremely cold winters; in temperate climates it is evergreen, and in cool to cold climates it is semi-evergreen or dormant in winter.

It prefers light, poor to moderately fertile soil which is moist, yet well-drained, but will adapt to most garden soils, including acidic and chalky alkaline ones. It can be planted in semi-shade to sun, but on poor soil it does best in semi-shade. Water regularly during hot, dry weather.

The best foliage is seen on young growth, so it benefits from the occasional hard trim; and the clumps are easily divided in spring or autumn. The foliage often deteriorates in colour once the flowers appear, so it is best to cut these off.

Problems, Pests & Diseases:

It does not suffer from any serious insect or disease problems, but has some susceptibility to rust.

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Pelargonium capitatum Description, History & Interesting Facts:

The rose-scented pelargonium occurs all along the coastline, from Lamberts Bay on the Namaqualand Wild Flower Route, to the Peninsula and through to Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape and into KwaZulu-Natal. It can be found growing on sand and limestone near the coast, on disturbed areas, low hillsides and coastal sand dunes.

It is a bushy, widely spreading, low-growing plant that produces pretty pink flowers in spring and summer, and has sweetly scented hairy leaves that smell of roses when crushed. It will grow quickly to about 30cm tall and 1.5m wide.

Uses:

This pelargonium is cultivated for its rose scented oil that is extracted from the leaves. The leaves are used in pot-pourri, and make a pleasant herbal tea to treat coughs and fever, colic, flatulence, vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps, kidney and bladder ailments.

It also has relaxing and astringent properties. The leaves can be rubbed into the skin to soften and soothe cracks, calluses and scratches. They can also be made into a poultice for bruises, stings and abscesses; and are added to bath water to sooth rashes.  Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

In the Garden:

The rose-scented pelargonium is used to stabilise dunes in re-vegetation projects and, because it spreads widely; it makes an excellent groundcover for coastal gardens.

Cultivation/Propagation:

This versatile perennial plant will grow happily, with minimum care, in sun or semi-shade.

It is semi-hardy to frost if it is planted in a warm, protected position in the garden and is kept on the dry side in winter. 

Although this plant is water-wise; for good results in the garden, plant it into composted soil, water it moderately during dry spells and feed it with 3:1:5 during the flowering season.

Prune it fairly hard after it has flowered, to keep it in shape.

Pelargonium capitatum can easily be grown from seeds and softwood cuttings.

Carpobrotus deliciosus Description:

This vigorous, flat-growing, succulent groundcover grows on coastal and inland slopes from Namaqualand in the Northern Cape, through the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape. The huge bright yellow flowers appear mainly from late winter to spring and fade to pink. They open in bright sunlight, and close at night. This species is easily distinguished from the others as it is the only one with yellow flowers.

(Carpobrotus deliciosus) Goena can be found growing from Riversdal to the Eastern Cape. It has attractive purple, pink or white flowers and its growth habit and uses are the same as for C. edulis.

In the Garden:

Because it is drought resistant, low maintenance and fast growing, it is often seen as a pioneer plant on disturbed sites and in large areas it is essential for the fast stabilization of sandy slopes. In areas prone to wild fires, it makes a good fire-resistant barrier.

Uses:

Medicinally it is used for skin ailments and to treat stings, especially bluebottle stings. 

 The fruits are used to make jams and condiments.

Carpobrotus edulis

In the Garden:

It will grow in full sun or in the dry shade under trees. Plant it as a groundcover for large areas, on embankments, or allow it to cascade over terrace walls. It is relatively shallow-rooting and is also a good choice for a roof garden.

Cultivation/Propagation:

The Hottentots fig is one of those plants that thrive on neglect and can be killed with kindness.

It is an excellent evergreen that is both drought and wind-resistant and will grow in lime-rich and brackish soils.

It is tender to frost, and high humidity will cause bacterial rot of the leaves.

Do not fertilise, and plant it in well-drained soil, in a sunny position where it has room to spread.

This drought tolerant plant should not need additional irrigation once established.

(Carpobrotus edulis) roots easily from cuttings without the need for hormone powder. Cuttings can rot easily, so root them in sand.