Reviving Paradise: Finding comfort in the gentle South Coast winter
Winter on the South Coast may bring cooler mornings and crisp evenings, but it also unveils one of nature's most beautiful displays, from flowering canary creepers and vibrant aloes to visiting whales and sardines.
June, the official start of winter in our part of the world, has come with a definite nip – the evenings are crisper and those sunrise hours sometimes call for two blankets, not just one. There’s also a hint of dustiness in the air, a subtle thirst for the humidity we’re so used to.
Winter is here, and we have many reasons to be grateful. As someone who was ‘brought up’ in Joburg and has lived in some very snowy places, I remember every year just how bitter the winter cold can be, especially for those who find themselves unsupported and unsheltered. Homeless people in Joburg, especially children, can and do die in the streets overnight when the temperatures drop below freezing. For this reason, as far as I understand, it has always been common to find homeless people from inland migrating to Durban or the South Coast for the winter; the gentle climate has also made the coast a popular choice for retirees and a good location for healing and rehabilitation to take place.
Our gentle, generous winter doesn’t just bring starry, starry nights, whales and sardines – it also bursts into bright flower just when the rest of nature slows down or sleeps.
Our indigenous winter flowers are already starting to pop, especially the canary creepers (senecio tamoides, April’s indigenous gem in The Green Net 2026 biodiversity calendar), which have been in flower for over a month already. Unlike invasive creepers, the indigenous canary creeper grows vigorously from springtime, does not strangle the host plant at all and can be chopped right back after flowering if necessary. It also makes a pretty and manageable, nitrogen-fixing ground cover. Mine, which grows over a gazebo roof, attracts plenty of butterflies, sunbirds and other small birds into my space. I’ve seen a bird take whole bunches of the flowers (possibly to line a nest?) and one baby monkey sometimes munches the flowers and leaves. The canary creeper transforms a simple balcony into a magical space.
And that’s not all that winter has to offer… some coral trees have already started flowering; the umdonis and other berries are full-up; and the aloes and strelitzias seem to be gearing up for an abundant display of colour, food and shelter. We are, indeed, blessed to exist within such abundant life.
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