Winter is a pleasure on the South Coast, with mild days, starry nights and perfect ocean conditions to host whales and sardines.
Not only is a lot of our vegetation evergreen, but we have a wide variety of indigenous plants that bear flowers at this time of year – in fact, some of the most sought-after flowers in the world occur naturally right on our pavements!
Strelitzias, for example, are hugely popular around the world for their statuesque foliage and ‘bird of paradise’ flowers. Not only are we fortunate enough to have these magnificent plants growing right here; they also provide habitat and food for a wide range of wildlife, including frogs, birds and monkeys.
Strelitzia Nicolae, the tall ‘wild banana’ or skamanga, provides the staple diet for vervet monkeys and many species of birds during the winter months and, in some cases, income for people who sell the seeds.
If you haven’t done anything for Mandela Day this year, why not plant or gift a Mandela’s Gold strelitzia (with yellow flowers)? This indigenous gem was hybridised at Kirstenbosch Gardens a few years back and grows well on the South Coast.
Another local icon in full flower at the moment is the aloes, which are really putting on a great show this year – the aloe ferox along the beaches are quite spectacular!
Our wonderful coral trees (Erythrina caffra), humble supporters of a wide array of insect, animal and birdlife, are also coming into flower now and bringing splashes of red into the winter landscape.
Did you know? Coral trees grow in many countries around the world, including the USA (e.g., Hawaii and Los Angeles), Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, India and Australia. Many cities and companies feature coral trees in their flags and logos, and people all over the world refer to the seeds as ‘lucky beans’.
Finally, the humble but amazing Halleria lucida (tree fuchsia) is in full flower at the moment, with plump red-to-orange flowers adorning all the branches and ensuring a steady stream of bees and birdlife in the garden.
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