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Jack Holloway
Passionate Gardener
SEQUOIA FARM Haenertsburg South Africa
Haenertsburg grasslands29 Sep '07 9:35 am
Our area is famous for the Haenertsburg grasslands - a high-lying biome of grasses and seasonal (annual and herbaceous perennial) plants that mature and flower quite quickly, mostly in spring, and prolifically after fire has cut down the grasses allowing sunlight to penetrate, and after good rain at the end of summer and even in winter.
This is such a spring, and last week a group of us went walking the trial above the village of Haenertsburg. Here are a few photos to celebrate the event.
Walking in the grasslands.jpg
My farm is off to the left in the valley behind the dark green rounded hill. Sticks have survived the fire which burnt the grass in early winter. Beyond the bluegums on the distant horizon on the right lies the Lowveld
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Burnt grassland detail.JPG
These first photos help explain why in some years there is such a magnificent display of veld flowers.
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Mark
Home gardener & plant fetishist
Berkeley, California, USA
Ooh, Chocolate Bells looks good enough to eat!29 Sep '07 5:07 pm
The reddish stems look a bit like Beshornaria yucciodes but the flowers are nicer on your plant. If you tell me they smell like chocolate I will immediately put it on my most-wanted list. Gee, I've missed out on a lot this week and this weekend will be another busy one with family over Sunday, Lia coming back from the east coast Saturday and grades due Monday. I look forward to getting caught up, particularly with your travelogue. Liza says there are endearing baby elephants to be seen so I will be back. (I"m just not sure how soon.)
Best regard,
Mark
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Jack Holloway
Passionate Gardener
SEQUOIA FARM Haenertsburg South Africa
Flower mosaic29 Sep '07 9:10 pm
Sorry to disappoint you, Mark: Chocolate Bells is scentless!
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Liza
gardening consultant
Waterloo, Belgium
Mosaic of charmers!29 Sep '07 11:07 pm
Jack, I have never seen "grasslands" with so many bloomers!! Are you sure they are still called grasslands and not ..flowerlands??
Those "assorted Daisies" stole my heart , both as models and captures! And that Orange Crossandra!! What a lovelyness! But ALL of these bloomers are charmers! The adorably blue ones are SO cute, too!
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Jack Holloway
Passionate Gardener
SEQUOIA FARM Haenertsburg South Africa
More mosaic29 Sep '07 11:36 pm
Orchids & others
pea.JPG
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Looking across Georges Valley.JPG
This spring's beauty comes at a price: in the worst fire to sweep across the grasslands in years, an entire pine rotation was lost on a neighbouring farm. Serala, the 2nd highest peak, just sticks out to the right.
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Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Grasslands?30 Sep '07 1:43 am
I must agree with Liza. Grasslands with so many flowers? Amazing. I really should be inspired to go out to my back meadow and take some photos myself. This area behind my back pond is grassy, but has so many wildflowers growing that begin to flower in fall. Have to wear long pants and boots though, because the grass is quite tall here and you never know if there might be a snakey lurking. I sometimes mow a walking path zigzaging through the middle so the wild flowers can be more readily enjoyed.
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Bambi
Slowly Learning Gardener
Kent, England
2 Oct '07 12:13 am
Jack, thank you so much for sharing these wonderful wild flowers with us. I particularly loved the orchids - I'm a real sucker for orchids, especially wild ones!
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Mark
Home gardener & plant fetishist
Berkeley, California, USA
South African bulbs are very popular in California.3 Oct '07 4:31 pm
My local nursery Annie's promotes them quite a bit, and sells them at a premium. A number of California bulbs are also highly sought after. Botanical trips to South Africa are also popular through our botanical gardens. It looks like you know how special your local landscapes are. A fellow here who had photographed a lot of native california flowers in the field is also very active in our local California Horticultural Society. He works as an arborist (or 'treeshaper' as he prefers). You might like to check out some of his photos at this site:
http://www.treeshapers.com/flowers/ted_kipping.html
I have a hundred or so photos of exotic tree bark he has taken which he calls "Bark As Art". If you like his flower photos and would like to see the bark I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Okay, off to bed!
-mark
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Jack Holloway
Passionate Gardener
SEQUOIA FARM Haenertsburg South Africa
Thanks Mark!6 Oct '07 2:21 am
Some amazing pics there - of which my favourite is the most un-alpine agave!! I'd love to see his bark pics. He sounds like an interesting person. On holiday yet?
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Mark
Home gardener & plant fetishist
Berkeley, California, USA
Not yet.7 Oct '07 12:58 am
Once we start up in late August we go pretty much straight through until two weeks around Christmas. We take another week off at the start of April around Easter and then about 10 weeks off in the summer. We have a couple minor holidays in November, good for three day weekends. When are your holidays?
One South African bulb I'm growing is Bulbinella whose flower looks a lot like a little kniphofia but with finer almost grass like folliage and with considerably shorter stature. I've divided my sulpher yellow one a few times, but the newer orange ones haven't yet bloomed. They bloom in winter and don't seem to mind the occasional frost but their flower stalks often get beat down my the rain in our wet season.
I've attached a couple Ted's bark photos.
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