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moosey
head gardener
Yippee! A chocolate Corokia!4 Jan '07 7:25 pm
Jay bee - You've said how New Zealand shrubs work for you in your garden, and I'm thrilled that you've chosen a Corokia. I absolutely love them!
And smits'spot - your christmas garden, how exciting! the gift that goes on giving - and growing - All the best for you in the gardening weeks to come.
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Jay Bee
honoured helper
Re: Schizostylus4 Jan '07 11:06 pm
| gordonf wrote: | Hi, Jay Bee- Say, what colour is your new schizostylus? I keep buying them, but they're always the same colour, sort of a dark pinky red.
Cheers,
gordonf |
It's supposed to be (another) pink, slightly paler in the middle than the edges. ( It's not in flower atm so I've not seen the flowers for myself yet). If you go to google search engine, type in the full name, click "images" on the toolbar, then hit search, you'll find some pics of s.Fenland Wonder (a great place to look up plant pics for free).
I have several other schizostylus ranging from white, palest pink (I think she's "Pale Princess", darker pink and peachy coloured one.One that I haven't yet got, is s. "major", which has the biggest brightest scarlet red flowers of any I've seen, and they have a kind of silky sheen which is even more attractive.(A neighbour has it, I shall have to tempt her with a swap).
Apart from, er, greed and addiction, another good reason for acquiring different cultivars is that they flower at different times, so having several different ones means you can extend the flowering period by months.
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Jay Bee
honoured helper
Re: christmas garden plants4 Jan '07 11:51 pm
| smits'spot wrote: | Hi Jay Bee.... you should have asked what a lapa is! And I should have realised that probably only Jack would know what I was talking about! Its a thatched structure ... really a thatched roof without any walls. It provides the most wonderful cool shade and because we built such a big one, its ideal for entertaining. We regularly have 10 - 20 people for lunch on Saturdays and we also use it for a venue for the art courses we run. So its imminent collapse was a disaster!
Our temperatures in the summer are regularly in the 40s (celsius!) and without it we just can't spend any time outdoors unless its early evening or the crack of dawn.
The Christmas garden is so named because it is my Christmas present from greg, not because it has plants that will necessarily look their best in December.
We have gone for indigenous plants only. I went outside to take pics for you, only to discover my camera battery is flat. So I'll do it later. |
This is one of the quirks of a longlasting forum like these on Moosey's garden. You started talking about lapa months ago but I only found your swartlandgarden thread yesterday:-) Sometimes when that happens it's just a historical read; the original poster has long gone so there's no point chipping in months later with a new question to them. There I was getting more and more curious about the lapa and the construction pictures, (what the hell could it be) and then, wahay, I find a new update from you, and pics showing the finished thing. And you're still here to talk to 
South African outdoor eating habits are a bit of a family joke here. In Aberdeen we spent Christmas in the home (shared with my son) of a South African friend who is notorious for holding SA-style parties (brai? is that the word?) outdoors even in the bitterest Aberdeen winter weather. Even in "summer" the guests are usually huddled in multi layers of fleece and alpine ski clothes, but he just delights in sharing his very hospitable, outdoor culture and yummy food. There are so many South African expats working in Aberdeen that local butchers and supermarkets sell their home ingredients. Stephen (excellent cook) cooks up in his heavy cast iron dutch ovens (imported from home)to loud African music. His worst party problem, is that the guests insist on crowding round the fires "helping cook", instead of dancing.
Anyway, on this occasion he was away(in SA), so we cooked and ate indoors:-)
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gordonf
Happy Collector
Vancouver Island, Canada
Schizostylus5 Jan '07 7:30 am
Thanks for the info., Jay Bee. I guess I'll just have to keep on looking for a supplier of different colours here in Canada. I'm rather envious that you have so many different ones! Anyway, right now, I'm trying to get white kniphofias (another difficult quest!). And, that reminds me that I have to email a reminder to the Tasmanian nurseryman who said he'd send me some seeds of kniphofias come January. He said to remind him, so I think I will.
All the best!
-gordonf
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smits'spot
honoured member
moorreesburg, south africa
new plants5 Jan '07 8:32 pm
When we planted the Christmas garden, we went for indigenous plants only in the hope that they would be able to withstand our summer heat. They're not all endemic, unfortunately. the renosterveld, which is endemic to our area, is all but gone as the farmers have wittled away at it over the years. Its part of the fynbos, but not as varied, and certainly doesn't have the protea variety of the rest of the fynbos. Renoster means rhino, and I think its called renosterveld because the dark colour of the vegetation is similar to the colour of a rhino's hide. And, of course, rhino's lived here, within living memory although they're all gone now.
Jaybee, we're not typical South Africans in that my husband is not interested in braai-ing (or rugby!), so although we do eat under the lapa, its usually something I have prepared in the kitchen! Every now and then I manage to persuade one of our guests to braai for us, and I must admit that greg is beginning to be more open to the idea, although he does prefer his meat uncharred! We have a potjie (the dutch oven you referred to) but ours has a flat bottom instead of the three legs so I use it on the stove rather than on the fire.
christmas garden 002.jpg
serissa foetida marginata ... it has no smell that I can detect, so not sure why its called foetida
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christmas garden 004.jpg
santolina chaemecyparissis ... I love its delicate leaves. It grows to about 70cm and has yellow flowers
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christmas garden 007.jpg
coprosma marble chip has glossy, varigated leaves and allegedly loves harsh sunlight
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Jack Holloway
Passionate Gardener
SEQUOIA FARM Haenertsburg South Africa
Playing catch-up16 Jan '07 3:44 am
Hi all, and especially Lynne! Pleased to see you are still on the forum! Schizostylus are endemic to my area, but typically we seldom see anything other than the standard red-pinks and white. So I was thrilled to be given a whole batch of mixed seedlings by a friend some years ago. This summer they are really making a splash at the bridge. I have taken some pics and hope to post them on my 'Summer Shots' string on the 'Diaries' forum during the next few days.
Love your Aberdeen story of the BRAAI, Jay Bee! I will be visiting the city briefly in late June when I go there to hear my dear friend Sally sing the lead in 'Lucia di Lammermoor' for Scottish Opera. It is the last performance of the season and by taking two days extra leave before my winter holiday I can catch it and follow up with visits to friends in the UK, France and Belgium. What a thought that I might be able to find 'Pap en vleis' in Aberdeen nogal. (Sorry, only Lynne will really get that one!)
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