False Bay garden in February

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Outside the bay window where I can watch it unfold through the day is Boophone disticha. We bought that Karoo Desert Garden bulb at Kirstenbosch Plant Sale in 2007 and it has moved with us from Porterville to False Bay. I have so enjoyed its fan of twirly leaves but this is the very first flower!

Boophone disticha first flower

For Wildflower Wednesday with Gail at Clay and Limestone in Tennessee from oh look A Bud! To emerging white stamens. Then the petals open into pink and white stars. Each day more flowers open. Today's cottage loaf will unfurl to a full globe.

As the flowers open Boophone disticha

Maltese Cross or Jacobean lily, Sprekelia formosissima comes from Mexico via Betty in Porterville. Bloomed here in October 2015 and 2016. And this February?! (Sigh, water in spring and summer, winter dormant)

Maltese cross Sprekelia formosissima

Veltheimia capensis. Sand lily has lush leaves with ruffled edges. For partial shade - why did I plant it in a hot sunny corner? Dug up and moved 21 bulbs to afternoon shade alongside Crinum lilies and sleeping cats.  

Veltheimia capensis

With cryptic colouring it was hard to convince my camera to see Zöe, till she opened a beady eye against the clicking. Thomas in his hay bed of mulch. Frequent arguments around you are in My Chair! We have to fight for our turn.

Zöe and Thomas our cats

Still working on the tapestry hedge on our verge. It needs yet another slice off. We anticipate Council coming to dig up our verge (it is their land) to lay fibre optic cables. Hoping they will tunnel under the brick paving, with a manhole in between. And that they don't wreak havoc with our coming together hedge. Sob.

Tapestry hedge on our verge

Privacy pots of Searsia crenata are competing, coming up, and filling in.

Searsia crenata in pots for privacy

Our garden is green, with brown gaps, and some flowers. Looking from Summer gold to Spring Promise. With a hopeful red baby bath to catch the promised rain. That day was almost a millimetre, but we got 3 bonus mm last night.

Summer Gold to Spring Promise

For Through the Garden Gate with Sarah at Down by the Sea in Dorset. Sub-tropical Kenyan plant is flourishing in afternoon shade. Rotheca myricoides has blue butterfly flowers. Protected from summer's Southeaster by our neighbour's glooming hedge, and from winter's driving rain and Nor'wester by our own house.

Rotheca myricoides

With our temperate mediterranean climate, the garden is subdued in summer, but never dormant. They say - prune lavender and pelargoniums in February. But there's flowers! I did feather the 2 older lavender bushes - and harvest a bunch of flowers. Sorry, bees. Pelargoniums I still need to bite the bullet.

February flowers in our garden

February's garden flowers begin with a small blue butterfly among the matching Plumbago flowers. Lavender and lemons (now with a spike of Rotheca). Potted Iceberg roses. Delicate details on pink Pelargonium and a last Alstroemeria.

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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

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