tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post4752593966850809231..comments2024-03-23T12:45:48.584+02:00Comments on Elephant's Eye on False Bay: Mountain fires and rainbows Diana Studerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-10345331928213416302015-03-17T14:19:26.752+02:002015-03-17T14:19:26.752+02:00Cape Town's weather giggled at us and is now c...Cape Town's weather giggled at us and is now crisp and autumnal! I love blue for pots and garden furniture - it sings so well against all the green. Blue flowers is even better.Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-66684445097557444772015-03-17T13:19:50.891+02:002015-03-17T13:19:50.891+02:00you're having a late summer over there. The ho...you're having a late summer over there. The hottest place on earth is a record you'd prefer not to have. Garden plans are exciting. Interesting about the blue. I tend to grow a lot of blue - plumbago, salvia 'african sky' to name 2 - they often make themselves at home in the garden better than other colours. That photo of the blue wildflowers looks divine. Sue Catminthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14242341696447975933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-56550265980154374682015-03-17T10:42:55.580+02:002015-03-17T10:42:55.580+02:00for the fynbos 15 years is just right and the last...for the fynbos 15 years is just right and the last big fire was 2000. They do investigate the cause of each fire. Sadly arson, or a thoughtlessly discarded cigarette end are the usual cause. An actual textbook case of a fynbos fire started by lightning is a first for me. <br /><br />Ideally shrubby proteas and ericas burn when the bushes are old and there are lots of seeds available. If the fires come too close together that cycle is broken. But it is interesting when a burden of invasive Port Jackson is cleared, how the fynbos seed is still viable, and does return after MANY years of waiting!Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-43374519568919496602015-03-17T05:26:36.123+02:002015-03-17T05:26:36.123+02:00For a long time the narrative with fire in Souther...For a long time the narrative with fire in Southern California was that it is necessary for the regeneration of the landscape. But human-caused fires have pushed the chaparral to the point where it's too stressed to recover, where a burn once a century is one thing, but a burn twice a decade is too much, and weeds start to move in. Even though you mention lightning-caused fire, do you also have similar issues with human-source fire? I wonder if the fynbos has a similar tipping point that fortunately hasn't been crossed...lostlandscapehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960325527200005691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-80944467255928661542015-03-16T09:09:04.987+02:002015-03-16T09:09:04.987+02:00Port Jackson is in Australia - and you know what w...Port Jackson is in Australia - and you know what wildfires that country has. It grows fast and dense. When it burns it is hotter than the fynbos fire, which kills the fynbos seeds in waiting. After the fire, Port Jackson wattle has a HUGE amount of seeds. Seedlings grow fast and smother EVERYTHING else. Until the next fire when the cycle repeats. <br />Curiously this is the same plant sold in Europe in the spring as mimosa, with little yellow puffballs and fragrant. Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-51853856131734527182015-03-16T04:19:25.562+02:002015-03-16T04:19:25.562+02:00It amazes me how often the wild responds to fir wi...It amazes me how often the wild responds to fir with exuberant beauty. Your South African fields are beauty in the highest order. Those blues!<br /><br />I am looking forward to seeing your new garden as it progresses! It sounds like you have enough gardening to do to keep you young for years to come!debsgardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15656883577922890561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-30659717669066899202015-03-15T22:09:21.156+02:002015-03-15T22:09:21.156+02:00In what way is Port Jackson wattle a fire hazard? ...In what way is Port Jackson wattle a fire hazard? Denisehttp://denisenoniwa.weebly.com/1/category/all/1.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-75209778890947210192015-03-14T13:25:46.115+02:002015-03-14T13:25:46.115+02:00Terrific, Diana. It sound like you've got moun...Terrific, Diana. It sound like you've got mountains/years of work ahead of you. <br />Here, too, fires rage. They are to be seen as part of the climate, I believe, not just as an intruder. And then we can build our gardens.Gardener in the Distancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14478393904059307841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-31267314883247103322015-03-12T15:02:30.529+02:002015-03-12T15:02:30.529+02:00like this?
https://dancingbeastie.wordpress.com/20...like this?<br />https://dancingbeastie.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/the-magic-of-a-bluebell-wood/Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-64853134219846262352015-03-12T14:36:31.531+02:002015-03-12T14:36:31.531+02:00bush/forest fires are also common here in Canada. ...bush/forest fires are also common here in Canada. Although the damage can be devastating, it does bring forth new life on those grounds and is good for the earth.<br /><br />I am British born and I do miss the bluebells in the woods.Gill - That British Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17456247587052149765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-59798218832816799492015-03-11T20:02:18.750+02:002015-03-11T20:02:18.750+02:00It is cooler.
But they are still battling the thir...It is cooler.<br />But they are still battling the third fire.Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-61134692856631940892015-03-11T15:43:37.135+02:002015-03-11T15:43:37.135+02:00Diana, I hope for a cooling breeze, and rain to he...Diana, I hope for a cooling breeze, and rain to help stop the wildfires. Anywhere is too close for comfort, and 42 C is just too much. I was reading another blogger's post about the heat the other day, and it's scary. Although we have reached 40c here, it wasn't when I was living up here. <br /><br />Your photos of wildflowers are beautiful and evocative of warm summer days when nothing threatened meadows, mountains, and life.<br /><br />JenRURAL https://www.blogger.com/profile/11871803235521431504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-22211030427855948082015-03-11T09:06:42.488+02:002015-03-11T09:06:42.488+02:00the firebreaks between the mountainside and the ne...the firebreaks between the mountainside and the nearest houses are kept cleared and on a cycle of controlled burns. But I've watched in horrified wonder when we lived in Camps Bay on the mountain slopes how quickly and easily, how far, the fire can spread! And how unconcerned some landowners are by the biomass load of invasive aliens on their patch.Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-45700273375090806242015-03-11T09:02:20.390+02:002015-03-11T09:02:20.390+02:00perhaps like the Digging Stars (when the night sky...perhaps like the Digging Stars (when the night sky prompts pastoral farmers to sow next season's crops) simply living closer to nature?Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-1669929232642615582015-03-11T08:59:59.101+02:002015-03-11T08:59:59.101+02:00Add summer heat and the prevailing Southeaster to ...Add summer heat and the prevailing Southeaster to a mountain fire and it very quickly turns nasty. Currently they are fighting the THIRD fire near Stellenbosch.Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-47709394230195001682015-03-11T08:54:24.063+02:002015-03-11T08:54:24.063+02:00reading about it is one layer of experience. Danci...reading about it is one layer of experience. Dancing Beastie blogged about her bluebell wood. But one day, I hope to SEE wild bluebells. Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-89207488006448597232015-03-11T05:29:14.185+02:002015-03-11T05:29:14.185+02:00Before Europeans (including many of my ancestors) ...Before Europeans (including many of my ancestors) settled the Midwest and the Great Plains here in the U.S., there were great swatches of prairies and Oak savannas. They regularly burned with natural fires, and afterward it's said the wildflowers thrived. That seems to be a common story worldwide in wide open spaces. Now our naturalists and prairie experts regularly conduct "controlled burns" in the small swatches of prairie left--to return health and vitality to the soil and life it sustains. I hope the extreme heat is finished for you for the season. Here's to many more wildflowers and more comfortable temperatures for you!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-88554556827712022732015-03-11T01:56:59.683+02:002015-03-11T01:56:59.683+02:00I think some native American tribes make that same...I think some native American tribes make that same distinction between male rain and female rain -- independent discovery or culture passed down from some common ancestor? <br />I love all your blue flowers. -JeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-210698879323434922015-03-11T01:46:32.216+02:002015-03-11T01:46:32.216+02:00I saw in the news some nasty fires down there....t...I saw in the news some nasty fires down there....that is one thing about winter here....lower temps, snow, rain and no fires usually. Stay safe.Donna@Gardens Eye Viewhttp://gardenseyeview.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-15624133743730855952015-03-10T20:59:06.582+02:002015-03-10T20:59:06.582+02:00I very interested in your comment that South Afric...I very interested in your comment that South Africa has blue flowers. This fascinates me because I know that is one of the hardest colors to grow and perhaps to find in the wild. I wonder why this is so? I've searched for years for the Himalayan Blue Poppy. I recall Eleanor Perenyi writing of this in the timeless classic "Green Thoughts." Each time I pick up that book, I realize I am in the hands of a master wordsmith and gardener. Good luck on the gradual finishing of your home!susantroccoloauthor.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17232991943865499133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-30420151888990404672015-03-10T20:38:32.851+02:002015-03-10T20:38:32.851+02:00That surge of vitality in fire flowers is breathta...That surge of vitality in fire flowers is breathtaking. I remember one special year after a fire on Lion's Head, the slopes down to Camps Bay were covered in gazillions of tall pink watsonias!Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-82557621644231779482015-03-10T19:56:30.625+02:002015-03-10T19:56:30.625+02:00Our one trip to Yellowstone came after a fire and ...Our one trip to Yellowstone came after a fire and the wildflowers were rampant. After Mt St Helens blew...utter devastation. A year later, the plants were already beginning to re-stake their claim. Isn't nature amazing? Your new garden will be amazing as well, as you take your cue from Mom Nature herself.rickiihttp://bannersbyricki.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-42918747267114667152015-03-10T15:12:47.217+02:002015-03-10T15:12:47.217+02:00from my window and on our walks, I hope to watch o...from my window and on our walks, I hope to watch our mountain turn to green and flowers.Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-52605043924762825512015-03-10T15:11:18.015+02:002015-03-10T15:11:18.015+02:00I've never seen wild bluebells, but perhaps my...I've never seen wild bluebells, but perhaps my pot of bulbs will bloom in this cooler climate?Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8399966120622929214.post-40757805354867687312015-03-10T15:07:11.755+02:002015-03-10T15:07:11.755+02:00that is so lovely, female and male rain, beautifu...that is so lovely, female and male rain, beautiful, what a journey you take us on,,, take care .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com