In our spring equinox week we have had rain, snow and temperatures falling across parts of the country. It has been a bit of a mixed blessing but new growth is very evident including in our garden and sunshine is back today.
Earlier in the week we were fearful of heavy rain. In two days we had 34 mm (1.3 inches) but nothing too hectic. A sudden hail storm was nerve-wracking while it lasted but mercifully it turned out to be very short and the spring leaves and blossoms survived with no shredding, thank goodness.

The rain finished on Tuesday and so yesterday (Wednesday) I took my camera round the garden for a quick photo-shoot to record whatever caught my attention in this equinox week. The showy flowers of the weeping boer-bean (Schotia brachypetala) can’t fail to catch the eye.

Aways a favourite of mine are the new leaves on the properly deciduous Pompon Tree (Dais cotinifolia). I say ‘properly deciduous’ as the leaves on these trees fall early in the winter and the tree is completely bare and looks very dead for months, and then the tiniest of shoots appear and burgeon quickly into a lovely veined freshness.

I can’t resist featuring again the spring-flowering African dog rose (Xylotheca kraussiana). This year the tree has a profusion of buds and only a few have opened so far.

Previously dormant plants have sprung up rapidly including Barberton daisies (gerberas) and blue squill that are already flowering.

This flowering Merwilla (previously Scilla) is different with a shorter flower spike than the Merwilla plumbea (formerly Scilla natalensis) that we also have in our garden.

I am very fond of this indigenous gerbera with the white fronts to the petals each backed in a deep pink. Its botanical name is Gerbera ambigua.

Principal pollinators of the Gerbera ambigua are a variety of beetles that feed on the pollen.

The shiny leaves of the Ochna shrubs are a delightful complement to the yellow flowers that feature in the header photo and the photo below. I am never certain if we have Ochna natalitia (Showy Ochna/Natal Plane) or the similar Ochna serrulata (Carnaval Ochna/Small-leaf Plane) in our garden.

The Ochna flowers are a real buttercup yellow but with flowers that are quite a bit larger than the average buttercup. I have just nipped outside to measure a flower and to my surprise all those that were in flower yesterday have dropped their petals with just the calyx remaining. The remaining buds have not yet opened. What a difference a day makes!

The Mackaya bella – hardly ever referred to by its common name ‘forest bell-bush’ has started flowering. Only under ultra-violet light are the ‘landing lights’ that in low-light conditions guide the carpenter bees that pollinate these flowers visible to human eyes.

This is the first time this scented pelargonium has flowered since it was planted as a cutting. We snitched a cutting from a border of plants on a pavement (sidewalk) in our neighbourhood. The very next week we discovered that the new house-owners had dug them all up so we got the cutting just in time!

I could only photograph a cluster of sagewood flowers (Buddleja salviifolia) that was high up in the tree as the lower flowers were either over or still in bud.

And this is the first of the everlasting grassland plant Helichrysum cooperi to flower this season. Most of the others in the garden are not yet in bud. These plants self-seed very generously and they provide good weed-preventing cover even in the dormant parts of the vegetable garden.

Although most of the flowers of the tree fuchsia (Halleria lucida) are over and some branches are already sporting fruits to the delight of visiting birds and vervet monkeys, I was able to photograph some sprays of flowers that remain.

On another tree a sparser array of flowers remain on the stems and branches. Some green fruits can be seen the top right of the photo above. As they ripen the fruits turn a purple-black.

The tall and foresty Natal wild banana (Strelitzia nicolai) that can grow up to 8m (26ft) high is not as well-known as the more manageably-sized Strelitzia reginae known as the bird-of-paradise of crane flower. Both strelitzias are in flower currently in our garden, but the Strelitzia reginae is still recovering from hail damage some months back and has only managed a few flowers so far.

Occasionally the sunshine broke through the clouds yesterday afternoon, backlighting the flaking and papery copper-coloured bark of the copper-stem corkwood (Commiphora harveyi), a tree that is also sporting a fresh flush of leaves.

Flowering well this season is a small clump of arum lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), known in some regions elsewhere as calla lilies. These lilies are pollinated by beetles among other insects.

Fresh leaves are emerging on one of the Combretum trees while older leaves, some deepening in colour to orange and red, remain on the tree.

These green and white Albuca flowers have not yet opened and the buds appear candy-striped at this stage. With about 60 species of Albuca in southern African I am not going to try to figure out which particular species this one is.

The white stinkwood (Celtis africana) that grows just outside our garden on the margins next to the eucalyptus plantation is well on its way to having its full canopy of leaves. The indigenous Celtis africana can hybridise with two exotic species in the same genus. These are Celtis australis (nettle tree) and Celtis sinensis (Chinese hackberry) so I am not certain that what we have is the ‘real thing’ or a hybrid.

The wild pomegranate (Burchellia bubaline) has a reliably long flowering season and attracts many insects, spiders and birds. Sunbirds in particular are attracted to the nectar, and many insectivorous birds visit the dense cover of this plant to glean insects and spiders.

The trumpet-shaped flowers of the wild pomegranate are arranged in small posies and the colour darkens as the flowers age.
Wishing you a happy equinox – be it spring or autumn – as we are momentarily poised on the cusp of a new season.
Posted by Carol

October 10, 2022 at 10:59 pm
Any post that includes “some branches are already sporting fruits to the delight of visiting birds and vervet monkeys” is on the top of my list. What fun to have monkeys wandering nearby! …So many wonderful plants I have never seen before! Today’s fave was the forest bell bush. I’m sure I’d enjoy the ultraviolet light show they might provide. 😉
Happy Belated Equinox,
Julie
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October 13, 2022 at 4:27 pm
Hi Julie
I apologize for this delayed reply. Yes it is wonderful to have the monkeys wandering by and tarrying a bit to forage from the plants and for youngsters to play.
The forest bell bush is a favourite of mine too. We have an ultraviolet light torch and I keep meaning to go out after dark and to see what it reveals when shone on the flowers!
I hope you had a good Equinox and you are continuing to enjoy the fall/autumn.
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October 15, 2022 at 10:44 pm
I am really enjoying the fall. It’s my favorite time of year. Cheers,
Julie
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September 28, 2022 at 2:48 am
Your garden must be a truly magical place, Carol. After seeing your selection of avian visitors in your previous blog post, today you delight with this wonderful array of plants. To my eyes, they look very exotic, but then I have never visited any country as far south as yours.
I also enjoyed your eloquent writing and phrases such as “the tiniest of shoots appear and burgeon quickly into a lovely veined freshness” are a true delight to anybody who has ever tried to compose a lyrical sentence.
I hope your springtime will be filled with many more wonderful moments in nature.
All the best,
Tanja
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September 30, 2022 at 8:17 pm
Thanks very much Tanja – the spring blossoms are very precious as are the fresh flushes of new leaves.
Thanks for the compliment re my writing. I sometimes wonder if I don’t get a bit carried away!
I have had a few interesting moments in the garden including at our small pond coming across a pair of mating tree frogs, something I have not seen before.
I hope your autumn/fall brings you some quiet treasures and of course some rain.
Best from South Africa.
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October 4, 2022 at 11:29 am
Thank you, Carol. We are finally enjoying some cooler weather. I hope your tree frogs will have many babies to watch (and photograph) and your garden will reveal more little wonders.
And as far as the writing is concerned, I think we should allow ourselves to get carried as far away as we can. 😊
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October 13, 2022 at 4:18 pm
🙂
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September 27, 2022 at 11:28 pm
Carol, Every photo and your accompanying description is a delight to view. Many of these blooms I’ve never seen so it’s exciting to imagine these throughout your garden. Your photos are terrific. And in a couple of instances, it seems your timing is perfect! Happy spring as we ease into autumn. 🙂
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September 30, 2022 at 7:56 pm
Thanks so much for your kind comment Jane. It’s nice to introduce some less familiar blooms from our garden this spring. Wishing you a happy autumn/fall.
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September 25, 2022 at 3:37 pm
What a true joy, Carol, to visit your garden in the equinox week. I enjoyed every photo. We have a few of these plants No. Calif., but so much you present is new and exotic to me. We only find gerberas in a florist shop, and each stem is always propped up with a wire. I can imagine sunbirds visiting the pomegranate, and loved hearing about vervets liking the fruit of the tree fuchsia. I find your narrative so calming, too, and loved hearing that when you “nipped” outside to measure the blossom of the buttercup, the blossoms had all dropped since yesterday. Also enjoyed the story about snipping the neighbor’s pelargonium and finding soon after that they had all been torn out. Your post is filled with the marvels of life…much appreciated.
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September 25, 2022 at 8:42 pm
I am trying to imagine your poor florist gerberas propped up on wire. I guess they must be hybrids with extra-elaborate or large blooms.
Its a pity on the afternoon I took the photos I did not manage to get a photo of the sunbirds, although they were there in the wild pomegranate but too concealed for a photo.
Both the suddenly dropped petals and the dug-up plants remind one how dynamic and often fleeting things can be!
Thanks so much for visiting and for your lovely comment, Jet.
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September 25, 2022 at 1:42 pm
As we move into autumn here, with flowers fading and grasses browning, it is nice to see so much floral beauty as you travel into spring there. For a few weeks time we’ll have our own blast of color as the leaves change but that’s short-lived so seeing your flowers is uplifting, Carol.
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September 25, 2022 at 8:37 pm
Glad to share something of our spring floral treasures. We don’t get anything like the autumn/fall colours of the northern hemisphere here, so I envy you the ‘blast of colour’ you will soon be enjoying 🍁
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September 24, 2022 at 10:08 am
Such a lovely array of flowering plants. I love the yellow of the Ochna flowers. It is bright and cheerful! Halleria lucida is one of my favourite trees, especially when in flower. The trees seem to produce an abundance of flowers. We too had a Celtis in our garden which my Mom called C. africana, but like you we were never sure whether it actually was. We also had a purple and a white flowering Buddleja both of which had a wonderful perfume adding to the ambience of spring. I have a potted Mackaya here, but I have not noticed any buds on it yet. Perhaps I should move it to another location which might suit it better. They are another favourite of mine. Thank you for showing us your spring plants!
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September 24, 2022 at 7:24 pm
Thanks Megan – yes the Ochna is cheerful and the abundant flowers on the Halleria lucidas are incredible. I am interested that you also were not sure if your white stinkwood was the real deal or not. The scent of the Buddlejas does add another dimension to spring. I have not seen Mackaya bellas in pots. I would be interested to know if yours flowers when in its new location. The flowers are stunning.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:03 am
What abundance. Thank you for reminding me of these beautiful plants.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:21 pm
Thanks Mariss – spring definitely is a reminder of the abundance of nature.
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September 26, 2022 at 7:29 am
After reading your post two things happened:
I found rows of tiny buds on the Mackaya bella in our garden and wait with anticipation for the full and fragrant flowering.
Your photograph of the Gerbera ambigua has inspired me to stitch a quilt block to mark the month of September
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September 26, 2022 at 7:18 pm
I love how the Mackaya bella buds form in tiny rows as you describe.
Isn’t it nice how blogging can lead to cross-pollinating inspirations 🙂
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September 24, 2022 at 5:32 am
Thanks for the tour of your garden. All this new growth signaling the end of winter, must be very pleasing though, as someone who’s always lived in the Northern Hemisphere, the timing still seems off!
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September 24, 2022 at 7:20 pm
Yes the new growth and flowers are lovely – and a nice counterbalance to your autumn. Of course to us it seems right that the summer and Christmas holidays coincide!
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September 24, 2022 at 4:02 am
Spring is such a joyous time of year with the garden being born anew. It is esp. nice to view your beautiful flowers as we head into autumn and the loss of our own. I love the balance of our hemispheres.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:18 pm
Yes there is a lovely feeling or rebirth. However, autumn/fall is also a beautiful season especially in climates such as yours so I hope you have an enjoyable autumn. It is kind of comforting to remember the balance between the hemispheres.
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September 23, 2022 at 7:36 pm
Heavens! You do seem to get more than your share of hail storms. Luckily this one didn’t do any serious damage. How lovely to see your plants springing to life on your side of the globe – while ours are getting ready to snuggle in for the winter! (I love the concept of ‘snitching’ cuttings from the wild or neighborhood! What fortuitous timing!!! But WHY??? digging them up?)
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September 24, 2022 at 7:11 pm
Yes re the hail – we are getting far more hail storms than in previous decades. Lucky that this was a very minor one. I don’t know why all those plants got dug up. In the last two weeks neighbours in a different house though also on the sidewalk dug up a bed of mature and low-maintenance aloes that are now lying in a mangled heap. I can’t imagine why!
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September 28, 2022 at 4:30 am
Here we do battle with quite a few invasive/introduced species (which are very nearly impossible to eradicate), but pulling up what I’m guessing are natives in your neighborhood…. seems a bit of a head scratcher for sure! I like starting things from cuttings, too. I’ve been nurturing a currant bush for a few years as it seemed to struggle to hang on until this year it seems to have perked up and appears to be doing well! Needless to say, I’m thrilled!
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September 30, 2022 at 8:19 pm
Yes I agree it is puzzling why people want to pull up native plants. (They seem to be much easier to eradicate than the invasive alien plants.)
Glad to hear that your currant bush has finally responded well to all the nurturing. It is rewarding when something like that happens.
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September 23, 2022 at 9:59 am
Beautiful photos, great shots!
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September 24, 2022 at 7:08 pm
Thanks very much Isabel.
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September 23, 2022 at 7:05 am
So lovely to see your garden in bloom. We have still not had rain. But await it soon.
Then things just bounce into action. Can’t wait. 😄
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September 24, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Thanks Debbie – I hope that you get lovely spring rains soon.
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September 23, 2022 at 5:25 am
Lovely shots of lovely plants Carol.The huil boerboon/weeping boerboon & the Halleria lucida my favourits.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Thanks Ken. They are two of my favourites too.
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September 23, 2022 at 4:25 am
I love your garden! Our pompon trees are beginning to sprout leaves – as is the Cape chestnut; the white stinkwoods are completely covered with leaves now; clivias are blooming; and there is a general stirring of new life. You have captured this change in the seasons beautifully.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:04 pm
Thanks Anne. It is a lovely time of the year. It is great to see all the new growth and the birds so active.
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September 23, 2022 at 3:15 am
Yes, you are cranking up with new growth and we are winding down.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:03 pm
Indeed – I hope you enjoy your autumn/fall.
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September 24, 2022 at 7:10 pm
A great time of year!
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September 24, 2022 at 7:25 pm
In both hemispheres!
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September 23, 2022 at 2:38 am
Oh wow, Carol! The overcast, damp atmosphere conveyed by your beautiful images in this post immediately had me longing for the Karkloof. High time we visited the Midlands again…
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September 24, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Thanks – Karkloof and the Midlands are always good for a visit. I hope you get decent rains soon.
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