In our January newsletter, I spoke about our thriving mail order business and the care with which Sandra and Lebo prepare plants for shipping. There is more to this than just careful packaging, though.
A mail order client recently asked why our packages are so large compared to deliveries from other plant suppliers. Well, the reason is that we don’t cut a plant destined for transplanting to within an inch of its life; a longstanding practice based on the notion that this helps the plant focus on root development in its new environment.
Some readers may remember a newsletter from way back – November 2020, in fact – about Linda Chalker-Scott’s book ‘The Informed Gardener’ in which she challenges a host of enduring gardening misconceptions. I quote from the newsletter:
It was “The Myth of Top-pruning Transplanted Material” that really caught my eye as we are always looking for better ways to package our plants for online orders. Obviously, there are other practicalities involved, but like many, I have always been convinced that cutting a transplanted plant back helps it focus on root development in its new environment. Citing four scientific studies, Ms Chalker-Scott informed me in no uncertain terms that the immediate response of a plant to being cut back is to leaf out below the cuts, which of course takes energy that would otherwise be used for root growth. The fact that you are removing part of the plant’s photosynthetic system in this way also means that it has to prioritise new shoot development. Her conclusion is that pruning should be limited to removing broken, dead or diseased branches, and all a transplanted plant needs is good irrigation.
With the positive feedback from clients about the survival rate of plants received from Petal Faire, I firmly believe that the extra cost of shipping larger plants is well worth it.
IN THE GARDEN
A friend recently made a less than complimentary comment about the state of our sidewalk garden. My heart sank somewhat when I realised that doing something about this would require digging up and dividing numerous clumps of agapanthus. Any gardener who has taken this on will know what a daunting task it is, but we have no choice. Some of them have been in the same spot for 12 plus years!
Apologies for the rather spicy language, but I couldn’t resist sharing comedian Geraldine Hickey’s take on agapanthus. It is a hysterically funny skit that I have watched over and over.
Agapanthus - full moon
Justicea brandegeeana
Anemone - Hadspen abundance
Clerodendrum thomsoniae
IN THE NURSERY
Click here to view all the plants in this newsletter on one website page.
Indigenous plants
Othonna triplinervia is a slow grower but well worth the wait. This striking succulent shrub has soft leathery blue-grey egg-shaped lobed foliage, and yellow flowers on long stalks from autumn to winter which attract bees, butterflies and beetles. Evergreen and very hardy, it grows on average 1.5m high and wants full sun.
Plectranthus ciliatus aurea is an evergreen, semi-hardy creeping perennial with attractive golden-toned quilted leaves and spikes of blue flowers in autumn. Indigenous to KwaZulu-Natal, it likes shade to semi-shade.
Sclerochiton odoratissimus brings scented white flowers to the summer garden. This rare upright shrub is evergreen and hardy, and grows on average 1.2m high. It should be planted in semi-shade.
Another rare plant for the collector to consider is the very hardy deciduous Thunbergia atriplicifolia. This attractive clump-forming perennial has stalkless furry oval leaves and large pale yellow flowers that attract insects and butterflies to the garden from spring to autumn. Plant in semi-shade.
Exotic plants
Brugmansia - Angel's Honeymoon is a compact approximately 2m high hybrid moonflower with fragrant pink double flowers from summer to autumn. Evergreen and semi-hardy, it does best in semi-shade.
Similar to the equally glorious tree dahlia, the Mexican tree daisy Montanoa grandiflora has thick stems that grow from the base. The deeply lobed greyish leaves are slightly hairy, and bees love the fragrant yellow-centred white flowers from autumn to winter. This approximately 4m high evergreen shrub is hardy up to -7o, and wants a sunny position.
Muehlenbeckia complexa (the maidenhair vine) is a vigorous deciduous climber with small round dark green leaves on a dense mass of reddish twining stems. The quite small greenish-white flowers in summer are followed by inedible fruit. It makes a good groundcover but, with support, can also be grown as a climber. Plant in sun or semi-shade, but make sure the soil is kept moist.
I have been thrilled by how the fast growing Odontonema strictum performs! This evergreen, very hardy shrub grows on average 3m high, and has large smooth glossy leaves and spikes of fiery red flowers in summer. It is happy in sun or semi-shade.
SNIPPETS
Random Harvest Nursery is hosting the launch of the new book ‘South African Indigenous Garden Plants: The Gardener’s Guide’ by Elsa Pooley, Geoff Nichols, and Andrew Hankey on Saturday 5 April 2025 at 10h30.
If you would like to meet the authors (and browse the nursery’s extensive selection of indigenous plants), email Ronald at events@rhn.co.za or contact him on 066 587 3077. Booking is essential!
FUN FACT
Linda Chalker-Scott has a PhD in Horticulture from Oregon State University. Amongst many other books, she is the author of ‘How Plants Work: The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do’ which sounds like a fascinating read.
Happy gardening!
Leoné
082 482 0257