Red, yellow and bare

The Western Cape on a good winter day. Not one of the cold wet grey days. But one of the lovely blue sky sunny days, walking thru our garden in June. Jeans and T-shirt midday.

Red aloes … on our Karoo koppie. That says winter to any homesick South African.

Pig's ears, red aloe

We inherited Pride of India, Lagerstroemia. The leaves blaze as the low morning sun catches them.

Lagerstroemia, Pride of India

I am revelling in the Nandina which is flourishing bunches of flamboyant red berries. Barely managed any in the Camps Bay garden.  As far as I know, they are not invasive here. It also appears that no one is inclined to actually EAT those berries, which helps against invasive ideas.

Nandina, heavenly 'bamboo'

Yellow … swirls from turning fig leaf, our Tahiti lime tree, new cultivar yellow aloe, the first blooms on the Oxalis – for the chartreuse side.

Fig leaf, Tahiti lime
yellow Aloe, Oxalis

To the blazing gold fig leaves about to fall, the reeds and grasses turning umber, and the buttery yellow Tecomaria backed by tangerine plum leaves – for the gold side.

Fig leaves
Grasses, Tecomaria with plum leaves

And bare … we inherited two HUGE thirty year old mountain ash trees. Allowing us to enjoy the drama of bare branches traced against the blue sky.

Mountain ash trees, with restio seeds
and Ungardening Pond

Bare yes, but also, green winter snow. Everything, each tiniest gap, filled with Oxalis leaves and the sprouting winter grass. (What the wheat farmers destroy with herbicide, before planting cereal crops …) More indigenous/native flowers on Wildflower Wednesday. 

To the front door, Chasmanthe in ash planters
looking across the Karoo Koppie to the Woodland Walk
across the pond with yellow Euryops

The Leucojum bulbs having explained to me the snow in their name, are living below the shelf, at the back, against a south facing wall – with light but no direct sun. And they are sprouting! We have pink Oxalis, mermaid turquoise Lachenalia. Buds on the Eucharis or Narcissus? And bulb leaves in every shape and form, promising more flowers. The March lilies are now pushing out their After Leaves.

Pink Oxalis, bulb leaves, March lily leaves
Narcissus? buds, Lachenalia, Leucojum

Paradise And Roses has been tidied. Perennials pruned, and those cuttings tucked in gaps. Great North is at long last waking up, and making flowers. Up there. So I’m cutting flowers with LONG stalks to bring them back down to where we wear our eyes and noses and cameras and hands, thank you!

Great North rose bud

Filling in the gaps in the centre, Mr Venter.

Octagonal centre of
Paradise And Roses garden

Imagine that you stand at the sundial, turning slowly, to look down each of the four paths in turn.

The sundial in the
Paradise And Roses garden

We have roses to pick, and to enjoy in vases. Some for my mother in Cape Town yesterday.

Papa Meilland, Karoo Rose, Alec(/Alistair)'s Red
pink Pearl of Bedfordview
yellow Casanova

Bona nit, dear readers. I’m off to make our dinner. 

Pictures and words 

by Diana of Elephant's Eye

- wildlife gardening in Porterville,

near Cape Town in South Africa

(If you mouse over brown text, it turns shriek pink.

Those are my links)