Inspired by Ifafa lilies

Last Saturday we went across-our-valley-to-Riebeek, to a new nursery. I will show the plants as they find their new homes in our garden. First the Ifafa lilies. Two bags filled with LOTS of bulbs, so I split them gently. Planted four clumps ‘under’ our baby lime tree. Now I sit on my little chair like Charlie Brown – to watch them grow into an Elizabethan ruff of singing-canary yellow!

Ifafa lily

The Riebeek Valley is more up-market, more schicki micki than Porterville, which is a busy working town. Here we have some weekenders, there, the bread shop explain that they only sell fresh bread Friday evening and Saturday! As you drive around you see stately wine and olive estates. Houses with wonderful architecture, and interesting gardens. We’ve HAD NOT keeping up with Joneses, now we enjoy just getting on with ordinary life.

Cyrtanthus mackenii var cooperii

There is Corne Pretorius’ nursery in Riebeek West where we bought our Ifafa lilies.

Ifafa lilies with a baby lime tree

From PlantZAfrica – Cyrtanthus mackenii. In the Amaryllidaceae with daffodils. (White from southern Kwazulu-Natal), or our yellow var. cooperi from the eastern Eastern Cape. Flowers from July to February! Cyrtanthus curved flower. Mark McKen was the first curator of the Durban Botanic Garden in 1851. Lots of compost. Afternoon shade. Water year round. Lift and divide after 5 years.

Cyrtanthus mackenii

At Garden Bleu we bought a word for our garden. There are fluffy twee cute words – family friends love peace and happiness. I chose inspire. We have our word in the Paradise and Roses Garden. Where we take our tea-breaks. Inspire both in the sense of – breathe in – breathe out – take a break – have a Kit Kat! And in the second sense of inspiration – I lift my eyes to the quiet hills.

Inspired at Paradise and Roses

Lunch at Cafe Felix where we felt as if we had stepped into a quiet town in France, quite foreign to our prosaic reality in Harry Potterville.

Paradise and Roses Garden
Striped Tropical Sunset, white Great North roses
Mandela's Gold Strelitzia 

I have some roses which do need pruning. Also plum, apple and fig trees to work on.  Pots of bulbs and roses need watering as the rain is not showing up. Gravel paths need weeding. Exuberant plants need reining in, and then the bits go in. My Felicia prunings have their own blue flowers, already!

from Garden Bleu

PS As ever, we paid our way.

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.)