Always the bridesmaid, never the bride

When I chose my first Dozen for Diana, I followed my heart. The plants I discovered and nurtured and sought out for the Camps Bay garden. High on the slopes of Table Mountain, the living rock and the full glory of the afternoon sun, home of the fynbos. The original protea bushes and some bulbs survived the builders.

Plectranthus neochilus at the jetty

Five years of gardening in renosterveld Porterville.
Deep soil, clay down to the other side of the world. Flirting with 40C in summer. The second dozen is being chosen, with my heart on my sleeve, and my head saying that … I must have is battling, and that … after due and careful reflection is flourishing and beautiful.

Leaves of Plectranthus neochilus

This is my fourth plant, added to the witkaree tree, the blue sage signature plant, the spekboom pioneer. The garden needs a groundcover. First choice was Plectranthus madagascariensis. Apple green leaves rimmed and speckled with ivory – still loved, but high summer the leaves get chewed and the plant stumbles.

Plectranthus neochilus flowers echoing the blue bench
at Rest and Be Thankful in November 2009

Most Plectranthus are forest plants. Denizens of kind shade, gentle dappled sun, and some summer rain. I have lost my choices sadly, one by one. Two survivors, madagascarensis and neochilus.

Plectranthus neochilus has always been sidelined in my blog posts. Mentioned in passing, but not given portrait treatment. I look for plants that can hunker down for the summer, while remaining green and gardenous – not throwing a hissy fit HOT THIRSTY!! Neochilus grows in a low mound, creating its own tiny microclimate, shading its roots, and shedding leaves to improve the soil.

Unkempt and inaccessible on Black Stork Island

The leaves have a fierce medicinal camphor smell. Not unpleasant, but not the plant you would choose to run your hands over. I had thought it was always in bloom, but today the only flowering plant is on Black Stork Island, too far away for the camera.

Plectranthus neochilus flowers in December 2011

The flowers stand tall and proud, similar to lavender, but with more architecture to the flower spikes. Later the dishevelled dead flower stalks need grooming away. A generous pioneer, cuttings can always be harvested to fill a sunny space.

From PlantZAfrica  – Plectranthus is in the mint family Lamiaceae. 44 South African species, most from the east side (summer rainfall). Neochilus grows all the way round from Zambia thru South Africa to Namibia. Plectranthus is Greek for spurflower.

Plectranthus neochilus flower in February 2012

My virtual garden is green, and shady beneath the witkaree. Flavoured by blousalie and muishondblaar. Little hedge of spekboom. Carpeted by the muishondblaar. Flowers in sky blue and white on the sage, mauve and white on the Plectranthus.

Spekboom, witkaree
blue sage, Plectranthus neochilus

First to join my meme is Pam’s English Garden from the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania with purple patches of Creeping Phlox. Pam and I are on the same wavelength here. Christine in Cape Town has exuberant orange Clivias 'brightening even her darkest corners'. TheSageButterfly, who hosts the  earth-day-reading-project, brings those deep purple iris which epitomise Japan and ikebana to me. London Laura of patiopatch has flowers 'spurred like a columbine, collared like a daffodil and yellow as primroses'. Epimedium is new to me.  Cindy  at Enclos*ure is developing a garden in Kigali, Rwanda. There will be pomegranate-trees-and-roses! Beth of plantpostings in Wisconsin shares my mother's favourite lily-of-the-valley. Picking up on the theme of blue and spires is Donna in NY state with lupines, Quaker-Bonnets or Sundials. TheVioletFern in upstate NY has poppies, from 'seed cake' to Californian to native, thru heirlooms and new varieties.

Apple Creek and Elephant's Eye Light Railway

Beginning of March I began cutting back Apple Creek. It has taken me this long. Now that we can see Elephant's Eye Light Railway again – he says, remove the ‘was going to be a vegetable garden’ (done), move the Mediterranean Sun Circle (from November 2009) across to overlook Apple Creek (one slab lifted). Now the chaos is the Ungardener’s responsibility. I DID my share. The Cyperus and dwarf Papyrus are roaring up again.

Nerine sarniensis

For Wildflower-Wednesday a proper flower. Nerine sarniensis washed with gold, and more coming!

Pictures and words by Diana of  Elephant's Eye 

- wildlife gardening in Porterville, near Cape Town in South Africa

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