January flowers in our garden

Just before our camera threw up its hands, and said - Right I'm off - and gave up the ghost …

Abelia and Adam-ant

We had a morning with the tail end of sea fog rolling in from Langebaan lagoon, and rising when it hits our mountains, to give us a dense cover of low cloud. One grateful reason why, altho it gets HOT in Porterville, it doesn't get as hot as it does, over the mountain, and inland to the Karoo. Semi-desert.
And the reason why fynbos with proteas and restios flourishes in lower temperatures and moister air, up there ON the mountain. Perfect light for taking photos, while the camera was still up for it.

Red and rose pelargoniums

January is hot. Mid thirties. Pushing 40C. And we have had one whole millimetre of rain so far this month. Thru the night, so the plants got to sleep in moist coolth for once. Grateful to be able to look on the pond. My water lilies have stopped sulking, since we, that is the Ungardener, has cleared most of the invasive Kariba weed. Makes good mulch. The flowers keep coming. The water lily is another of those archetypal plants, that everyone recognises. A simple line drawing, circular leaves, in radiating circles. With those glorious flowers rising at the centre of the circles.

Deluverly cool wet water

We have heavy clay soil, which is fertile. But in summer it goes like concrete. Try to dig with a trowel, and it does a convincing imitation of spaghetti. Cooked and bending. Or raw and snapped in half. What is amazing, is that even now in high summer, mole rats manage to tunnel along, just below the surface. Leaving a ridge of friable soil. No problem.

January 2010 in flower at Elephant's Eye
From the top left - basil, salmon pelargonium, Tulbaghia, Pride of India
White pelargonium, Elizabeth of Glamis rose, Bulbine
Blue, then red sage, red pelargonium
Karoo rose, white plumbago, Abelia, Rose pelargonium, Pickerel weed
Brick red kalanchoe, Dianthus allwoodii, Dietes, lavender, Royal Cape plumbago

On 23rd December I brought you Christmas flowers in our garden. And I aim to do a collage each month. I may blend pictures from different years, but they will all be from that month, and in my garden. This will remind me what should be, is usually, in flower, now. To encourage a disheartened gardener, who is seeing the bare concrete, uh clay. The plants which are just resting now …

Photos and written by Diana of  Elephant's Eye