October’s wildflowers 2011

Join me at Gail of Clay and Limestone’s Wildflower Wednesday meme? 

Click thru to see what she would like from you. 

Photos were taken yesterday in my garden. 

Some of the bulbs have faded and those pictures are from earlier this month.

Bietou, Erica baccans
trailing daisy, Plectranthus neochilus

Sole survivor of my attempt at fynbos is this little pink berry heath Erica baccans.
The bright yellow bietou by the front door, is a gift from the birds in Camps Bay, brought to this garden as a cutting, now a small tree! Near the jetty the blue spires of Plectranthus neochilus, with funky leaves. The ivory trailing daisy suffers from the dreaded Lost labellus.

Lachenalia, Veltheimia
Albuca, Hypoxis

Lachenalia, Veltheimia and Albuca are all fading and gone to seed now. But the sunny yellow Hypoxis seems to be able to bloom continually. This I like for its three ranks of leaves.

Watsonias

The inherited watsonias come in gentle pink, tall spires and in more frightening magenta bowing its swan neck.

Caterpillar on Gazania

Sharing the spirit of Gail’s pollinator friendly garden, there are caterpillars, and busy birds.

Painted Lady and fruit chafer beetle on Scabiosa

Cinderella (Cynthia cardui Painted Lady) in butterfly ball gown splendour, 

must beware. 

At midnight she reverts to her black and white maid’s uniform 

(fruit chafer beetle). 

From sipping champagne, to changing the sheets on the Scabiosa. 

For my Northern readers as an antidote to the 

No wind No rain November days 

(apologies to Thomas Hood). 

Lowering with sullen grey clouds shawling your shoulders. I remember Zurich.

Pelargoniums

The velvety red Pelargonium frightens the camera, and has few flowers. Salmon flames up from its pockets across the garden. My pink favourite, citrus scented with fierce leathery pointed leaves.

Pelargonium tomentosum
bottom right the usual sunny species

And white. Now blooms the shady Pelargonium tomentosum with its huge soft leaves exuding spearmint and ethereal drifts of tiny flowers. (We may not say miniscule, it means lower case I learnt yesterday!)

Succulents on the Karoo Koppie

I think of my Karoo Koppie succulents as over for the year. But the camera found buds. Winter’s red aloes are done, but for this latecomer. And the vygies are now faded and gone.

Buddleja, Salvia  chamelaeagnea
Melianthus major, Grewia

The Melianthus still has flowers, which have been claimed as MINE ALL MINE by the malachite sunbird. Going to seed, and what seeds! In the shade on the Woodland Walk pink stars of Grewia, reaching spires of Buddleia which waft honey to the verandah when the breeze is right. Returning to the Paradise and Roses garden I see the first of the blue sage.

Many readers are from my country of South Africa, but few comment. 

Jack at sequoiagardens

Dani at ecofootprint

Firefly in PE

artist Marie Theron

There is NO Word Verification 

(thanks to Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams and Jodi the bloomingwriter) 

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.)