Over the years, I have often had occasion to refer to internet sources in this newsletter, so I thought it was time to list a few of my favourites. I tend to follow them on Facebook, but I’m sure they can be found elsewhere on social media.
When I first discovered SANBI’s PlantZAfrica website, it featured maybe a hundred plants. Every week, two SANBI employees were nominated to write about another indigenous plant, and today it is truly a world class directory of South African flora.
Through their vibrant Facebook presence, the folk at the Aloe Farm keep the public well up to date with all they do for South African flora. The aplomb with which Andy de Wet chats and posts videos on social media is a constant source of envy and inspiration. (And now I believe he is also a snake handler of note!)
Karl Gercens and Oron Peri are two amazing plantsmen with mouth-wateringly beautiful websites. I finally met Karl at Petal Faire in 2015 after following him for years on Facebook. I even consult his travelogue for places to visit in South Africa. Oron lives in Israel and is an expert on Mediterranean plants. He sells seeds and bulbs on his website, where I occasionally see a plant I recognise among the gorgeous photographs of plants and bulbs!
For plant identification, you can’t do better than the Plant Idents Facebook page. One of my best experiences with these people was a few years ago when, within days, I had the name of a mysterious shrub which we had been optimistically selling as Eranthemum sp for many years. The man who identified it as Strobilanthes kuntiana did so after two days of dedicated research!
I also find the Garden Professors blog on Facebook a very useful source of information.
We would love to hear about any other favourites you might have.
Montanoa grandiflora lighting up the garden
IN THE NURSERY
Click here to view all the plants in this newsletter on one website page.
Indigenous plants
Buddleja dysophylla is a scandent shrub/climber with lovely grey-green leaves and sprays of scented white flowers that attract butterflies from autumn to winter. Evergreen and very hardy, it grows on average 3m high, and is happy in sun or semi-shade.
The white paint brush Haemanthus albiflos is an evergreen, hardy, clump-forming bulb indigenous to the Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. Its white flower puffs attract birds and butterflies from autumn to winter, and are followed by red berries. It grows about 30cm high, and wants a shady position.
The approximately 2m high Sparmannia Africana (Cape stock rose) is a robust fast-growing shrub with dense furry heart-shaped leaves and lovely yellow-centred white flowers from summer to winter. Evergreen and hardy, it is happy in sun or semi-shade.
Watsonia borbonica pink is a clump-forming deciduous corm with long strap-like leaves and bracts of dark pink flowers in spring and summer. With an average height of 1.2m, it wants sun and dry sandy soil.
Exotic plants
Aechmea gamospala is a very hardy and easy to grow bromeliad. An approximately 55cm high, clump-forming perennial with pale green round-tipped leaves, its spikes of pink and blue flowers add interest to the garden during the winter months. Plant in shade to semi-shade.
Planted en masse, the summer deciduous Leucojum aestivum makes a beautiful display in late winter to early spring. This is a very hardy, clump-forming bulb with erect glossy strap-like leaves, and scented bell- shaped white flowers. It grows on average 30cm high, and likes part shade.
The rare Osmanthus fragrans is a very hardy, evergreen upright shrub that has leathery lance-shaped leaves and clusters of small heavenly scented white flowers from autumn to spring. It is happy in sun or semi-shade and grows on average 3m high. We have plants in 3cm pots in the nursery.
The dazzling orange fragrant daisy-like flowers of Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides (the Mexican flame vine) attract bees and butterflies from summer to autumn. This semi-hardy fast-growing climber reaches an average height of 3m, and looks beautiful trained up a trellis or obelisk. Note that it does want full sun.
SNIPPETS
Chelsea Flower Show 2026 - Yes, they did it again, and this time against the most incredible odds. Congratulations to Leon Kluge and his team! Some say this was their best show ever.
My friend Alice Coetzee has written about indigenous flowering shrubs that attract birds, bees and butterflies to the garden. We have these in the nursery if the article whets your appetite.
Lebo and Sandra will be ably holding the fort while I am away on holiday in the UK for most of June. I am sure I will come back with loads of stories and photographs of the gardens and nurseries visited while I am there!
FUN FACT
According to Wikipedia, The Old Farmer's Almanac is probably one of the oldest continuously active major gardening-related Facebook pages still operating. It dates back to at least the late 2000s, and reportedly reached one million followers by 2015.
Happy gardening!
Leoné
082 482 0257