As you enter the Indigenous Gardens, you are currently being welcomed by many brightly coloured plants, here are 4 to look out for:
Common names: Carpet geranium (Eng.); berate, vroubossie (Afr.)
Picture left – This is an attractive sprawling perennial shrublet with finely divided leaves. The violet or magenta flowers are borne on long slender stalks, followed by characteristically elongated fruit resembling a stork’s bill.
It is aptly known as the ‘carpet’ geranium and seeds itself freely, spreading everywhere and an attractive back-drop to other plants.
Common names: unknown
Picture left – Striking sprawling much branched, hairy stemmed perennial shrub which is great as a ground cover. The hairless leaves are in opposite pairs to eachother and deeply divided almost to the midrib but not into separate leaflets. The long stalk bear 3 to 5 flowers each. These flowers have 4 petals each, the upper 2 being larger and having markings on them.
Common names: Scarlet pelargonium ( Eng. ); wildemalva (Afr.)
Picture left -This is a semisucculent shrub with large round, velvety and hairy leaves. The flower heads are formed by clusters of 5-30 flowers. The upper two petals of each flower are slightly smaller and more upright than the lower three petals which are more evenly spaced.
Common names: Rose-scented pelargonium (Eng.); kusmalva (Afr.)
Picture left – This sprawling shrublet is sweetly aromatic and is cultivated for its rose scented oils.The whole plant, with the exception of the flowers, is covered with long soft white hairs which trap rain and dew-drops giving the plant a glistening appearance. Its leaves are cordate with lobed and crisped margins. The long stalk carries a brightly coloured inflorescence.