Marigolds and Geraniums

 

The humble Marigold sharing space with a pot of Geraniums on my patio. 

Marigolds are easy to grow and I used to plant them amongst my vegetables - not only do they add a beautiful splash of colour, the scent is strong and somewhat unpleasant and they help keep the away aphids. The relationship between plants and insects is known as 'companion planting’, it’s by far the safest, natural way to garden organically. And to my consternation I found out that the wild hares that used to frequent my vegetable patch absolutely LOVED Marigolds as well!

 

Marigolds come in different colors, yellow and orange being the most common. Most of the marigolds have strong, pungent odor and have has great value in cosmetic treatment. 

Marigolds are hardy, annual plants and are great plants for cheering up any garden. Broadly, there are two genuses which are referred to by the common name, Marigolds viz., Tagetes and Calendula. Tagetes includes African Marigolds and French Marigolds. Calendula includes Pot Marigolds. African marigolds have an upright growth and can reach a height of 30-40 inches, while French marigolds grow to only 8-16 inches.

 

 Annual Marigolds can be used anywhere to deter Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, thrips, tomato hornworms and whiteflies. They are also known to repel harmful root knot nematodes (soil dwelling microscopic white worms) that attack tomatoes, potatoes, roses, and strawberries. The root of the Marigold produces a chemical that kills nematodes as they enter the soil. If a whole area is infested, at the end of the season, turn the Marigolds under so the roots will decay in the soil. You can safely plant there again the following spring.

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ARUM LILY (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

 

The familiar Arum Lily, with its opulent and sophisticated pure white spathes which brighten up watercourses and wetlands in spring and summer, belongs to an indigenous genus which is restricted to the African continent. 

 

The common arum is found from the Western Cape through the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and into Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is evergreen or deciduous depending on the habitat and rainfall regime. In the Western Cape it is dormant in summer and in the summer rainfall areas it is dormant in winter. It will remain evergreen in both areas if growing in marshy conditions which remain wet all year around.

 

Although called the arum lily, it is neither an arum ( the genus Arum) nor a lily (genus Lilium). But it is associated with the lily as a symbol of purity and these elegant flowers have graced many bridal bouquets.

 

Now, here's the thing... The striking arum lily "flower" is actually many tiny flowers arranged in a complex spiral pattern on the central column (spadix). The tiny flowers are arranged in male and female zones on the spadix. The top 7 cm are male flowers and the lower 1.8 cm are female. If you look through a hand-lens you may see the stringy pollen emerging from the male flowers which consist largely of anthers. The female flowers have an ovary with a short stalk above it, which is the style (where the pollen is received). The spadix is surrounded by the white or coloured spathe. The whiteness of the spathe is not caused by pigmentation, but is an optical effect produced by numerous airspaces beneath the epidermis.

 

The rhizome is large and eaten by wild pigs and porcupines and the ripe fruit enjoyed by birds. Traditionally in South Africa, the plant is boiled before eaten as raw plant material causes swelling of the throat because of microscopic, sharp calcium oxalate crystals. The leaves are also traditionally used as a poultice and a treatment for headaches.

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm.

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Daisies singing in the rain

'Daisies singing in the rain'

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm.

Soft and gentle as a fresh spring rain - these daisies would clear the clouds in anyone's day!

Wildlings

 

Mixed media Collage — W&N watercolour, newspaper cutting, ink sketch and acrylic on Amedeo 200gsm 

Wildflowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful. 

—Jim Carrey

Evening Primrose

Mixed media of W&N watercolour and candle wax on Bockingford 300gsm

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I wanna be

the mild fragrance

of an evening primrose

gentle and sweet

beneath your sheet

cluster of petals

which bloom

white blossoms

to wither softly

into your sleep

— unknown

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In the Bulrushes

 

Black ink sketch and watercolour wash on a back-ground done with coffee on Bockingford 300gsm

The sun begins its red plunge down the sky.

Deep in the earth a locust’s eyes snap open.

Frogs resume their trill

And punctual to the minute

down the path,

tottering on jeweled sandals, comes

the beautiful lonely princess

— Extract from “In the Bulrushes” by Katha Pollitt

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The warmth of Summer

 

The warmth of summer is fading, slower here at the Coast than inland, but already the mornings are nippy and require long sleeves or a light jersey before heading out.

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Coffee Daisies

 Coffee Daisies Done on Bockingford 300gsm watercolour paper with coffee. Dedicated to all coffee-lovers 

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Sunshine in the rain

W&N watercolour on Arches 300gsm

We’ve been having lots of cold and rainy days and yesterday I felt I just HAD to brighten up the day with something smiling! Not that I don’t smile during rainy weather, I love it!, but  I thought a bit of sunflower sunshine would be nice.

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock.
- Henry Ward Beecher

My Geranium would like to see you...

Watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

 

“Won’t you come into the garden? I would like my Geranium to see you.”

A few months ago, a friend gave me a Geranium cutting, just a little piece of stalk with one leaf, which I planted in an egg shell filled with potting soil and kept on the kitchen counter. As soon as there were enough roots, I planted her into this Terracotta pot, egg shell and all. Within 2 weeks I had about 8 leaves and another stalk appearing next to the original cutting. She now lives on the patio near my Natal Fig bonsai, and I’m sure I’ve heard them whispering to one another a couple of times! And now every spring she blesses me with a great show of her gorgeous flowers.

It is well known that the whole Geranium genus is highly redolent of volatile oils – lemon-scented, musk-scented, and peppermint-scented. In South Africa folk-lore has it that, if you plant Geraniums in your garden, you will never have any snakes!

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