May inspiration

I'm making the most of this 1st of May holiday morning with a quick inspiration board to boost my creative thinking. Hope it does the same for you!

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Growing the Highveld Cabbage Tree (Kiepersol) from seed

We're deep into Autumn here in South Africa and my Kiepersol is already starting to lose its leaves. Time to stop watering so much, but we've had quite a bit of rain over the last week, so hope it dries out before the real cold weather hits.

(This article is especially for George, who enquired about growing these lovely trees from seeds.)

This evergreen tree makes a beautiful focal point in a garden as it has an unusual shape, interesting gnarled bark and stunning, large, gray-green leaves. It is a short, thick-set tree, rarely exceeding 5 meters in height, therefore making a perfect garden specimen. Even though it is an evergreen, we live in a heavy frost area and my tree loses its leaves in winter, but has always bounced right back every spring. The plant is native to southern Africa : Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa (Cape Provinces, Northern Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal) and Swaziland, where it grows till 2.000m of altitude in the savannah and the mountain slopes, usually in the rocks fissures.

 Spring 2012

Spring 2012, showing the new growth

Cultivation
The Highveld cabbage tree (Cussonia paniculata) is cultivated from seed, preferably fresh. One can grow Cussonia paniculata from a cutting, but this is not advisable because it does not make the proper, fleshy, underground rootstock that it forms when grown from seed.

The seeds should be planted in a well-drained mix of river sand and compost (70:30). Germination is erratic - the best results have been obtained with seeds that have been "passed" through birds (Look for the seeds underneath the tree....). First germination occurs after about 2 weeks.

The C. paniculata is an ideal pot plant (plant it in a big pot in a well drained mix), or can be planted as a single specimen or in a cluster - the effect is always striking. Growth rate is about 70cm per year, depending on the climate. The tree is drought hardy and is able to withstand heavy frost after 2 years.

Sow seed as soon as possible as it loses much of its viability within 3 months. However, seed sown in summer months will germinate faster (in about 4 weeks) than seed sown in winter (7 weeks to germination).

Put a mix of rich soil and compost into your seedling trays and place the seeds into them. Cover the seeds to a depth of 5mm with the soil and mulch. Keep moist during germination.

When the seedlings get to a “2-leaf” stage (about 4 months), plant them out into larger black nursery bags.

Make sure seed trays are at least 15 cm in depth to allow the small tubers to form. Do not allow seed to become waterlogged or dry out. Keep seed and seedlings in a semi-shaded area or, if you are planting the seeds now, during winter, keep them indoors in a sunny place, but not sun shining through glass as this can burn the plants.

 Image credit

Transplanting is easy when small. Bigger trees require care with the hug root system that tends to rot upon transplanting if an injury occurs in digging it out.

When ready to plant the sapling into the ground, position a 50 mm size x 1m length of plastic piping vertically near to the sapling, leaving +- 5 cm above ground level.  When watering around the sapling, also pour water into this pipe, as it will encourage the roots to grow downwards looking for the moisture below.  Keep the ground around the sapling well mulched with dry leaves etc to assist with water retention above ground.

Well drained soil, some water and lots of sun.

Maybe you could also try your hand at making a Bonsai with one of the seeds - they do well in Bonsai-form. Due to the stem, which can easily assume contorted forms, and the succulent roots, it is an appreciated subject for the collectors of bonsai.

 Cussonia paniculata Bonsai - Image Credit

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How I do love the earth!

How I do love the earth! I feel her thrill under my feet. I feel somehow as if she were conscious of my love, as if something passed into my dancing blood from her.
- James Russell Lowell

Summer is at an end and we're enjoying Autumn with her balmy days and odd showers.

In South Africa, Autumn starts on the 20th of March and ends on the 1st of June, when Winter starts. It's almost 3 months of the most gorgeous weather, with cooler temperatures perfect for gardening and other outdoor activities. Winter is usually short-lived, June and July, with August bringing the winds that clear the landscape of all debris, ensuring a clean slate for Spring which officially starts on the 1st September.

Let us rejoice in Earth's unending beauty. Let us protect her from harm. Let us remember her strength. Let us remember her fragility. Let us act in ways to respect and love her.

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April inspiration - Falling leaves

As the nights grow longer and a chill fills the air, when the moon hangs heavy and low, you can be sure the time of enchantment has arrived, the time of the falling leaves. 'Tis a season of magic and of harvest, festival and feast.

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I watch for the signs of this season

Autumn is such a  joyful time in the garden.  Every year I watch for the signs of this season with delight.

First comes cooler temperatures and before the leaves get time to change colour, the Swallows are gone. The garden also slows down, seeming to settle into a quiet period of thought, as if planning the grand spring show, planning reassuring delights after winter's short but harsh reign.

I join my garden in pondering the next season, taking on a few cleaning-up jobs. This was once a White Karee that stood tall and its big shady canopy provided wonderful shade in the garden, but for the past several years it has struggled to put out any leaves. This week, with a few cuts of the chainsaw, it met with an end.

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Advice from a River

Go with the flow

Immerse yourself in nature

Slow down and meander

Go around the obstacles

Be thoughtful of those downstream

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The myth of the full moon

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. 

- Hal Borland

The full moon always has me rushing outside to have a look. It somehow evokes feelings I cannot quite describe - euphoria, sadness, loneliness, feeling at one with nature and wonder at the magic of this light in the sky.

For centuries mankind has been intrigued by the notion that a full moon — which rises tonight — drives people to madness, crime, suicide and other  major crisis. 

One of the most enduring myths in human history, embedded in popular culture and folklore from Transylvania, is the myth of the werewolf. And like most popular myths, there's a certain logic to it: Earth is about 80 percent water, much like the human body, the theory goes, and if the moon's gravitational pull can effect the ocean tides, can't it also affect a person's body? 

Studies have found that cops and hospital workers are among the strongest believers in the notion that more crime and trauma occur on nights when the moon is full. One 1995 University of New Orleans study found that as many as 81 percent of mental health professionals believe the myth.

But there may be a simpler explanation for moon-induced behaviour: moonlight. One obvious explanation is that, before the advent of gas lighting at the beginning of the 19th century, the light of the moon permitted outdoor activities that were otherwise impossible. Full moon nights are 12 times brighter [under a clear sky] than at first or last quarter, and therefore it is likely that people stayed up later and slept less than the rest of the time. Even partial sleep deprivation can cause mania, and it is plausible that sleep disturbance during a full moon may function as positive feedback once a manic episode has begun in a predisposed person.

"Perhaps this lies at the origin of the association between madness and the full moon."

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Natural environmentalists

6 animals that recycle in their everyday lives

Most animals live in a delicate ecological balance with their natural surroundings. It's simply the most efficient formula for survival: Take only what is needed, and waste as little of it as possible. But a few animals take "reduce, reuse, recycle" to the next level. It's a good thing, too: Someone needs to help clean up the mess that so many humans leave behind. 

Dung beetles 

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. Yes, even poop is too valuable a resource to let go to waste, and perhaps no animal understands this better than the dung beetle. This insect lives to collect and repurpose your poop. Not only do dung beetles build their homes out of feces, but they also eat it and lay their eggs in it.
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Many dung beetles are actually referred to as "rollers," since their waste-collection strategy is to roll excrement into balls so that it can be easily wheeled away.
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The environmental value of dung beetles shouldn't be understated. For instance, it's estimated that dung beetles save the United States cattle industry $380 million annually by repurposing livestock feces alone. The amazing recycling ability of dung beetles has even been proposed as a way to help curb global warming.
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See all 6 animals at Mother Nature Network

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Enjoy the little things in Life...

(Pic from WiseGirl)

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70 days into 2013...

... and I have this in my garden...

 

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