Must have South Africans!

Must have South Africans!

It's that time of year - the unexciting bit - the days get shorter, the weather gets grimmer and there's nothing to look forward to in the garden but leaf sweeping and debris removal.

Fear not! Brave Gardener! There are a few beauties still cranking out a bit of colour at this time of the year - the South African stalwarts - Hesperantha coccinea (Schizostylis coccinea, Kaffir Lily) and Nerine bowdenii (Geurnsey Lily?!!!).

I love these plants because they are so elegant, but provided they are planted in the correct spot (q.v), they flower reliably year after year. Hesperanthas will need a bit of control after a few years; they are not invasive as such, but do spread quite predictably (pot some up and give as early Christmas presents - some have been known to flower until Christmas!). The colour range is from fiery red/ crimson through pink, to almost white - I've never found anyone yet who doesn't find at least one of the colours attractive!

Nerines, like most members of the Lily family, like good drainage. Add full sun, and a bit of tomato feed once the leaves appear in summer,  and all you have to do is sit back and admire their unusual flowers from October onwards. The colour range again is from bright red, through pink, to almost white. A little information here- some nerines start to lose their leaves as they come into flower (They turn yellow and shrivel - just remove them as they die off!)

Hesperanthas are 'good doers' as an old friend used to say of horses that seemed to live of 'next to nothing'. As long as there is some moisture in the ground and some sunlight they will happily flower and increase, year after year. They also make good cut flowers, an often overlooked advantage! They are members of the Iris family and as such, are fairly disease resistant. 

Enjoy!

P.S. We are hoping to open the nursery to the public on certain selected days next year. Please email us at buckfernplants@gmail.com, if you wish to be put on our 'invite list'.