There is no definite date for the start of Spring in Zimbabwe - we don't appear to have any seasons, it's either hot or cold!!
But today I opened the bathroom window to let the fragrance of the Jasmin creeper come blossoming inside. The nightly frost blankets will be taken off the Crotons on Monday! The Cinerarias are at their very best, brilliant jewel shades of Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Tanzanite!!
The bougainvillea are doing their best to emulate the Cineraria colours, walls of Vermillion, fences of Vanilla, arbours of Tumeric coloured florets cascading happily in the warm sun. The Snapdragons are divine, especially the dwarf ones and I cannot wait for my Littles to arrive and we can have Dragon Battles as only Grannies know how. If you squeeze the blooms in exactly the correct place, they open their mouths and look just like miniature dragons. Tiny wants the red ones and Big elects to have the yellow!!
I saw a pop up meme on facebook which told me that if I pour rice water onto my Orchids they will flower Well I am still waiting and as for the app that suggests curry water for ailing Dieffenbachia, Vinegar for lawn grass and baking soda for Coniferous, huh!!
The plant lives vary tremendously in Africa, the Botswana Frangipani are already flowering but the Matabele Frangipani only have teensy little buds peeping through at the ends of their ugly stalks. Why did Mother Nature make such an ugly winter tree as the Frangipani, but so beautiful in Summer
Two winter seedlings that have always laughed at me have been Sweetpeas and Namaqualand Daisies. Maybe they need a little more sun that I can offer Bev's Namaqs at the end of Park Road are always brilliant at this time of the year, I planted some but they grew leggy and budless, Jane's poppies are always enviable at Qalisa and Lyns garden in Burnside is one that all gardeners aspire to! Now that Alyson has left for Illminister I can claim fame as a local gardener!!
The Rainbow Frost shrub, (miniature poinsettia) adores the cold, the Primula were delighted that I moved them from dense shade, while the very confused Amaryllis that I purloined from Sweden, still does not know which is the correct season in which to flower.
My friend Marina from Musina sent me photos of her Aloes, Sabi Star and succulents, giant bowls of them festooning their property, a lot of them planted by her Grandmother in the fifties!! All in full beautiful bloom
As I write this I have commissioned a three ton truckload of kraal manure for the lawn to arrive tomorrow, a bit stinky at first but the results are always worth it!! I wonder where I could find a similar delicious treat for my daughter's lawn in John's Creek, Atlanta
Can you just imagine what the neighbours would say
WATCH DOG