10 of the best plant gifts
December 18, 2024 4:59 pmYou simply can’t go wrong giving a plant as a Christmas gift. We’ve put together our collection of the most…
String Succulents for Indoors
August 1, 2024 11:34 amSucculents are not usually easy plants to grow indoors. However, one category of succulents has completely taken over the houseplant…
Compact Aloes For Confined Spaces
April 26, 2024 1:47 pmDuring the course of the last two or three decades aloes have become popular garden plants for a number of…
Succulents: Water Warrior Heroes
October 10, 2023 10:54 amRead in Afrikaans Nature has provided plants with a number of adaptations to save water. Choose succulents and plants with…
Cycads
July 20, 2023 3:36 pmSouth Africa is a hotspot for cycad diversity with 38 indigenous species (over 10% of the world’s cycads). Thirty-seven species…
Plant a Succulent Terrarium
December 14, 2022 9:29 amTerrariums and succulents are not typically mentioned in the same sentence. Terrariums are known for jungle-like environments with high humidity,…
Suspended succulents
December 14, 2022 9:17 amUsing a colander as a hanging basket might be a bit unusual but it gives us a chance to create…
Succulent trio in glass jars
December 14, 2022 9:00 amWhat you need 3 glass jars 3 succulents: we used Echeveria ‘Secunda’, Crassula ovata ‘Sunset’, Sedum x luteoviride Coarse gravel…
Adromischus
November 25, 2022 8:57 amPetit size, pretty leaves… The genus Adromischus, known colloquially as the bontplakkie, includes 28 endemic species to southern Africa. The…
Dyckias
October 27, 2022 3:30 pmNot without gloves! Dyckias are technically not succulents, but bromeliads hailing from Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. They produce…
Mini Aloe Guide
August 3, 2022 2:47 pmThe size is diminutive, but the appeal is ginormous! If you are amped to start a collection of succulent plants…
Sempervivum arachnoideum
July 13, 2022 4:53 pmThe Sempervivum Arachnoideum, or cobweb houseleek, forms a mounding clump of little rosettes that look like they are covered in…
Make Your Own Mini Aloe Garden
June 15, 2022 11:45 amMore and more mini aloes are hitting the market, and they make a colourful and easy-to-care-for bowl of interesting succulents.…
Succulent Exhibitionists
May 12, 2022 11:48 amIndoor plants are considered to be part of the décor, so why not make them shine? Here are three ways…
Succulents to Grow Indoors
April 11, 2022 2:08 pmRead in Afrikaans It can be a challenge to keep indoor succulents happy as they generally need at least four…
Aeonium ‘Kiwi’
March 3, 2022 4:57 pmAeoniums are commonly called tree houseleeks, which is an indication that they form substantial side stems topped with their typical…
Xmas Wreath with Succulents
January 7, 2022 12:08 pmWhat You Will Need for your succulent wreath Succulent cuttings with 2cm-long stems. (We used mini aeoniums, echeverias and graptopetalums.)…
Divide and Repot Aloes
July 9, 2021 10:13 amIf you have a pretty aloe like this ‘Twice as Nice’ hybrid, you’ll know that can become congested with ‘pups’,…
Fabulous Senecio ‘Angel Wings’
July 9, 2021 9:51 amSenecio candicans ‘Angel Wings’ is sure to catch the eye, whether growing outdoors in the garden or sitting indoors in…
Echeverias: Stretched and Stressed
April 19, 2021 8:46 pmEcheverias are so popular with everyone, but sometimes things go sideways. You see fat and full echeverias with glowing leaves…
Growing Echeverias
August 14, 2020 8:00 amA word of warning to the gardener who is developing a liking for echeverias. If you start collecting them you’re…
Sedums
January 21, 2020 11:42 amRead in Afrikaans If we had to rate a stone and a stonecrop plant comparatively for low care characteristics, the…
3 Colourful Kalanchoes
June 24, 2019 8:24 amKalanchoe Blossfeldiana Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana (Kalanchoes), less commonly known as the Widow’s Thrill, is often described as a flamboyant and colourful…
Crassulas For Your Water-Wise Garden
May 20, 2019 1:28 pmThe many different crassulas can confuse us no end (and probably some of the taxonomists too!). They seem to change…
Lewisia Cotyledon ‘Elise Mix’
January 21, 2019 8:00 amLewisia Cotyledon ‘Elise Mix’ is a strikingly beautiful addition to the range of flowering succulents for low-water gardens and containers,…
Beat the heat
January 15, 2019 11:55 amHelp your Roses to Keep their Cool • Hot nights bother the roses more than the heat during the day.…
Aloe ‘Peri-Peri’
May 23, 2018 10:53 amWe all love aloes, those hard-to-kill, structural beauties that are such a striking part of our natural landscape and this…
Containing elephant’s foot
February 19, 2018 11:13 amOur pot recipe this month is for Elephant’s Foot and is designed for a sunbaked patio that needs a graceful…
Happy Hot Pot
February 16, 2018 8:49 amPlant up a pot of succulent heat busters. All you need to plant up a rock-solid potted garden to beat the…
Everlasting
February 14, 2018 1:29 pmA pretty, flowering everlasting, and a collection of bright succulents, were the inspiration for this colourful pot. I wanted to…
Sansevieria trifasciata
January 11, 2018 1:17 pmMother-in-Law’s Tongue Sansevieria trifasciata is a tough, hardy and enduring succulent from Africa is making a strong fashion statement in…
Sempervivum tectorum
January 11, 2018 1:05 pmCommon Houseleek, Hen and Chickens, St Patrick’s Cabbage A low, mat forming succulent comprising many rosettes of attractive grey-green leaves…
Senecio elegans
January 11, 2018 1:02 pmWild Cineraria Senecio is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, which is the second largest family of flowering plants…
Pachypodium lamerei
January 8, 2018 2:31 pmMadagascan Palm A tall, ultimately tree-like succulent from Madagascar, hence the name Madagascan Palm, with a pronounced stem covered in…
Oscularia deltoids
January 8, 2018 12:42 pmSandsteenvygie The Sandsteenvygie is a ground cover that will stand up to the hottest days of our summer and still…
Graptopetalum paraguayense
December 20, 2017 8:21 amMother of Pearl plant or Ghost plant The Ghost Plant is a low growing, clump forming succulent comprised of rosettes…
Euphorbia trigona
December 19, 2017 9:18 amAfrican Milk Tree, High Chaparall, Cathedral Cactus Euphorbia Trigona – a tall, slender and erect succulent from Namibia. The dark…
Echinocactus grussonii
December 19, 2017 9:04 amGolden Barrel Cactus or Mother-in-law’s Cushion The Echinocactus grussonii is a large barrel shaped cactus originating from Mexico. The swollen…
Cyphostemma juttae
December 15, 2017 1:36 pmWild Grape, Tree Grape, Blue Cobas This most interesting succulent plant belongs to the grape family and grows naturally in…
Crassula spathulata
December 15, 2017 12:48 pmThe Crassula Spathulata is a sprawling succulent with rounded and toothed leaves which have a red tinge to the margins.…
Crassula ovata
December 15, 2017 12:45 pmJade Plant The Crassula Ovata, or Jade Plant is an upright-growing, multiple-branched, shrubby succulent that can grow up to 2m…
Calandiva
December 15, 2017 12:04 pmDouble Kalanchoe Calandiva plants are ideal ‘no-brainers’, pleasing the intrepid indoor gardener with long-lasting displays of hundreds of double-petalled, brightly-coloured flowers…
Cactus
December 15, 2017 12:01 pmThe benefits of displaying indoor plants in our homes are huge. Plants are a décor tool, moisturiser, therapist, climate improver…
Carpobrotus edulis
December 15, 2017 11:56 amSour Fig (Suurvy) No garden should be without the Sour Fig, an extremely valuable indigenous medicinal plant which originally occurred…
Beschorneria Yuccoides
December 15, 2017 10:30 amThe Beschorneria Yuccoides is a lovely plant found in gardens around the country and yet often overlooked and possibly, to…
Alluaudia procera
December 13, 2017 2:43 pmOctopus Plant The quest for strange or different looking plants continues. This unusual succulent plant from Madagascar, the Alluaudia Procera,…
Brachystelma Pulchellum
November 15, 2017 12:01 pmThere are myriads of interesting and unusual plants growing in gardens and in the vast tracts of unspoilt wilderness that…
Succulent hanging basket
January 15, 2016 10:54 amFollow our simple guidelines and plant up your own stunning hanging basket with heat beating plants. Baskets are often suspended…
Sedum spurium ‘Bronze Carpet’
January 14, 2016 11:31 amStonecrop The Sedum Spurium plant is a vigorous, evergreen ground cover with glossy, succulent leaves that are dark coppery-red in…
Ruschia lineolata
January 14, 2016 10:11 amCarpet of Stars The Ruschia lineolata is a tough succulent is a versatile ground cover which produces masses of pretty…
Portulacaria afra
September 4, 2015 6:38 amElephant Bush, Dwarf Jade Plant, Porkbush and Spekboom The spekboom or porkbush, also known as elephant’s food, olifantskos, soetspekboom, suurspekboom, igwanishe…
Pelargoniums
September 2, 2015 8:08 amOne can fill pots and barrels with bush and king pelargoniums, and fill hanging baskets and window boxes with ivy-leaved…
Make your own Paver Planter
August 25, 2015 9:06 amMaking a planter out of pavers is a simple process – you simply glue the pavers together, reinforce the glue…
Kalanchoes
July 31, 2015 7:48 amKalanchoes are a succulent group of plants that are tough, heat resistant and low maintenance. Most suitable climate for Kalanchoes…
Hatiora
July 28, 2015 6:13 amEaster Cactus and Whitsun Cactus. Hatiora is a prolifically blooming cacti with fleshy, jointed or segmented stems with a slightly pendant or…
Echeveria agavoides
June 1, 2015 7:16 amThe species name ‘agavoides’ means ‘looking like an agave’, and this can be understood when studying this single-stemmed echeveria, which…
Cotyledon Orbiculata
March 27, 2015 10:50 amPig’s Ear, Elk’s Horn, or Round-Leafed Navel-Wort Succulent plants are still extremely popular in the garden fashion stakes, especially during periods…
Container Plants that Beat the Heat
March 27, 2015 9:58 amThere are a number of tough waterwise characters that thrive in containers and love being out in the midday sun.…
Agave victoriae-reginae
August 14, 2014 9:32 amQueen Victoria agave, royal agave Agave victoriae-reginae is a very long lived, exceptionally slow-growing succulent with short, triangular leaves that are about…