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Succulents and Cacti

Encephalartos

Cycads

July 20, 2023 3:36 pm Published by

South 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 am Published by

Terrariums and succulents are not typically mentioned in the same sentence. Terrariums are known for jungle-like environments with high humidity,…

Succulent trio in glass jars

December 14, 2022 9:00 am Published by

What 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 am Published by

Petit size, pretty leaves… The genus Adromischus, known colloquially as the bontplakkie, includes 28 endemic species to southern Africa. The…

Dyckias

Dyckias

October 27, 2022 3:30 pm Published by

Not without gloves! Dyckias are technically not succulents, but bromeliads hailing from Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. They produce…

mini aloes

Mini Aloe Guide

August 3, 2022 2:47 pm Published by

The 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 pm Published by

The Sempervivum Arachnoideum, or cobweb houseleek, forms a mounding clump of little rosettes that look like they are covered in…

aeonium 'kiwi'

Aeonium ‘Kiwi’

March 3, 2022 4:57 pm Published by

Aeoniums are commonly called tree houseleeks, which is an indication that they form substantial side stems topped with their typical…

succulent wreath

Xmas Wreath with Succulents

January 7, 2022 12:08 pm Published by

What 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 am Published by

If you have a pretty aloe like this ‘Twice as Nice’ hybrid, you’ll know that can become congested with ‘pups’,…

Growing Echeverias

August 14, 2020 8:00 am Published by

A 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 am Published by

Read in Afrikaans If we had to rate a stone and a stonecrop plant comparatively for low care characteristics, the…

kalanchoes

3 Colourful Kalanchoes

June 24, 2019 8:24 am Published by

Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana (Kalanchoes), less commonly known as the Widow’s Thrill, is often described as a flamboyant and colourful…

Beat the heat

January 15, 2019 11:55 am Published by

Help 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 am Published by

We all love aloes, those hard-to-kill, structural beauties that are such a striking part of our natural landscape and this…

Happy Hot Pot

February 16, 2018 8:49 am Published by

Plant 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 pm Published by

A 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 pm Published by

Mother-in-Law’s Tongue Sansevieria trifasciata is a tough, hardy and enduring succulent from Africa is making a strong fashion statement in…

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Sempervivum tectorum

January 11, 2018 1:05 pm Published by

Common Houseleek, Hen and Chickens, St Patrick’s Cabbage A low, mat forming succulent comprising many rosettes of attractive grey-green leaves…

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Senecio elegans

January 11, 2018 1:02 pm Published by

Wild Cineraria Senecio is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family, which is the second largest family of flowering plants…

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Pachypodium lamerei

January 8, 2018 2:31 pm Published by

Madagascan 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 pm Published by

Sandsteenvygie The Sandsteenvygie is a ground cover that will stand up to the hottest days of our summer and still…

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Euphorbia trigona

December 19, 2017 9:18 am Published by

African Milk Tree, High Chaparall, Cathedral Cactus Euphorbia Trigona – a tall, slender and erect succulent from Namibia. The dark…

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Echinocactus grussonii

December 19, 2017 9:04 am Published by

Golden Barrel Cactus or Mother-in-law’s Cushion The Echinocactus grussonii is a large barrel shaped cactus originating from Mexico. The swollen…

tree grapes

Cyphostemma juttae

December 15, 2017 1:36 pm Published by

Wild Grape, Tree Grape, Blue Cobas This most interesting succulent plant belongs to the grape family and grows naturally in…

crassula spathulata

Crassula spathulata

December 15, 2017 12:48 pm Published by

The Crassula Spathulata is a sprawling succulent with rounded and toothed leaves which have a red tinge to the margins.…

jade plant

Crassula ovata

December 15, 2017 12:45 pm Published by

Jade 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 pm Published by

Double Kalanchoe Calandiva plants are ideal ‘no-brainers’, pleasing the intrepid indoor gardener with long-lasting displays of hundreds of double-petalled, brightly-coloured flowers…

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Cactus

December 15, 2017 12:01 pm Published by

The benefits of displaying indoor plants in our homes are huge. Plants are a décor tool, moisturiser, therapist, climate improver…

sour fig

Carpobrotus edulis

December 15, 2017 11:56 am Published by

Sour Fig (Suurvy) No garden should be without the Sour Fig, an extremely valuable indigenous medicinal plant which originally occurred…

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Beschorneria Yuccoides

December 15, 2017 10:30 am Published by

The Beschorneria Yuccoides is a lovely plant found in gardens around the country and yet often overlooked and possibly, to…

alluadia procera

Alluaudia procera

December 13, 2017 2:43 pm Published by

Octopus 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 pm Published by

There 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 am Published by

Follow our simple guidelines and plant up your own stunning hanging basket with heat beating plants. Baskets are often suspended…

Ruschia lineolata

January 14, 2016 10:11 am Published by

Carpet of Stars The Ruschia lineolata is a tough succulent is a versatile ground cover which produces masses of pretty…

spekboom

Portulacaria afra

September 4, 2015 6:38 am Published by

Elephant Bush, Dwarf Jade Plant, Porkbush and Spekboom The spekboom or porkbush, also known as elephant’s food, olifantskos, soetspekboom, suurspekboom, igwanishe…

pelargoniums

Pelargoniums

September 2, 2015 8:08 am Published by

One can fill pots and barrels with bush and king pelargoniums, and fill hanging baskets and window boxes with ivy-leaved…

kalanchoes

Kalanchoes

July 31, 2015 7:48 am Published by

Kalanchoes 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 am Published by

Easter 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 am Published by

The species name ‘agavoides’ means ‘looking like an agave’, and this can be understood when studying this single-stemmed echeveria, which…

cotyledon orbiculata

Cotyledon Orbiculata

March 27, 2015 10:50 am Published by

Pig’s Ear, Elk’s Horn, or Round-Leafed Navel-Wort Succulent plants are still extremely popular in the garden fashion stakes, especially during periods…

Agave victoriae-reginae

August 14, 2014 9:32 am Published by

Queen Victoria agave, royal agave Agave victoriae-reginae is a very long lived, exceptionally slow-growing succulent with short, triangular leaves that are about…

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