Succulent summer

Gardening
with Debbie Reynhardt

AS THE last days of summer heat slowly take their toll on some of our plants that are not well adapted to the African sun, it is not inconceivable that we may become convinced that we should pull out all our water hungry plants and fill our gardens with succulents.

I, for example, have a penchant for maples, but they have a tendency toward burnt leaf tips unless they get all the right pampering in exactly the right spot and they are really not suited to our climate.

Although many gardens in the area will have the dappled protection of mature trees, there is often a spot in even the most mature gardens that gets baking hot in summer.

It might be a sunny central courtyard, or a paved utility area or even a hot northwest facing, uncovered patio that needs some greenery.

Succulents are particularly suited to this type of environment. They are generally described as plants with fleshy leaves or stems that can store water. There are hundreds of different types, from the mainly American cactus plants, to the African aloes and Mesembryanthemums.

They come in many different forms and can have quite bizarre or interesting shapes that give them the ability to be excellent specimen plants on their own. They are quite adaptable and are often grown as house plants.

Succulents by nature , normally come from climates that are dry, hence the leaves and stems that are modified to store water, and their needs are related to this factor.

Good drainage is of primary importance which makes them ideal as container plants. Fresh air, sunshine and some sort of dormant period where they get little or no water is also important. This is to simulate the conditions that they originated in and stimulates flower production.

There is no shortage to choose from in Africa when it comes to making a succulent arrangement. The local Sanseviera hyacinthoides, more commonly known as Mother-in-law's-tongue, is a very hardy perennial with upright, sharply tipped, green-striped leaves. This succulent is useful as a specimen plant in a container or massed in the garden in dry dappled shade. The effect of their greenish white flowers en masse brightens up a dull shady spot under trees. The more interesting form of the Elephants tooth plant (Sanseviera cylindrica) makes a spectacular specimen plant for a pot.

Purple Aeonium, Agave, Crassula, Lithops and Sedums all make hardy interesting pot specimens.

Succulents are not necessarily small either. The Rubber Euphorbia (Euphorbia tiraculii) with its green cylindrical branchlets can grow into a tree about 9m high. It holds a reputation for being a deterrent to moles. This is probably due to its poisonous sap. The local Aptemia cordifolia and Carpobrotus sp. are excellent groundcovers for retaining soil on steep sunny slopes.

Bulbine frutescens is an indispensable little plant which deserves a place in every garden, whether it be in a pot, as a hardy groundcover in the baking sun or a little patch in the herb garden. Its bright green cylindrical succulent leaves grow to about 30cm and it flowers in a profusion of yellow or orange flower spikes. As a groundcover it needs little attention once established and can be propagated very easily by division.

Its healing properties lie in the leaf gel which contains glycoproteins similar to aloe species and it has antibacterial properties. It is used in the treatment of burns, rashes and itches and among other things will help ease the summer sunburn and may even slow those wrinkles.

Suggestions or queries can be emailed to me at downtoearth@telkomsa.net