Durban: September is always such a refreshing time of the year, with spring in the air and so many trees and plants are in flower.
I took a walk around my garden last week and loved seeing how plants respond to a little rain, longer warmer days and a care.
Last year I wrote about Bridelia micrantha (coastal goldenleaf), with its new flush of golden leaves that can be seen all over KwaZulu-Natal, but especially along the coast and in the Highway area.
I have a few in my garden that are just pushing new leaves and I will enjoy this tree for the next few weeks, until the new flush of leaves is complete.
For Arbor Day this year, the Kloof Project (an NPO that maintains all the gardens in Kloof) planted 175 trees along the old railway line that runs through Kloof.
In five years time, this area will look like a forest - which is what the organisation is trying to achieve in the area.
Flowering for the second time is the Xylotheca kraussiana (African dog rose), with a full flush of leaves which appear in spring. This tree feeds the Red Acraea butterfly in early to late winter and the butterflies completely defoliate them during this feeding frenzy.
Then we have a beautiful bulb that flowers in September called Crinum macowanii (river lily), with its full flush of flowers.
But the tree I would like to talk to you about this month is one of my all-time favourites, that get its common name from the month it flowers in, called Rothmannia globosa (September bells). There are three species of Rothmannia in South Africa. Rothmannia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This is the Gardenia family, which contains many of the economically important plants, such as coffee and quinine.
Found in coastal and dune bush, along riverbanks and evergreen forests, from the Eastern Cape through KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumulanga, it is a small decorative tree, with white bell-shaped fragrant flowers that flower in early spring to summer. It is small and slender, growing to between 4m and 7m in height, depending on the climatic conditions.
As a young tree, the bark is smooth and dark grey but becomes rough and marked, in rectangular segments, as it ages. The leaves are simple, shiny, and oval to lanceolate, with a distinctive yellow to reddish midrib and veins. It is normally evergreen but can be deciduous for a brief period. The flowers are creamy white and scented, and usually have pink speckles in the throat. They are either borne singly or in clusters of two to four, on short side branches.
Flowers appear in spring to early summer but mostly in September, hence the common name, September bells. The fruit is round and green when young but turn brown as they ripen from January onwards. The fruit is eaten by monkeys, baboons and birds, with Carpenter bees feeding on the flowers.
The plant is easily cultivated from seed, is fairly fast growing and can tolerate some frost. It grows best in sun but can take either morning or afternoon shade.
There are a number of other interesting trees and shrubs flowering in September.
One is the yellow and purple flowering Tabebuia from South America. Better known as the trumpet tree, this tree belongs to
the same family as the jacaranda, which is also flowering but will be in full bloom later in the month and into October.
Tabebuia is native to the American tropics and subtropics, from Mexico and the Caribbean
to Argentina.
The trees lose all their leaves before flowering, which gives them such a wow factor when in flower.
An exotic shrub in flower, that is very fragrant and in full bloom, is the plant we all know as the “yesterday, today and tomorrow”. Brunfelsia pauciflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, the nightshades. It is endemic to Brazil, and is grown in cultivation. A shrubby perennial plant, it blooms purple with a white throat, then turns lavender and then white. The shrub has all three flower colours at once as more bloom.
Happy gardening.
- This article is sponsored by Chris Dalzell Landscapes, specialising in landscaping, consultation and botanical tours. If you have any questions email [email protected] or visit www.chrisdalzellinternational.com