Greetings Greystoke,

Welcome aboard. Unfortunately, as you can see, there's not a lot of activity here. Maybe you can change that! I am very interested in SA native plants (especially the western part) and have quite a few and am always interested in what SA locals have to say about them. My climate is quite different from yours and so takes a bit of effort to provide suitable conditions. I am a retired graphic artist, so have plenty of time to fuss over them -- and I do.

I am in the Smoky Mountains area of North Carolina on the east coast of the US. Parts of the Smokies have so much rain that they almost qualify as temperate rainforest. Fortunately, I am in a drier area, about 40 inches (100 cm)per year. Very hot southern sun here, but cool nights due to the elevation. Delosperma is so far the only thing I can grow in the ground here.

I'd be very interested to hear about your gardening experiences and your climate. I assume your location is affected by warm ocean currents rather than the cold Antarctic one. Or are you right on the cusp between the two?

Again, welcome,
Anna

Thank you for the kind reception Anna. Been in North Carolina once many moons ago on a visit to Corning, Wilmington. But on a business trip you don't get much time to look around.

Delosperma is so easy to grow here. Break off a branch and stick it in the ground is all. It comes in various shades. My wife's varoute was the deep blue irridescent variety. We had an entire rockery covered with it. It gave a stunning display of flowers in early spring.

It doesn't like a lot of water though. It grows wild in our western desert (Namaqualand) where it only gets a big shower once in a while.
What kind of soil does yours grow in?

Let me know if I can be of any help in providing information, pictures etc. There's a wild flower reserve just up the road from us.

Regards
Greystoke

The Delosperma sold here is (supposedly) cooperi, although recently I found a D. congestum. Even here, D. cooperi is so easy to grow, although pink is the only shade I have found. Your blue iridescent variety sounds beautiful. D. doesn't seem to mind all the rain here. The native soils here are a red clay and very acid. For everything except native plants, a fair amount of amendment is necessary. Mine is planted on a slightly sloping hillside, therefore good drainage, and although I can't specifically remember, amendment probably only consisted of adding the soil conditioner commonly used around here (looks like tiny bark chip mulch) and lime. I hope the D. congestum (supposedly similar to nubigenum) is hardy here as I have it outside.

It's interesting that you were in NC. However, the only thing I know of to recommend Wilmington (to a naturalist) is that the area around it is the only native habitat of the Venus Fly-trap. Now it's only location is very threatened by habitat destruction.

I have a few books that help me out with SA plants - one on the Richtersveld, Mesembs of the World and Floristic Endemism in SA, but information directly from someone living there is invaluable. Another thing I have been trying to find is a trip to SA that would involve field trips. If you know of any groups I should contact for this, please let me know. I have joined the SSSA in hopes that some trips might crop up through them. And also contacted Alex Fick who apparently sometimes does trips.

Your Protea picture was magnificent. Please post any pictures you find interesting!

Anna

Could these "tiny bark chips" be vermiculite? Vermiculite is porous and has the ability to store nutrients. It would make sense. Acid soils lose their nutrients quickly with all that rain. The lime also makes sense.
Noticed that Calvinia only gets about 9 inches of rain in a year?
Oh, and the soil is red all over S. Africa. Only place where its not is in the far north (Limpopo) where the soil is black.

You can book any kind of tour once you've landed in Cape Town. It's actually recommended. I'll sniff around some and let you know.

No, it's not vermiculite. They really look like small pieces of bark, 5-10mm and more or less flat. I looked on the bag but there was nothing about what it is made from. It does seem to work well with the soil around here. Loosens it up nicely.

Yes, I did notice the annual rainfall in Calvinia. It's clear why so few SA succulents will tolerate outside plantings here with our 40-60 (some places 70 or 80) inches per year.

I do have a lot of stapeliads. They are the easiest for me to grow here.

Thanks for keeping an eye out for travel possibilities for me.

Anna

Those tour guides are not well advertised, but I phoned a friend in Cape Town and he says that there are stacks of them organising tours of Namaqualand and the Richtersveld. Most are horticultural students from Stellenbosh University. A lot of them leave their credentials at hotel desks.

I'll phone around the hotels.

I have dreamed of a trip to SA since I first discovered the flora of the area in the 70's. But at that time the political situation kept me from considering it. But now I can finally make the trip if I can just find a suitable group.

Thank you so much for your help.

Anna

Anna....Have several years of searching my husband and I found a tour group out of Fife,Scotland named Brightwater which runs some very itneresting Garden and wildflower tours.....We are taking their Cape Flora tour this fall (spring there). It will not include everything but does a pretty good job....we will be there about 12 days...and cover the northern Drakensbergs, Durban and nearby costal area, and then on to Capetown with excursions to key fynbos areas. You should be able to find them by googling. We looked at costs of going alone, time lost finding our way around and connecting with different local tours in each area we wanted to visit and decided that this was a good option with a guide knowledgeable about the South African floral kingdom.
I am sooooooooooooooo excited! jwww

Judy! Thanks so much. (I haven't checked the forum in several days hence the delay in getting your message). It sounds perfect. I will definitely check on them. When is your tour? Be sure to let me know what you think of it. Since I would be going alone and am NOT a seasoned traveler, it would be insanity for me to try to go alone, so I must find a tour.

I'll go google right now.

Anna

Anna....we leave from London on 10/15.....another group Ramblers....also from UK offers interesting tours with more walking....something I would like but which is too much for my husband......Ramblers catalog which they will send you is great....jwww

Have a great trip. I know it will be WONDERFUL! I have already been in contact with Brightwater Holidays and actually am interested in some of their Scottish tours as well, so I would be interested to know how you feel about your experience with them after it's over. I have looked at the tour you will be taking and it does look so exciting. Again, have a great trip. My email address is annafinkel@hotmail.com. Thanks for sharing this information with me.
Anna