Colours of spring

• Author: Chris DalzelL
• Published date: 18 September 2021
• Publication title: Independent on Saturday

Just observe the different colour flowers and leaves that come to life as we move into a new season and towards summer.

There are two trees with very colourful leaves that appear in spring, and they are the broom cluster fig, Ficus sur and the Mitzeeri or Bridelia micrantha.

If you drive to Hillcrest from Durban or up and down the north and south coast you will see these bronzy coloured leaves appearing on all these trees.

Many deciduous trees flower in spring, before the onset of leaves, and this is the best time to observe these trees. Just think of the cherry blossoms in Japan or the dogwoods and magnolias in the USA.

One colour you will see in and around Durban in spring is white. I made it a project to name just a few of my favourites white flowering trees, shrubs, bulbs and groundcovers that I have seen flower in September – and which you can all use in your gardens.

No matter what size garden you have, try some of these to beautify dull or uninteresting areas in your garden. It is never too late to add new plants.

I get calls all the time from the public asking how they can improve their gardens and what plants to add that will brings birds, bees, and insects to their gardens. Often you will have a garden with the most interesting plants, but they have been planted incorrectly and/or are in the wrong place. Know the plants and move them around so they maximise your space.

Natural gardens are fine, but if it is organised chaos, you need to replant them in the right places.

Trees:

Dombeya rotundifolia – wild-pear. Flower best in the cooler and drier parts of KwaZulu-Natal, but in the Upper Highway area of Kloof and Hillcrest they flower very well. I have five large trees in my garden which have been flowering for five weeks, and which still have a few more weeks of flowers. Flowers are white and scented and found at the end of branches. It is fast growing to about 5m in height and makes a lovely garden specimen.

Xylotheca kraussiana – African-dogrose. Small, semi-deciduous tree. Large specimens can be found in the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve in Kloof. Forms a lovely focal point in your garden with white, sweetly scented flowers that appear in late August and September.

Tree can grow to 10m under ideal conditions, but normally grows to about 3-5m in private gardens. Fruits are yellow, woody and when open expose seeds that are black with a red aril. It is the food plant for the blood-red Acraea butterfly. Very rewarding tree for a small garden.

Gardenia...