After all the rains, March has started to a beautiful cool spell of overcast weather with spells of sunshine, and a light drizzle the other morning. You can almost feel winter in the air, the mornings are cooler and with all the greenery everywhere I find this month magical.
In the Indigenous garden, almost everything has finished fruiting, and remaining Mmilos are drying on the branches. All except for the Grewias, Morojwas and Bridelia mollis. They are about to come into their own now, and will bring a deluge of barbets, bulbuls, mousebirds and a variety of others too. This morning a lovely White Breasted Robin Chat sang from in the branches of an African wattle and its moments like these that really transform the garden into a place of delight and discovery. Commelinas, Tephrosias, Hibiscus, Hermbstaedtias, Chamaecrista, Grasses, Waltherias, Oxalis and Lantana are all flowering at the moment. Weavers have put their nest for the first time in a Weeping Boer Bean, and most trees are doing really well, although they have to fend off a deluge of grasshoppers and locusts this year.
Commelina 
Hermbstaedtia 
Combretum pods 
Chamaecrista 
Grewia berries 
Bridelia fruit 
Snot Apple/Morojwa
Hibiscus engleri
In the Garden, some new Phalaenopsis orchids are flowering, Verbena, Impatiens, Canna, Clerodendron, Odontonema strictum, Dutchman’s pipe, Aloes and Ruellia brittoniana.
Hibiscus 
Hydrangea 
Penstemon 
Ruellia brittoniana 
Polygala 
Clerodendron 
Dutchman’s pipe 
Odontonema strictum
In the Veg garden the sweet potatoes are doing well, Sorrel, Fennel, Peanuts, Maize, Sunflower, and wild Okra are all doing well.
Sweet Potato 
Wild Okra
In the Fruit garden, the Custard apples have fully recovered from the frost setback last winter, all prunus – plums peach etc are doing really well, the White Sapote trees, Mulberries, Elderberry, Natal plum, Kei Apple, and Pachira nuts have all grown inches higher in the wet weather. Mangos and Avos too. The lemon tree has about 20 lemons ripening on it at the moment, and the Pepinos have fended off the spider mites and mealybugs that had started in the drier weather. Marulas are ripe and causing a frenzy around the neighbourhood. When I have time I make a bunch into jelly – it’s really easy and tastes delicious!
Pepino
In the Herb garden the feverfew is flowering, the oregano, gotu kola, nasturtiums are all still thriving.
Feverfew
Gardens Botswana 