February 2021

Posted on February 10, 2021 by gardensbotswana

That lovely rain at the beginning of this month (33mm, 12mm, 35mm, 15mm, 24mm, 12mm) has caused a million mushrooms and fungi to sprout around the yard, old wood has brackets of fungi and bright orange polyps appearing, and I’ve been torn as to whether I should harvest some of the mushrooms, but time races by, and I’ve missed my chance. The birds that have started visiting the garden are as uncommon to this yard as the weather, carmine bee-eaters, woodland kingfishers, and I thought I even heard some parrots. This brings the rainy season’s total so far (28/2) to 648.5mm. Wow!

In the Indigenous garden, almost everything has taken a pause on flowering during the prolific rains, except for Nerine bulbs that have just started flowering, and Waltherias, Spermacoces, Indigoferas, and Tephrosias. Grasses have all put seed and most have already shed their seed too.

The Mmilo trees (Vangueria infausta) are still in the middle of fruiting, luckily trees are ripening at different times. The Pavetta zeyheri bushes (small bride’s bush) is also fruiting, small green bobbles, and the Vitex zeyheri too. Psydrax livida, has large bunches of fruit, and it is such a lovely tree, that I think I’m going to collect the seeds and see if I can grow a few more to put around the yard. Bridelia mollis fruits are still green at the moment, just waiting for them to turn black. Combretum seeds are turning beautiful russet oranges and reds.

In the Fruit garden, the lemons are still ripening, the pomegranates are ready, cape gooseberries are following their own weird schedule and are fruiting non-stop. The peaches have all finished, and tomatoes are also almost done. The banana trees have shot up, and obviously loved the rains!

In the Herb garden, the Tulsi is flowering, and I have an unknown that has the most pungent smelling leaves – like camphor. I’ve tried my best to find out what it is, but until it flowers I don’t think I’ll have much luck. It has single, peltate leaves, hairy and green when young, but they are now becoming reddish and smooth. It has a woody stem, so it could even be a tree, anyway if anyone has an idea, please do let me know.

In the Garden, everything is flourishing after the rains, the jasmines, cannas, salvias, roses, tecomarias all full of flowers. The potato shrub especially, and the spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) has done splendidly, and is full of flowers. However with the rains a horde of aphids have descended on weaker plants, and so the Verbena bonariensis is struggling, along with the Leonotis.

In the Aquatic garden, the Amazonian sword, Pontederia, Alisma and Water lilies are all flowering. Plus the Cyperus prolifer is also in full flower.

Cyperus prolifer and Brazilian sword with a stray branch of Alisma

We have the most beautiful moths appearing around the house, and although they haven’t come in the numbers that occured last year, there are still so many different ones. The hornets have multiplied in droves this season, so hopefully a less painful stinger will take over in the next.

Every year one weed seems to dominate, and it always changes. Last year it was Triumfetta pentandra, and now this year it is Bidens pilosa. The great thing about this latest weed is that the chickens love it, so I’ve managed to weed it out and put it to good use.

January 2021

Posted on January 7, 2021 by gardensbotswana

I think I’m cheating and choosing just the cloudy days to create these posts… but what an incredible rainy season we’re having in the Gaborone area! 70mm to bring in the new year and then another 18mm a couple of days ago; 2mm & 5mm. I’ve never really had to de-junglerize my garden before, but pathways are little more than guesswork now beneath the swathes of plants. Now to end this month off a further 23mm, 5mm, 25mm, 39mm. Amazing!

In the Indigenous garden, the Mmilos are still green, getting larger and juicier; the Grewias have yielded some ripe fruit but largely they’re green too. All the trees, including the wild gardenia, cassia abbreviata and kudu berry which normally struggle a little bit have sprung to life and are sending out new branches. I planted a few marama beans around the yard in the sandier spots to mimic the conditions of further north in the Kalahari where I got the seeds from, and they have sprouted and seem to be liking where I’ve put them for the moment. A few wild cucumber vines have been fruiting, plus a new type I haven’t seen before, which I think is Kedrostis foetidissima.

Foxglove and hibiscuses are in full flower, their tall stems surrounded by a sea of flowering grasses, which is really unusual for January.

In the Fruit garden, the peaches are almost ripe, and the Elder is fruiting for the first time. I’d never tried the fruit before, but it tastes very similar to the garden huckleberry. Pomegranates are ripening, lemons too, and the Buddha’s hand is still flowering off and on.

In the Herb garden, this rainy weather is good for most of the herbs, but rosemary, thyme and sage appear not to be doing so well, whereas catmint, fennel and gotu kola are exploding with growth.

In the Vegetable garden, I have grown peanuts from seed from the first time, and now they’re flowering. Absolutely beautiful. Being nervous on how they’d do, I started them in a pot instead of in a mound of soil in the ground, and so they probably won’t yield lots of peanuts, but I got to see it grow which was lovely.

In the Garden, a new plant that I’ve grown from seed has just started to flower and wow was I disappointed. Verbena bonariensis looks glorious in UK gardens, but the one in my garden looks like a weed. However with the increased shade from all the rains it’s probably in the wrong position, so I will persevere. A couple of the dahlias did really well, but a few got spider mite too. All the begonias are still flowering, a small orchid from Spar is still flowering, the Petunias from Builders warehouse were too irresistably beautiful and are still flowering, and the roses are bursting into bloom at odd intervals. I also got a carnivorous Saracenia plant from Spar, which I’ve never grown before, so will see how that does too.

For a green manure, I managed to grow some sunhemp, which has normally bolted or died in our usual super hot conditions, but in this rainy weather it is doing really well.

December 2020

Posted on December 3, 2020 by gardensbotswana

34mm at the end of November and the garden has become a green forest. I’ve never seen Mmilo fruit looking so plump this early on in the season, and the grasses are all flowering and already knee high. We’ve had a further 39mm, 25mm, 25mm, 31mm and 14mm in December, the weather has been glorious.

In the Indigenous garden the African Weeping Wattle trees are still flowering; Bridelia mollis, Shepherd’s tree and Vangueria infausta are fruiting, and the Grewia shrubs are doing both. Chascanum, Gisekia, Chlorophytum, Eriospermum, Sida, Waltheria and Geigeria plants are all flowering. Tephrosia and Indigofera groundcovers are also flowering and meandering over rocks and pathways. Many of the Ledebourias are coming to the end of their flowering period, while wild basils (Ocimum), mints (Mentha), Cyanotis and Endostemons are just entering theirs.

In the Herb garden the Fennel is still flowering, mint just beginning to flower, and all the others doing really well with these good rains, including the Oreganum. The only one suffering a little is Thyme as its being overshadowed by the other herbs..so I’ll need to replant it somewhere with a bit more sunshine and space.

In the Vegetable garden the Jerusalem artichokes are beginning to flower, the Strawberry Popcorn and Aztec corn are growing well, and African Horned melons are beginning to latch onto their assigned fences, so hopefully by the end of the season they will be covered with the delicious fruit. Their leaves are actually delicious too, cooked much like spinach.

In the Fruit garden, silver cane berries are still fruiting, strawberries, garden huckleberries, and it looks like all the Citrus and Peaches are doing well. They get a regular good watering while they’re fruiting to stop the fruit from aborting, or splitting. Pachira, White Sapote, and the Custard Apples are showing good growth, so not too many years left before they might begin to fruit.

In the Garden, Alstroemerias are flowering – a new addition from Builders Warehouse. They need regular watering, which I supplement with a bit of Aquaponic watering too, to give the flowering an extra boost. The Fuchsias are struggling in the high humidity hot spells, but provided they get enough water they soon recover. All the ferns, bromeliads, anthuriums are thriving in the humidity, and the Cannas are looking glorious… but the Zephyranthes rain flowers always steal the show after the rains. I started this Maurandya vine from seed and it is growing beautifully.

Amazonian sword and water lily with a foam nest

In the Aquatic garden, everything is flowering, but these Amazonian swords are spectacular, and the Southern nest foam frog has made it’s foamy nest.

November 2020

Posted on November 2, 2020 by gardensbotswana

Well October went out with a welcome downpour! We got 14mm, and last night another 22mm of lovely rain. And today 20mm..The garden has suddenly come alive, and lovely soft greens are taking over.

Another 12mm, 23mm, 3.5mm, 18mm, 2mm, this is looking to be a fantastic November.

In the Indigenous garden, Vitex zeyheri is flowering, Vangueria infausta is flowering, and the African Weeping Wattle has just started. Dichrostachys cinerea is also just starting to put out the lovely pink and yellow lantern flowers. Felicia, Chlorophytum, Talinums, and Barlerias are all flowering, and grasses, shrubs and trees are all shedding their winter browns and regreening themselves.

Chlorophytum recurvifolium — Talinum crispatulum

In the Fruit garden: silver caneberries are fruiting, peaches are half-size at the moment. Mulberries have had a short season and just finished. Lemons are almost full size but still green. Strawberries are still fruiting, and the last Gooseberries have fallen, while the Pomegranates are flowering. And Garden huckleberries are ripening too.

In the Herb garden: Fennel is now flowering, along with Coriander, while Lavender and Rosemary have almost finished. Watercress is still flowering, and I’ve been making cuttings so that I can keep it growing. Calendulas Pansies and Roses are all in flower, and the Rocket has almost finished. Parsley is flowering, and the Spearmint has come back, along with Gotu Kola

In the Vegetable garden: Mustard Spinach is now seeding, Celery is still being harvested, the New Zealand Spinach is beginning to take over, its doing really well. Tomatoes are still being harvested, and the radicchio still needs to grow a bit more. None of my chili seeds have germinated, so will be sowing some more this weekend. The Sorrel, and Lablab ‘Ruby Moon’ are looking really stunning at the moment.

In the Garden: everything was beginning to die back in that torrid heat wave, but now after the rain, its turned a new leaf, and everything looks ready to begin flowering again. Fuchsias, Clematis, Arums, were all suffering, but I’ve seen new flowers appearing on all of them. Begonias have been outstanding this year, and still flowering so well. A few mini Orchids are still in flower, and Jasmine officinalis is about to start its long flowering season, while Star jasmine is still in flower. I sowed some Dahlia seeds, and they are now big enough to transplant into the garden. White salvias have self seeded around the garden and look magnificent.

In the Aquatic garden: The Lotus are doing better than ever before this year, and almost all the aquatic plants are flowering: the Waterlilies, Brazilian sword, Alisma plantago, Iris pseudacorus, Pontederia cordata and even Nymphoides indica.

Creatures in the Garden: The Terrapin has returned from wherever he buried himself over Winter, and is now merrily eating all the fish food. All the fish are doing well including the Catfish which are about 60cm now. No sign of the Monitor Lizard, and only a few small snake sightings so far. I saw my first Scorpion this season a couple of days ago, and lots of Southern nest foam frogs.

October 2020

Posted on October 7, 2020 by gardensbotswana

Well this month started really well, with our usual rain on Independence.. 5mm, and then 29mm and 14mm. Wow.

In the Indigenous garden almost all the Combretums are in flower, plus Elephantorrhiza burkei, and Acacia erubescens. The Aloes have all finished flowering, and only Waterlilies in the ponds are giving that splash of colour, and Drimiopsis in the rocks.

In the Garden, the Clematis are still flowering, and Lewisia is sending up more flowers, so finally I have learnt how to care for them properly. The ferns are so happy in this weather, especially the Maidenhair fern, but all of them are looking glorious. The black Arums (Zantedeschia) too are looking stunning, and have kept their flowers for weeks. The Fuchsias are also coming into their own, plus the Cannas have restarted flowering. The Begonias are close to reaching a full 8 months of flowering. I was gifted yet another mini Orchid from Woolworths, and I think I’m having more success with the clay pots that they come in, than the plastic ones from Builders warehouse. The Schizanthus is still flowering, and the Anthericum grass has just started. The Dutchman’s pipe, yellow jasmine, star jasmine, chinese jasmine are all flowering, and the Elder tree is a canopy of blossom.

In the Herb garden the Fennel, Yarrow, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Lavender, Sage and Rosemary are all doing well, and the Watercress has started to flower. It’s the last year for my Parsleys, so will have to sow some seed and get some replacements ready. The Lucerne and Rocket are giving the bees a glorious feast of flowers.

In the Vegetable garden the Mustard spinach, Celery, Sorrel, and Jerusalem artichokes are all growing well. The cherry tomatoes have already yielded some lovely fruit, and the Spring onions have started to flower. The New Zealand Spinach seedlings have just started to spread out and look like they’re quite well established.

In the Fruit garden the Custard apple had lost most of its leaves to frost, but appears to be recuperating and new leaves are emerging. All the Avocadoes are loving the Aquaponic treatment that they’re getting, and the curled leaves have been replaced by strong large leaves, indicating that it was a nutrient problem and not a fungus disease as I had supposed. The citrus trees have all made fruit excluding the Orange and Grapefruit, but it looks like we’ll have our first crop of Buddha’s hands which is really exciting. I haven’t ever eaten one, so looking forward to it. Gooseberries are still fruiting, and the Silver Caneberry has just started setting fruit, it skipped last year, as it really likes to be watered well. The peaches are now about 2cm and growing. The wild strawberries are beginning to fruit too, I adore the taste of them, it’s indescribable.

Creatures: So I actually saw the Tree Agama again, it was in a fight with a dove for tree space. Very happy that it’s still doing well. The fish are also enjoying the rain, as it raises the pond levels and gives them a lot more water swim around in. The weavers are stripping the papyrus and cyperus grasses as usual, plus a few other plants, and this year we have a resident Coucal, which makes the chickens nervous, as they kick up a ruckus as soon as the Coucal makes its call. We’ve seen a few snakes already, but no scorpions so far.

Pests: Mealybugs! They aren’t as bad as last year thanks to the cold winter, but they are still ravaging my gooseberries. Spider mite is also on my silver caneberry, so I haven’t been watering enough in dry spells. Snails and slugs are becoming a problem, but mostly they don’t do much damage, only on the plants I overwater by mistake, like one of my orchids that I lost to rot.

September 2020

Posted on September 10, 2020 by gardensbotswana

Well this month began with a startling cold spell, and a few raindrops too. It didn’t register any mms in my rain guage but it did fill a bucket from the gutters. Wow. And while the plot is expectedly brown and bare for this time of year, a few flowers have already started off the season, and are sending the insects and birds a bit crazy with delight.

In the Indigenous garden a few aloes are still flowering like Aloe vera and Aloe excelsa, and Albucas too with their long graceful stems of white and yellow flowers. Acacia mellifera, Boscia and Combretum trees are also flowering, I find Boscia foetida starts a bit before Boscia albitrunca, and the bees are really loving all of them. Wild pomegranate, Rhigozum brevispinosum is also flowering, the yellow flowers dazzling in the mix of greys and browns.

In the Garden, the Narcissus leaves have finally died all the way down, so now I’m putting them in my potting shed in a dark protected area until next Winter. I was given a beautiful Hyacinth bulb which is in flower right now, and looking and smelling spectacular. My dad bought it from Woolworths in a lovely tiny clay pot with moss. The Clematis, Poor man’s Orchid, and Lewisia that I wrote about last month are still doing really well, full of flowers. I got a Fuchsia set of 4 from Spar and after repotting and putting in the garden, they are also flowering and very happy. The Spathyphyllum (Peace lily) and Begonias are still flowering so beautifully and provide such a lovely contrast to the brown indigenous garden at the moment. While visiting a small garden nursery in Extension 16, I found a couple of plants that I have been wanting for a while: Ctenanthe burle-marxii and Ctenanthe lubbersiana. So I have added them to my jungle garden, and will see how they do. I’ve also planted a Pineapple lily, Eucomis, which I’ve never grown before, and right now it looks very happy, so will wait and see how it does. Oxalis triangularis with its gorgeous purple clover leaves is also flowering, large pink clusters that really look so pretty. While most of the other Bromeliads have finished flowering, it is now the turn of Billbergia nutans, Queen’s tears to have a go at brightening up the garden.

In the Fruit garden the Plum and Nectarine trees have started flowering, while the Peach is way ahead and already has quite a few peaches growing. All the Citrus are busy flowering, together with Buddha’s hand which I recently planted from Sanitas. The Kei Apple tree is also flowering, but as I only have one, and it needs both male and female plants to be fertilized, I’m not sure if it will bear any fruits. Fingers crossed another one is growing nearby. The Cape gooseberries are dropping their ripened fruit by the bucket load, and are getting made into fruit salads, jams and I’ll be drying a few too.

In the Herb garden the lavenders, rosemary, nasturtium, calendula, violas, pipiche and basil are flowering, and in this very moderate weather they are all doing really well.

In the Vegetable garden, Cherry tomatoes are ripening, the Fennel is doing really well, Giant mustard spinach is ready to harvest, as is the Celery. And rocket is flowering prolifically at the moment.

Creatures: The indigenous African Weeping Wattle trees have been home to lots of moths eggs which have hatched into caterpillars and this in turn has attracted the Green Wood Hoopoe to the garden, so every day I get to see this beautiful bird and hear his rather odd cackle. I saw my first Citrus Swallowtail butterfly today, and so I know that I only have a few more weeks to help all my citrus trees grow as much as possible before their leaves get munched by those fat green butterfly caterpillars. While visiting Phomolong last week, I saw a Blue headed tree Agama floating in one of its fountains. I rescued it from the water and saw it was still breathing, and was about to set him on a wall to recover when the administrators asked me if I could take it away. I know many people are scared of these lizards, and I have heard their bite is painful, but I have handled quite a few without ever being bitten so far, and they are not poisonous contrary to popular belief. So I agreed, and carried the lizard back home with me, and set him into one of the trees in the garden, and after an hour he had changed from blue to a yellowish brown, and then soon after made his way up the tree and disappeared. These creatures are truly beautiful and I do hope more people can come to see that they are not to be feared but admired instead.

August 2020

Posted on August 9, 2020 by gardensbotswana

I live in a particularly cold area outside of Gaborone and so all my plants flower just that little bit later in the year than those in Gaborone itself. I particularly noticed this when I parked near Barclays at Riverwalk and all those Aloe chabaudii plants were in full flower, and looking absolutely spectacular. Mine are only just opening up now.

I was also hoping that my mealie bugs would have been knocked back due to the nice cold winter, but not so, my gooseberry plants have given them perfectly warm casings to hide in, which I’m only finding out now that the fruit are ripening.

In the indigenous garden, everything has now stopped flowering except for the Aloes. ‘Indigenous” to the southern african region: Aloe chabaudii as I said above is just beginning to flower, Aloe cryptopoda, A. lutescens, A. globuligemma, A. greatheadii and A. grandidentata, A. spicata, A. vera (yellow) and A. excelsa have flowers forming, and Hybrid ‘Lemon drops’ is also just about to flower. Non indigenous aloe A. ngongoensis (rabaiensis), from Kenya is also about to bloom and A. parvibracteata has just finished.

In the garden itself the Arabian jasmine and Elder are still flowering, and I just got some Schizanthus (Poor man’s orchid) and Lewisia from Builders Warehouse. Last time I planted Lewisia in the garden, it rotted at the base, so this time I’m going to water it sparingly to the extreme, and see if it does any better. The Begonias are still flowering, along with Peace lily and Cyclamens. The Narcissus have finished flowering, and I will leave them to continue growing so that they store up enough energy to flower next year again. My Anthuriums suffered with the cold winter, and I brought them in too late, so I have covered with some warm leaf litter, and crossing fingers they will make a recovery. From Sanitas I got a Vriesea bromeliad and Pansies, which are both settling in nicely. And I was given the most beautiful miniature Phalaeonopsis orchid from Woolworths.

In the fruit garden the peach tree is full of blossom and the plum tree is just putting out buds. The lemon tree has almost finished flowering and there are now lots of baby lemons on it. Granadillas continue to ripen and drop – the purple were a bit later than the yellow this year. And the gooseberries are just beginning to ripen. I had a papaya tree fruiting a couple of years ago but it got hit by frost, and so now I’ve planted a few more smaller ones from seed in an area which I think will be a bit more protected. In the indigenous garden the Mousebirds, barbets, bulbuls continue to enjoy the fruit on the Grewia shrubs.

In the vegetable garden, rocket is flowering, the radishes have given a really good harvest and are about to set flower too. Giant red mustard, mustard spinach and celery are all growing well.

In the herb garden, the culinary herb Pipiche, from Mexico, is in its element and looking so beautiful, the Fennels, Basils, are doing really well too, Rosemary and Lavender are both flowering, and the watercress is still growing strong.

I’ve sown a few grasses, vegetable, flower and herb seeds in trays and placed them in mini greenhouses made from 5 litre water bottles, and hoping they will do well, a few have germinated already – Stipa tenuissima and Stipa gigantica, Radicchio and Amaranth, Cosmos and Lepidium meyenii (Maca root), and Tropaeolum peregrinum (Canary creeper). I use bottom watering for seeds, but sometimes I find I’ve wet them a bit too much, and a green algae grows on the surface creating a crust, so I’m trying to be super careful with this batch and once more – fingers crossed.

July 2020

Posted on July 9, 2020 by gardensbotswana

The winds have started early this year, and July is blowing up clouds of leaves. I’ve had a few plants suffering from frost this year – Dieffenbachia, Ctenanthe, and Philodendron. The obvious ones like Banana and Papaya have shown just a bit of yellowing.

In the indigenous garden the Aloes are really coming into their own.. with Aloe cryptopoda now in flower, plus a few spotted aloes like Aloe parvibracteata, and Aloe greenii. Aloe globuligemma and Aloe chabaudii are just about to flower, and the Hybrids that I have are now in full bloom. Wild flowers like Vernonia and Hibiscus engleri are still stubbornly putting out their last few blooms too, keeping the bees happy.

In the garden, I managed to find a few narcissus bulbs from Builders Warehouse who have a small selection of plants for sale again. And I’ve added a Phalaeonopsis orchid to my jungle garden, plus a staghorn fern from Sanitas. It is looking so colourful for winter.

In the herb garden, the rosemary and lavender are flowering, and rocket leaves are turning a dark red with the cold, I have managed to finally grow some Pipiche from Mexico, and it is flowering too at the moment. The fennel is loving the cooler weather as is the watercress.

June 2020

Posted on June 22, 2020 by gardensbotswana

1.5mm last week, which gave everything a lovely light shower. Still flowering in the indigenous garden are the Aloes, Adeniums, Vernonias, a couple of Hibiscus engleri, Geigeria, and now the Pychnostachys urticifolia is in full bloom.

In the garden the Anthuriums, Bromeliads, Begonias, Impatiens, Jasminum officinalis, Murraya exotica (Orange jasmine) and Alternanthera are in flower. Lemons are fruiting, and so are the Granadillas and Cape Gooseberries.

May 2020

Posted on May 8, 2020 by gardensbotswana

An extended lockdown, so I have plenty of time to take a few pictures around the plot. After the rains, some plants gave one final flush of flowers before putting seed. Lippia javanica, Crotalarias, Waltherias, Vernonias (still flowering), Geigeria, Stylosanthes and Monsonia angustifolia. The jungle garden is doing well with Philodendron ‘Red Emperor’ thriving alongside the ferns and bromeliads. Cucumis africanus vines have finished fruiting and all have turned a sunshine yellow. And the mousebirds are really enjoying the grewia berries all over the plot. Dichrostachys cinerea seed pods are maturing into their tangled balls, and a rather vibrant caterpillar crossed my path.

Gardens Botswana

Gardening & Landscaping in Botswana

February 2021

January 2021

December 2020

November 2020

October 2020

September 2020

August 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

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