Seven Rivers Nursery Plant Specials - Banhoek Stellenbosch.
BULBS
Below are four examples of the stunning bulbs that we grow all of which are hardy, easy to grow and very rewarding.
Scilla
Scilla natalensis is a graceful perennial bulb, and with its tall plumes of blue flowers, the showiest of the South African scillas.
It is a variable species, with individuals and populations of differing bulb size, flower colour, leaf coloration etc. In general it produces a large bulb, 10 to 15 cm in diameter, covered with firm, hardened, papery brown or purplish tunics (bulb scales). It is deciduous, growing during summer and dormant in the winter.
Crytanthus
The flowers of Cyrtanthus mackenii are long and narrow with recurved tips, and the leaves are narrowly lance-shaped. This species consists of two colour varieties: var. mackenii, which has pure white flowers, and var. cooperi, which has yellow or cream-coloured flowers.
The var. mackenii occurs mainly in the southern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, and the var. cooperi occurs mainly in the eastern part of Eastern Cape, although the two varieties do overlap in certain areas.
The flowers of both varieties are sweetly scented and pollinated by night-flying moths. Adult plants reach about 400 mm high in full flower, and the individual flowers measure up to 50 mm long.
C. mackenii has a very long flowering period extending from July to February!
Butterfly Amaryllis
The name Amaryllis technically belongs to a genus of only two species - Amaryllis belladonna and Amaryllis paradisicola - from South Africa. But confusingly enough, Amaryllis has become what amounts to a common name for bulbs from the South American genus Hippeastrum.
H.Papilio or Butterfly Amaryllis is a Brazilian native that produces exotic looking flowers with a creamy background, burgundy markings, and a green throat.
Papilio is the Latin word for butterfly. When Pedro Félix Ravenna named the plant in 1970, he was referring to the similarity of the flower's tepals to a swallowtail butterfly's tail wings. Whether or not you appreciate that resemblance, the "Butterfly Amaryllis" gladdens the heart during a season when the fluttering of silky wings is nothing but a pleasant memory.
H. papilio is evergreen so it can be grown as a houseplant year round in a sunny window. When not in bloom, its strap-like, arcing, and glossy green leaves add an interesting element to a collection of potted plants.
Scadoxus
We are growers of three types of Scadoxus which are all indiginous to South Africa and are suited to shady areas of the garden which they will enhance with wonderful foliage and showy flowers;
The Scadoxus membranaceous (pictured above) have bracts
which are usually coloured and persist throughout flowering and fruiting. Individual flowers are described as being green, pink or pale red in colour. The ripe berries have been described as "especially showy".
Scadoxus Multiflorus has a spectacular flowerhead in the form of a huge spherical umbel consisting of up to 200 flowers, held clear of the foliage at the end of a solitary stem. Each plant will produce only one flowerhead in a season. A flowerhead can reach a diameter of 25 cm and a height of 110 cm, nearly waist height. Each flower is pinkish-orange-red with protruding stamens carrying bright yellow anthers. The flowerheads last for 1 or 2 weeks and make superb cut flowers.
Scadoxus Puniceus or the spectacular Paintbrush Lily is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants. Growing naturally in shady areas in coastal bush, ravines and forest, it can be found in the northern provinces, Free State, KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape; with its distribution extending to Tropical Africa
A popular garden subject, the paintbrush lily has been in cultivation in Holland since early 18th century. It does well planted in the ground or in containers. Plant in composted, well drained soil in a shady position.