The heat of summer is scorchingly upon us – along with the absence of much-needed rain. Bird baths require filling more than once a day and current restrictions prevent the garden from receiving the watering it needs to flourish, yet most plants are surviving. I have already shown the beautiful blossoms of the Cape Chestnut and the Pompon trees, so will look much lower.
Field Bindweed – so difficult to eradicate owing to their long underground runners – twists its way between the lavender bushes and climbs up the Spekboom. It has a beauty of its own.
The small clump of Gladiolus dalenii has increased over the years and is now providing beautiful colour outside the kitchen.
Numerous butterflies are flitting about – most are too high for me to photograph. Many of them are (I think) Acara Acraea.
All over the garden self-sown Crossberries are blooming.
As are scented pelargoniums.
Lastly, the Plumbago blossoms are looking particularly beautiful right now.
Something Over Tea 
I hope they all survive
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Fortunately these are all indigenous plants that manage to withstand both the heat and the drought 🙂
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🙂
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Your garden is delightful! Love the plumbago
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I am so grateful that we have plumbago growing in our garden!
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I would love one too
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Pragtig, ek hou daarvan
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Dankie hiervoor, Christa.
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What a stunning butterfly! We don’t see those at all! Your Gladiolus is lovely! I don’t recall ever seeing a Crossberry. Such a pretty flower! I imagine the berries are loved by your birds, too. The Bindweed is another plant with which I’m unfamiliar. It resembles a Morning Glory in structure and form, but appears to be smaller? Quite lovely, too! The blue of the Plumbago is always a winning eye catcher!
I hope you more rain will fall before the end of your rainy season. Right now, despite the intense heat, your garden seems to be holding its own admirably. You made a wise decision to largely stick to planting tried and tested indigenous species.
Thank you for sharing these trusty plants with us, Anne. I’ll look out for them when I next get to a nursery.
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For flowers, such as petunias, I have resorted to container gardening: filling all the pots as I can find as these require less water and I can group them any way I wish. The gladiolus is indigenous and has, over the years, multiplied into several clumps so that they are able to provide quite a show now. Crossberries also seed themselves – probably thanks to the birds – in various places and provide an early blush of pink in the summer. I am glad you enjoy the pumbago – nothing seems to get it down!
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Great idea to plant up pots filled with non indigenous annuals. That way, you score doubly and save water.
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In the midst of such heat and drought they survive. What a wonder.
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Nature IS wonderful. Thank you for peeping into my garden 🙂
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Nice to see things growing. I esp, like the gladiolus. Sorry that the heat has returned and water restrictions are back in place. It must be a challenge to deal with that. Do you have a gray water containment?
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My grey water keeps my lemon tree alive.
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Wonderful that the hardy plants can withstand the drought and even flourish. Glad you are able to use gray water to keep you lemon trees alive.
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We cannot afford to waste a drop of water 🙂
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Waar woon jy? Ek is nou in Kathu.
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Ek woon in die Oos Kaap. Dit is seker baie warm in Kathu.
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Hi Anne, blykbaar ja, maar ek voel dit nog nie. Dit reën elke middag.
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Dan is julle baie gelukkig – ons is baie droog hier.
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Dit is blykbaar baie ongewoon, die erwe hier het nie gras nie, dit is net grond. Ek is so dankbaar dat die Here die plek met water seën.
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I hope that rain does eventually come. It must be frustrating for you as a gardener not to be able to water.
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It is awful seeing the leaves of trees curling up, the lawn browning and other plants gasping for water. The rain will come – it must!
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Fingers crossed.
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🤍 the 🦋
✨🌻🌿🙏🕉🤍♾🕊☯🙏🌿🌻✨
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It is always pleasing to note the arrival of butterflies.
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What a pleasing sight as we enter the cold of January 😏. The gladioli are beautiful.
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I am glad to have provided some ‘warming’ sights for you!
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Those blue plumbago blossoms are beautiful!
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I thought of your love of blue when I posted it.
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Pretty flowers and butterfly.
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I have just had to replace the dead cosmos and pansies with marigolds, gazanias and petunias. They are wilting in the hot sun, but will survive I hope as the bed they are in receives afternoon shade.
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