We need some cheering up after yesterday’s book review and what better than to look at the delightful pink flowers of the Dais cotinifolia or Pompon tree – of which you will be seeing a lot more of come November.
In bloom right now are the attractive pale blue flowers of the plumbago.
Many readers have expressed surprise at the sight of flowering aloes – you will get more of them as autumn segues into winter – but here is an aloe in bud.
The veld is already being brightened up by the small daisy-like flowers of the bitou.
I have several clivias growing in my garden – these were photographed after a shower of rain.
The large Natal fig tree often features in my blog for it dominates part of the garden. Below is a Cape fig (Ficus sur), beloved by many birds and insects – as well as fruit bats.
Something Over Tea 
fascinating forms in the aloes
✨🦋🐍🕊🐉🗝⚖🕯🤍⚛🎐🎋🙏✨
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We take these things so much for granted here that I thought it a good idea to focus on the start of the beautiful flowers. I am pleased you find the forms interesting.
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Always good to pause and take a closer look at that which we take for granted! 👍
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Clivias are lovely – the botanic gardens here has loads of them but they don’t flower at this time of year here.
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This isn’t their flowering season here either, but I couldn’t resist including this picture of one covered with raindrops!
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It is good to see what you can grow. The aloe is an elegant composition
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Thank you for your appreciation.
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My wife had an aloe vera plant once. Used it to treat her kitchen burns.
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Aloe vera originates from northeast Africa and Arabia and spread into the Mediterranean region centuries ago. I understand plantations of them are grown in Texas to supply various industries from drinks to soaps and ointments and salves. In South Africa the Aloe arborescens has become a major source of gel for similar industries.
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Figs! It is borderline for climate where I live to grow them outside. I have one that was started from a cutting a friend gave me. The only time I got figs was when it was small, and inside the garage. Winters are too cold for it.
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Fortunately our winters do not get all that cold (even if we think they are 🙂 ).
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What a lot of figs on that fig tree!
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While these figs are edible, they are not all palatable for they tend to be infested with insects and larvae.
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A lovely set, Anne!
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Thank you very much, Belinda.
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The droplets on the Clivia blooms make for a beautiful picture, Anne!
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I thought so too 🙂
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What beautiful flowers. I had no idea that aloes flowered. I wait in anticipation of seeing the blooms.
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Then you are in for a treat in a few weeks from now 🙂
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Lots of fall beauties! I particularly like the flowers on the pompom tree. Such an appropriate name. For some reason, those flowers remind me of our bee balm.
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I see the flowers have a similar shape.
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Beautiful blooms and yes those blooming aloes amazed me before but their size amazes me more.
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Some aloes we have growing here are very tiny 🙂
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OK, I thought they all looked like they are on steroids!
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We planted plumbago and aloe in our Arizona and Ohio gardens and each summer we were reminded of our time in the Eastern Cape more than seventy years ago. For figs we have only bottled fig jam to revive our memories.
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Thank you for coming to see more of our indigenous vegetation 🙂 Your trip to the Eastern Cape must have been a particularly memorable one and I am pleased the aloes and plumbago have kept those memories alive for you.
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All of them look so lovely!
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Thank you, Shail.
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Pingback: This week’s small pleasures #329 – Thistles and Kiwis
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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