PASSIONATE PANSIES AND SHRINKING VIOLAS

What is the easiest way to tell the difference between our beloved pansies and violas? Their size of course! As the idiom “shrinking violet” suggests, violas are the smaller of these two beauties although it’s the Victorian meaning for viola which refers to “modesty” which gives a little more context to the idiom’s origin. Pansy, on the other hand, means “to think” and is almost always referred to in the context of love, which is so appropriate given how gorgeous they are! Literature suggests this is from Victorian references but also from French origin. The pansy flower has a striking likeness to a human face and has a tendency to bow forward, in deep thought in late summer giving it ample claim to its name, derived from the French word pensée, meaning “thought”.

From literature and arts to folklore and mythology, pansies and violas have a history and story that could fill an entire book. Shakespeare used references to both pansies and violas in both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream while the ancient Greeks used violas in love potions, thinking it to be a symbol of love and fertility.

VENERATED VERBENA

If ever there was a list of sacred plants, verbena would be close to the top. Verbena, translated directly from Latin, means Sacred Bough and throughout history it was thought to inspire creativity, be a cure-all and some even believed it could aid in settling disputes, firmly locking in links to folklore and being magical. Druids used to offer a sacrifice to the soil before harvesting it, such was their veneration for the plant. 

MIMULUS – MONKEY MIME

If you’ve never heard of Mimulus before, it’s a great time to become acquainted with this gorgeous little bloom. Mimulus, translated from Latin, means “mime” which refers to the funny clown-face the fat petals of the flower make when viewed head on. Its more well-known name, Monkey Flower, is also a reference to the flower shape and with just the smallest imagination anyone can see a silly monkey face.

The earliest documented discovery of the common monkey flower was by Captain Meriwether Lewis, on the 4th July 1806, and amazingly, can still be viewed at the Lewis & Clark Herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Having thought the sample was lost, it was thankfully rediscovered, almost a century later, at the American Philosophical Society.

EVER BLOOMING BEGONIAS

In a genus containing approximately 1400 plant species, begonias are not short of variety these days. It all dates back to pre-1700 when a French botanist, Charles Plumier, started the tradition of naming plants in honour of other botanists by naming begonias after Michel Bégon. William Brown was responsible for sending the very first live begonia, begonia minor, to Europe in 1777, and by 1847 seventy or eighty species were already cultivated. As they say, the rest is history.

Of all the begonia cultivars, semperflorens is one of the most popular ones commercially available. The secret to why they are so loved is cleverly wrapped up in their name. Semperflorens, meaning ‘ever blooming’ or ‘ever flowering’ is exactly what one would want from a bedding plant. In fact, every garden should be ever blooming, don’t you think?

VINCAS – YING AND YANG

Madagascar, an island off the south eastern coast of Africa, is the natural home of Catharanthus roseus, the five-petaled wonder of the medicine world. Not to be confused with Vinca minor/Vinca major, which is an evergreen ground cover that produces blue flowers in spring. It was incredibly popular and quickly spread across the globe after European colonists started exporting it. “Good Night”, “Cat’s Vinca” and “Shameless Maria” are some of the folk names it has been given in India where, historically, it was used, topically, to treat wasp stings. Chinese, Philippines and Jamaicans are also said to have used it to cure a number of ailments which ranged from diabetes to constipation!

It’s a fascinating concept to think that Vincas, more affectionately known as Cape periwinkle, could be responsible for both saving and taking lives.

PORTULACA

In some parts of the world Portulaca is aptly named the “Time flower” because the flower opens and closes at specific times of the day. You can set your clock to it. Clever little thing!

Portulaca grandiflora is part of the Portulacaceae family and is native to the hot, dry plains of northern Argentina, Uruguay and the southern Brazil. It has now been naturalised in other parts of the world. Portulacas are one of very few annual succulents. They love it hot and they are drought tolerant. They will flower from summer up until the first frost.

Portulacas mature at around 15cm in height and 30-40cm in width, variety dependent. The reddish coloured stems are prostate or slightly ascending. The green cylindrical leaves are arranged in clusters around the stem. They are pointed at the ends. Both the stems and leaves are thick, fleshy and juicy.

MARVELLOUS MARIGOLDS

Marvellous because they are the brightest and most cheerful of all the summer annuals. Erect little soldiers guarding your vegetables from ‘nasties’. An enticing nectar source for butterflies. Relentless in their ability to produce flowers throughout their lifespan. A garden is all the richer for these marvellous plants.

In South African garden centres you will more than likely find the two most common Marigolds: Tagetes patula aka French Marigold and Tagetes erecta aka African Marigold which are, despite their common names, native to Mexico and Central America. Both the French and African Marigolds have now been naturalised in other parts of the world.

 Both of these Marigolds are herbaceous annuals with a dense feathery foliage. Each plant produces many stems which rise above the leaves producing one carnation-like flower per stem.