Sprouting seeds is easy. Place seeds in a jar and cover with gauze.
Cover seeds with water and leave to soak overnight.
Drain water through the gauze and stand the jar in bright light. Not sun, as this will dry the seeds out.
Thereafter, simply rinse the seeds with water and drain, every 8-10 hours until the seeds germinate and sprout.
Then enjoy their nutritious goodness any way you like.
White spider lilies are a perennial bulb from central america. They like moist soil and are hardy and hassle-free. Divide them every so often to keep them flowering.
Agave potatorum
Sadly this means the Mother plant will perish after flowering but it has produced numerous pups during it’s lifetime.
I had to protect this plant from afternoon direct sun in the Karoo, but otherwise this small, compact Agave is hassle-free to grow.
Agave potatorum is used to make a mexican wine called pulque.
Syngoniun podophyllum, Arrowhead vine.
This exotic tree is popular in South Africa but is no longer allowed to be planted here. This one flowering in Ladismith, Little Karoo.
This spiney shrub blends in with the karoo scrub until it blooms profusely in the summer with bright yellow flowers, dotting the veld like bright gold nuggets.
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Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Trees, water-wise
This South African cultivar sends out leaves and scape at the same time after a season of vegetative growth. It can be grown in a pot or in the ground and it’s long lasting blooms are prized as cut flowers. They thrive when transplanted every few years.
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Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Plants, Spring
Sceletium tortuosum is a rare succulent plant that has medicinal properties that relieves anxiety and lifts depression in those with a serotonin imbalance.
It is used by the first people of South Africa, the Khoikhoi and the San during hunting expeditions as it reduces appetite and increases stamina.
It can be chewed, drank as tea or snuffed with different effects according to the method taken.
It is prepared traditionally by fermenting and then drying the herb.
It occurs in the karroo regions of the western cape, typically growing prostrate under the shade of other bushes and trees.
Tagetes patula is native to Guatumala and Mexico. The flowers are used to add to poultry feed to intensify the color of egg yolk. The essential oil is used in perfumery. It is also used as a pesticide, grown alongside vegetables to fumigate for nematodes. It is used as a saffron-like spice.
The bright flowers of Marigold are also used in the festival of the Day of the Dead in Mexico. They are said to guide the spirits of the departed to their friends and loved ones.
Towerkop Nursery 