That lovely rain at the beginning of this month (33mm, 12mm, 35mm, 15mm, 24mm, 12mm) has caused a million mushrooms and fungi to sprout around the yard, old wood has brackets of fungi and bright orange polyps appearing, and I’ve been torn as to whether I should harvest some of the mushrooms, but time races by, and I’ve missed my chance. The birds that have started visiting the garden are as uncommon to this yard as the weather, carmine bee-eaters, woodland kingfishers, and I thought I even heard some parrots. This brings the rainy season’s total so far (28/2) to 648.5mm. Wow!

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In the Indigenous garden, almost everything has taken a pause on flowering during the prolific rains, except for Nerine bulbs that have just started flowering, and Waltherias, Spermacoces, Indigoferas, and Tephrosias. Grasses have all put seed and most have already shed their seed too.

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The Mmilo trees (Vangueria infausta) are still in the middle of fruiting, luckily trees are ripening at different times. The Pavetta zeyheri bushes (small bride’s bush) is also fruiting, small green bobbles, and the Vitex zeyheri too. Psydrax livida, has large bunches of fruit, and it is such a lovely tree, that I think I’m going to collect the seeds and see if I can grow a few more to put around the yard. Bridelia mollis fruits are still green at the moment, just waiting for them to turn black. Combretum seeds are turning beautiful russet oranges and reds.

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In the Fruit garden, the lemons are still ripening, the pomegranates are ready, cape gooseberries are following their own weird schedule and are fruiting non-stop. The peaches have all finished, and tomatoes are also almost done. The banana trees have shot up, and obviously loved the rains!

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In the Herb garden, the Tulsi is flowering, and I have an unknown that has the most pungent smelling leaves – like camphor. I’ve tried my best to find out what it is, but until it flowers I don’t think I’ll have much luck. It has single, peltate leaves, hairy and green when young, but they are now becoming reddish and smooth. It has a woody stem, so it could even be a tree, anyway if anyone has an idea, please do let me know.

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In the Garden, everything is flourishing after the rains, the jasmines, cannas, salvias, roses, tecomarias all full of flowers. The potato shrub especially, and the spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) has done splendidly, and is full of flowers. However with the rains a horde of aphids have descended on weaker plants, and so the Verbena bonariensis is struggling, along with the Leonotis.

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In the Aquatic garden, the Amazonian sword, Pontederia, Alisma and Water lilies are all flowering. Plus the Cyperus prolifer is also in full flower.

We have the most beautiful moths appearing around the house, and although they haven’t come in the numbers that occured last year, there are still so many different ones. The hornets have multiplied in droves this season, so hopefully a less painful stinger will take over in the next.

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Every year one weed seems to dominate, and it always changes. Last year it was Triumfetta pentandra, and now this year it is Bidens pilosa. The great thing about this latest weed is that the chickens love it, so I’ve managed to weed it out and put it to good use.

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