Seneca Hill Perennials

February 3, 2008

Grand day today!  After a fine breakfast at Glen Avon,  we headed out towards Tordoon via Hogsback, stopping en route in Bedford for Cameron to collect Haemanthus montanus seed for a germ plasm bank (experimenting w/freezing embryos) while John and I poked around and didn’t find anything wildly exciting (a nice berkheya, widespread, Hibiscus pusillus, the bones of a dead sheep or antelope, plus we visited the site of the little Bedford form of Eucomis autumnalis and I got one decent photo  -I am keeping my website needs in mind).

We then went up over Hogsback, stopping to photograph Streptocarpus rexii , Satyrium parviflorum, and a few attractive ferns.  In artist’s colony at top (town of Hogsback?) stopped at Nina’s, a bizarre little immaculate “restaurant” that didn’t have much to serve (we got coffee), but the owner was nonetheless quite perturbed that we sat at an outdoor table (no competition) and ate our own food with her coffee, even though she did not appear to have any food to serve.  Immaculate bathroom, though – excellent.  Bought a garish walking stick for 20R from a toothless old reprobate (actually, he was quite sweet) – made his day  -and headed on up to Tordoon to see Cameron’s cherished pink swamp watsonia, which C thinks is a new species and J is quite convinced is  W. amatolae.  Found only a few small specimens in bloom – also a small and charming white orchid (Disperis wealii) and Chironia krebbsii, these all in a seasonally wet but now drier “vlei”. And then the fun began – wandered up from the vlei into slightly higher ground, found a lovely Gladiolus ecklonii, collected seed of a Helichrysum sp. (clumps of woolly basal foliage, bare stems w/multiple white flowers, each roughly 2cm across), and then – major moment – started finding plants of what seems to be an unusual form of Kniphofia parviflora, standing about 1m tall, with flower colors ranging from deep brownish-purple thru a stunning deep brownish-red  Also saw a lovely clump of Aloe ecklonii in full bloom, and some attractive delospermas, most white w/pinkish eye but one pure white (got seeds of both).  Found what Cameron determined to be Massonia jasminiflora, not on list for that area (the two local recorders for CREW showed up and joined us – a lovely older couple, names now forgotten, alas, checklist in hand, so massonia was duly added); saw several nice Eucomis autumnalis, which in the wild is short, stocky, unlike anything I ever manage to grow. 

Eventually headed up the road a bit to check out a different area, and there I managed (while reaching for blackberries on the road cut, which was maybe all of 3 feet high) to lose my footing and fall right on my face on a rock, deeply gouging my right glasses lens (plastic, not glass) and putting a large egg and small abrasion on my forehead.  But my camera was OK, and I had brought my old glasses along – truly amazing foresight – so all is well, though my camera lens cap has gone missing and will probably not be found.  It shook me up -didn’t do much clambering after that – but shortly we headed back, via the _____River, which we visited the last time I was here -took a few scenic shots – shortly after that I spotted a Gladiolus mortonius, so we  stopped so J could collect plant material and a DNA sample.  Then on to Cameron’s family farm, where we have had absolutely royal treatment.  John and I are in Cameron’s cottage, in splendor, with fresh unused bars of soap, shampoos, fresh fruit, biscuits, tea and coffee, all possible breakfast makings…wow.  Heather and Nigel (Cameron’s brother) are perfect hosts and delightful people.  Before dinner and after showering, I stepped outside to hasten my hair drying and for the first time ever heard the sound of sheep grazing in the adjoining pen – a lovely soft tugging of grass.  For dinner we ate lamb, of course.

Between before dinner and after, got accumulated seeds cleaned and packaged and pictures labeled. 

Every time we drive past an antique shop in these towns, John and I whine a little (not seriously) and it totally goes past Cameron – he is not programmed to hear it.

I must get to bed - tomorrow we start off in a slightly leisurely fashion, but botanize around the farm property (large, of course) for most of the day before starting for Sterkstroom and the Stagger Inn (2 days in the Andriesberg).  Should be grand.