Osteospurmum seedlings for Sue in Milan

This is an osteospurmum seedling for Sue in Milan, who's discovered loads in her English garden. We have about 4 colours of these plants, plus a spoon petalled one and whenever we've turned our backs, new seedlings pop up and in one season they can grow to a metre in diameter.
This is an old self-seeded clump, much in need of a drop of water......later, when the temperature drops. It's 45C out in the sun at the moment.

Carissa macrocarpa - Natal Plum

Friend, Yvonne, gave us a tiny cutting of this gorgeous shrub last year and now it's going crazy. The smell of the jasmine-like blossom is divine. One day it will look like this.

There's a lot going on in our semillero. It's like the tryffids getting in there as the Paulownia leaves take up most of the space. But tucked at the back are a few Chirimoya seedlings. This is the custard-apple tree. The fruit is full of shiny large black seeds and we planted them just to see what would happen. I can never get over the miracle of a thriving plant from seed: I think all the loving talk to them must help.

Marula - signs of life

One tiny little seedling so it's a start. Our friend's seeds are about a month ahead and the seedlings about 12" high.

Marula (Sclerocarya birrea)

A dear friend has shared her Marula seeds that she ordered from South Africa. They have to sit in damp peat moss for 2 weeks to allow the plugs to soften and be removed and thereafter the seed planted again in the peat moss. Some time down the line, ha ha, it will grow into this...


The distribution of this species throughout Africa has followed the Bantu in their migrations as it's been important in their diet. The leaves are chewed to aid indigestion and heartburn; the bark used to treat malaria and inner bark used to alleviate the pain of scorpion stings and snake bites.


Here are the fruits, which are commonly eaten fresh or used to prepare juice, jelly or an alcoholic drink.

I know very little about the tree apart from what I gleaned from Wikipedia, so would like to hear from anyone who's been successful in propagating from seed and how big the tree has grown.

Mediterranean harvest

What a lovely haul. The first real grapes from this vine, which was grafted from a wild vine shoot by Gonzalo last year. There are several bunches and they have the most delicious flavour, something like the German wine, Mosel.

Below are the green and red peppers, aubergines and two paraguayos. Alas, the wind blew away the only two baby ones we had this first year of planting the paraguayos tree so I've had to resort to buying some to show you.
I am snowed under with aubergine and have made a great dip, Baba Ghanoush. Here's the recipe.

2 large aubergines (about 700g)
2 garlic cloves, more if you like
half tsp. salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. ground cumin
pinch pepper

Prick the aubergines with fork and grill, turning occasionally until the skin blisters and blackens. When cool, peel off the skin. Drain excess liquid off the aubergine flesh.

Pound the garlic and salt until smooth, transfer to a food process and add the aubergine, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and pepper. Can add yoghurt to make it runnier, but I didn't. Have a taste and add more cumin or garlic, whatever, if you want.

Transfer to bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped parsely or coriander and serve with Arabic flat bread/roti or pitta bread.

A Spanish recipe for aubergine would be to slice the aubergines, dip in a light batter and fry. Drizzle with honey before serving.

Happy eating.