Easter eggs or Holiday eggs?
A rumour spread on social media that Cadbury’s would market Easter eggs as Holiday eggs has shocked those who heard it.
This bad news has since been denied by Cadbury’s but has left a bad taste in the mouth.
In Christian tradition, Easter eggs were created to symbolise new life. This refers to Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday three days after he was crucified.
If Easter eggs are to symbolise new life, we could instead plant or gift the bulbs of the season, as each is packaged by mother nature to contain a completely new life in them, waiting to grow.
“Bulbs are a reflection of all that is majestic in nature; they nurture us in body and soul.” — Charles Barnhoorn.
Woolworths has some worthwhile bulb specials on offer at the moment. This is what most gardeners would prefer to a chocolate memento.
These include freesias, Dutch irises, anemone and ranunculi.
They are the perfect gift even for someone who does not have a garden as they may be successfully grown in containers too.
What about chincherinchees?
Award-winning botanist and South African garden designer Leon Kluge chose to showcase our indigenous chincherinchees (ornithogalum) in his exhibit at the Shenzhen Flower Show recently where he walked away with the Grand Gold award and the Best Garden on Show award.
For those who like to grow their own flowers for the vase, chincherinchees are a winner as they are an exceedingly long-lasting cut flower.
The plant has delicate white/green star-shaped flowers clustered together at the top of a long stem.
Grow them in full sun in well-draining soil enriched with compost. Keep the soil moist with regular deep watering
The bulbs of the winter-growing chincherinchees (ornithogalum thyrsoides) may be planted in April. They flower from spring until late summer.
Summer flowering chincherinchees bulbs (ornithogalum saundersiae) are to be planted in August. They are also called the giant chincherinchee.
They have white to cream flowers with black ovaries and bloom between December and March. (Note that the bulbs are extremely poisonous).
Or you might like to take a different tack. An alternative is to source plants which smell like chocolate.
Indigenous pelargonium tomentosum indierous, also commonly known as the peppermint-scented pelargonium, emits a chocolate peppermint scent when you scrunch leaves between your fingers.
These leaves may be used for tea, culinary purposes to flavour cakes as well as puddings, and to repel insects.
It is an attractive plant which has large, soft, velvety, heart-shaped aromatic leaves and small white flowers.
Plant it in the semi-shade where its low-growing branches spread in all directions.
The green foliage has a dark chocolate-coloured marking in its centre.
Grow it in a spot where you may enjoy its fragrance and the beauty of its dew-spangled leaves in the morning.
It is drought tolerant. Allow the soil to dry out before watering again to prevent root rot.
The plant does not respond well to rich soil as this reduces its fragrance. It prefers well-draining soil.
They are very easy to propagate from stem cuttings. Grows to about 70 centimetres in height.
Leaves are velvety due to being covered with soft hairs.
Plants are used for the production of natural peppermint-scented essential oil in South Africa.
Prune in autumn to maintain a bushy shape. Remove old or damaged leaves to keep it looking its best. It may be fed in springtime with a potassium-rich fertiliser.
Banana peels are rich in potassium and phosphates, which stimulate the stem and keep the leaves a healthy green.
Cut banana peels into small pieces 1 to 2.5cm in size. Place these bits in water for about two to three days during which time the peels soften and let go of these nutrients.
Or dig a small hole near the base of the plants and bury the peels in the soil.
(Tomatoes appreciate a fertiliser high in potassium and phosphorous and low in nitrogen too).
Other chocolate-scented plants are the chocolate cosmos (atrosanguineus) which has deep reddish-brown, velvety flowers that have a cocoa scent.
It is said to thrive in our gardens and blooms during summer. It needs to be grown in well-drained soil and full sun, and can be divided in spring.
Chocolate vine (akebia quinata) is a fast, vigorous-growing climber which has a trailing habit. It produces dark chocolate maroon flowers in spring which have a subtle chocolate vanilla fragrance.
Akebia quinata is best planted to grow on a trellis, arbour or in a large container.
Indigenous bush chocolate (oncoba spinosa), also called the fried egg flower, is a shrub or small tree that produces large white flowers with a mass of sweetly scented golden stamens at the centre.
The chocolate daisy (brlandiera lyrata) is an herbaceous perennial which has daisy-like flowers that emit a strong chocolate scent, especially in the morning, becoming more prominent as the day becomes warmer.
These are a North American species which are heat-and drought-tolerant. They attract beneficial insects such as butterflies and other pollinators.
The plant is popular for growing in sensory gardens.
Chocolate bells (trichodesma physaloides) have drooping flowers with brownish-purple calyces and white corollas in early spring. The leaves of the plant have sessile (no stem of its own), bluish green leaves.
If you are travelling to KwaZulu-Natal, you might like to explore the chocolate-inspired gardens established in 2017 on the De Charmoy Estate, where a variety of chocolate-themed plants are growing.
These are a selection of chocolate-coloured plants, chocolate-scented flowers, chocolate mint and chocolate sunflowers and vines.
They have even renamed a tree with chocolate-coloured under leaves (chrysophyllum oliviforme) the chocolate tree.
The leaves are glossy dark green on top with a coppery bronze underneath. In the wind, the leaves take on a shimmery effect.
The child-friendly gardens inspired by Ava Miles’s book, The Chocolate Garden, were designed by Lindsay Gray.
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