Food at revamped Elements Cafe is good, but pricey
SPRING is such a joyous time of the year as everything wakes up and we wait in anticipation for the new leaves and flowers to appear from their winter dormancy.
I feel spring is starting earlier each year, with the odd cold snap confusing us. The snow that fell a few weeks ago after the heavy rain brought so much delight to those who had never experienced it before.
But not for me. I love the sun as it brings so much life.
I have been visiting a number of nurseries in KwaZulu-Natal this week and the one plant that is always Things to do this month: “This is the time to prune all your shrubs. I have just this past week cut back all my
(coastal silver-oak), Tecoma capensis (Cape Honey suckle), Plumbago auriculata, Dombeya burgessiae (Pink Dombeya), Leonotis leonoris (wild dagga) and hypoestes aristata (Ribbon Bush).
Make sure you have a sharp pair of pruners so that you don’t tear the cuts and make the cuts at a slight angle so that when it rains the water runs off the cut area. Mulch with leaves that fall an indicator plant that spring has arrived is the blood lily, Scadoxus puniceus.
Dormant in winter, this bulb slowly pushes its spike through the soil exposing a flower that always brings a smile to my face. It is best to plant this bulb en masse as seeing this in bloom, especially in dark shade, is wonderful.
One tree that is fun watching awaken after winter is common in the greater Durban region. Albizia adianthifolia, or the flat crown, is found growing in most parks, forest regions and urban gardens. Not only does it create shade in summer but produces spectacular fragrant flowers in spring, and is adored by elephants and butterflies.
It is a pioneer tree and often pops up in gardens that have recently been disturbed, or in open land being prepared for development. It can grow up to 20m. It is recognisable in open in your garden to keep the soil warm, prevent weed growth and provide some organic matter to the exposed soil area.
“Lift, split and replant many of your groundcovers. I do this every year and I find the growth on those plants that have been split and replanted far superior to many of those not divided.
Plants that respond best include Anthericum saundersiae (weeping Anthericum), Chlorophytum forest and ravines along the coastal regions of the province.
The tree has a distinctive grey to reddish brown bark that is rough and used extensively by traditional healers. I remember when I was a young student many years ago, working with Geoff Nichols at Silverglen Nature Reserve, and had to paint the bark to prevent it being used in the muti trade.
The leaves are characteristic of the legume family; four to eight pairs of pinnae each bearing six to 12 pairs of leaflets, which are rectangular with the midrib diagonally across it. The flowers are spectacular – appearing in mid-August to November.
They stand up above the foliage with white petals that are joined for at least two thirds of their length. Stamens are fused partly to form a tube. Very fragrant. Once pollinated bowkeri (hen and chicken), Tulbaghia violaceae (wild garlic), Dietes grandiflora (wild Iris), Crassula multicarva (Fairy Crassula), Tetradenia riparia (Iboza) and Plectranthus ciliatus.
Once you have lifted the plants remove any dead or diseased leaves, cut off dead roots, cut back some of the leaves especially on the Chlorophytums to reduce the water loss from the plant.
Prepare the soil well with it produces a very thin pod which dries and dehisces, opening to expose small, flat brown seeds.
Although this tree is not under threat, over-collecting by traditional healers ringbarking and removing the bark is putting strain on the wild populations. The bark is used to cleanse blood.
Flat crowns usually occur in moist and tropical areas such as forests and woodlands. Geographically, it is distributed from the northern parts of the Eastern Cape throughout the tropical countries up into Senegal in West Africa and east to Ethiopia, and Madagascar.
Flat-crowns produce such an abundance of flowers that they attract butterflies that feed off the nectar and sap that seeps out of the branches.
There are two impressive butterflies, Charaxes cithaeron and Charaxes ethalion that lay their eggs on the leaves lots of decomposed compost and add superphosphates to strengthen the root systems of the plants. Replant the groundcovers and water well. I would water twice a week till you see the new growths appearing.
“Cut back your grassland grasses especially Aristida junciformis (Ngongoni grass) and Melinus nerviglumis (Natal red top). Once cut back they will produce a new flush of green which the hatching caterpillars feed on. Elephants feed on the foliage. It is also used extensively throughout Africa for medicinal purposes from controlling tapeworms, to treating headaches, sinusitis and warding off evil spirits. The Zulus sometimes make a love charm emetic from it.
It is easy to grow from seed. Soak overnight in warm water and sow the next morning. The tree is quick growing and produces impressive shade. It will lose its leaves in winter so be careful about growing this tree next to swimming pools.
To me, this is one of the most iconic trees found in KwaZulu-Natal and should be grown in most gardens.
This article is sponsored by Chris Dalzell Landscapes, specialising in landscaping, consultation and Botanical expeditions. If you have any questions, please e-mail: cgmdalzell@gmail.com leaves as the days lengthen and the rains begin in spring.
In many of the grasslands these grasses get burnt once every few years which rejuvenates the soil.
This weekend the Botanical Society will hold its annual plant fair at the exhibition grounds near the workshop.
If you are looking for all the plants I have discussed over the years this is the place to find all those plants. They will also have experts on hand to assist you with any queries. Happy gardening. ELEMENTS CAFE Beverly Hills Hotel, 54 Lighthouse Road,Umhlanga Phone: 031 561 2211 Open: Daily, noon-9.30pm MY WIFE has a soft spot for this restaurant and so, I discovered, has a close friend who recalls some largely liquid lunches there.
So the three of us met in the bar for a drink before having an evening meal. With it being the weekend, we weren’t sure how busy it would be and had booked. Some of the diners were sitting outside, but we were happy to sit inside. During the day the view from the terrace of the beachfront is wonderful.
The plastic moulded chairs were very comfortable. Dotted around the restaurant were flat-screens, where stunning images appeared on a rotation – a wonderful way to show South Africa to spectacular effect.
There was a relaxed weekend feel about the place, with kids wandering around.
The restaurant has been recently revamped, according to my wife, and we were curious to see what had changed. We had brought our drinks from the bar – a glass of Altydgedacht Sauvignon Black (R50) and a 500ml Heineken draught (R50) – and had a look at the menu.
I gulped a little when I saw the prices, but our friend, recently returned from London, accepted them cheerfully after comparing them to prices overseas.
After some discussion we chose to share the antipasto (R145) that included a selection of Italian cured meats, Kalamata olives, mozzarella, baby vine tomatoes, artichokes and warm flat bread.
In some ways it was the highlight of the evening. There was enough for all three of us, the cured meats included slices of parma ham and salami, a big bowl of olives and lovely bread. We pretty much cleared the platter.
I ordered the Durban lamb curry from the mains menu, but after a few minutes our waitron arrived at our table to apologise and say they had run out of the dish.
Hard to imagine in one of eThekwini’s best hotels. Instead I ordered the lightly battered grilled fresh linefish that came with a pea purée, homemade tartare sauce and French fries (R135).
The delicious fish flaked easily, the pea puree was tasty and the chips were very good.
I had a glass of Lanzarec Merlot (R85) with my meal, and at that price it has to be reasonably enjoyable and I had a second.
My wife ordered the pistachio chicken, consisting of chicken breast coated in pistachio nuts, egg noodles, braised bok choy and peanut satay sauce and served on stirfried vegetables (R135). She loved her meal.
Our friend ordered the bouillabaisse seafood soup (R135) from the starters menu. It included mussels, fresh fish, calamari and grilled prawns and was served with warm crusty baguette and rouille. It looked most impressive and I was filled with food envy when it arrived.
Although in the starter section, it was a meal in itself and he happily busied himself digging into the soup to find the choicest morsels. The flavour of the sauce was surprisingly light and it was delicious. Eventually he called a halt to his eating, saying he could not finish it all.
For dessert we chose the Oreo and Nutella fridge cheesecake (R75) that came with white praline macaroons and Valrhona Caramelia ganache, and was enjoyable for not being over-sweet, while our friend went for the creme brulee (R75) which proved to be a big disappointment. Basically it was a big bowl of custard without the fun part – the baked top that one has to break to get to the custard underneath.