Zauschneria arizonica
What an amazing autumn! We almost always have had a dusting of snow by now, or light frost. But this fiery summer blazes
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Despite the balmy 54 degrees Fahrenheit it is as I write this, today is the official start of winter. The winter solstice not only marks the official start of winter but ironically the return to longer and eventually warmer days. Winter has already made several visits to Denver long before the winter solstice this year. 
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The symbol of Kirstenbosh, the National Botanical Garden in Capetown, is the Bird of Paradise. An amazing “albino” (which is missing the red pigment and has the still has the yellow pigment) was released a few years ago as Strelitzia reginae ‘Mandela’s Gold.’ We were thrilled to see this in several places around Kirstenbosch and also in private gardens. But South Africa is not just for plant nerds.
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Although I have been to Capetown on all of my six trips to South Africa, this was the first one where I managed to actually get to the top of Table Mountains.
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If there were a beauty contest for cities, Capetown would surely be in the final cut, and anyone visiting this week would give Capetown the crown, The weather changes as quickly as New England this time of year. We have had torrential rain, crystal clear calm days with aquamarine skies, overcast and contemplative weather, and blustery sun–all in the last four days. Springtime in Capetown is captivating in all this weather. And the flowers! Protea in a multitude of species and genera are everywhere:
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Clivia miniata
These first two pictures depict a formal garden planted in a neighborhood park not far from the United States ambassador’s residence in Pretoria. Never have I seen such meticulously clipped plants in such brilliant, contrasting colors! South Africa was first colonized by Europeans creating a garden to provision ships, and people have come here to garden ever since.
More commonly (as in the third picture) you find gardens featuring
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I worried — why leave North America at the height of late summer, with the veggies overflowing in the garden, the leaves turning…the answer is Africa in springtime. What a glorious time to be here and get a second spring in the same year. Temperatures in Johannesburg and Pretoria were perfect, the days sunny, and flowers overflowing.
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