“There is my heart, and then there is you, and I’m not sure there is a difference.”
I can not stop posting enough about the Overberg. This is truly my favourite place in the world. Home is where the heart is…
With inter-provincial travel for leisure now allowed, make sure to book a spot in any of the amazing guesthouses, guest-farms or luxury accommodation in the Overberg. It is always a good time to visit, but at the end of winter, start of spring, is probably one of the most beautiful. Canola in full bloom, bright green wheat lands, maybe a bit of snow capped mountains and magical animal life.
“I give, give you my heart
Today, tomorrow and forever
You’ll always be my love”
Even a quick visit to the Overberg, can feel like a well deserved holiday. And with it being only an hours drive from Cape Town, it makes for an easy weekend getaway or even just a day trip. So if you don’t have any plans for the coming weekend, make sure to put a trip to the Overberg on your list.
For more nature landscapes or botanical prints, visit my print page on my website. Prints come in a selection of sizes and can be customised and framed upon request.
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SACRED BAMBOO
Nandina Domestica; heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo as some call it, is a flowering plant originating from eastern Asia. This beautiful ornamental plant is widely grown in gardens because of its attractiveness.
Above: Print titled Nandina 5, is available for purchase via my website.
Although called sacred bamboo, this is in fact not a bamboo, but a semi-evergreen shrub. It’s this deciduous characteristic, that makes it an all year round beauty.
Above left: This work is titled Nandina 9, available via my website.
Above right: This work is titled Nandina 2, available via my website.
Nandina is a durable plant, and can take both full shade and sun, and is tolerant of dryer conditions, which makes it a suitable plant for many gardens. The ever changing colours of the leaves, as well as its bright red berries, makes this shrub something to be admired.
Example of the Nandina 1 print, available via my website.
Above: Nandina leaves turning colour.
Unfortunately its berries are highly toxic for many animals and it is seen as an invasive weed in many countries. So instead of admiring this plant in your garden, rather admire it as a print on your wall. If you are looking for something to brighten up your living room, pop over to my website to purchase yours.
Above left: Droplets of water on the bright red berries of the Nandina Domestica.
Above right: Close-up of bright red berries of the Nandina Domestica.
Above: Example of the Nandina 4 print paired with the Pepper tree print, available via my website.
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.
ALOE BEAUTIFUL
Moving on from my previous blog where I posted about the great qualities of the eucalyptus tree, here is another plant with great healing properties, and this one is a local, the Aloe Ferox, or as it is better known as the “Cape Aloe”.
Above: Blooming Aloe Ferox. This work is titled Aloe 3 and is available for purchase via my website.
Aloe Ferox is also called the “Bitter Aloe” or the “African Aloe Vera”, not to be confused with the typical Aloe Vera. Aloe Ferox is indigenous to southern Africa and Aloe Vera to the Americas. It also has an orange flower, whereas the Aloe Vera has a yellow flower.
Above left: This work is titled Pink Joy&Aloe, available via my website.
Above right: This work is titled Aloe 1, available via my website.
Aloe gel is said to have moisturising and anti-inflammatory effects, which can assist in the treatment of wounds like sunburn. It is also said that the latex; the sticky yellow residue, can aid in constipation.
An interesting article I read about aloe, was by Heather Dugmore, you can read it here on her website.
“From The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were all familiar with the phenomenal medicinal properties of aloe, as were the Khoisan in Southern Africa.”
Above: Example of the Aloe 3 print.
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.
EUCALYPTUS QUALITIES
EUCALYPTUS trees are highly critiqued by many South Africans because of its threat to our unique indigenous plants and also because of its heavy water consumption. Although it has a bad rap in SA, it still has marvellous qualities.
Above: Green eucalyptus leaves rustling in the wind.
Eucalyptus trees are a great forage for honey bees. They provide a reliable pollen source and an abundant flow of nectar. And we all know how important bees are for our own survival.
Above left: This work is titled Eucalyptus leaves 2, available via my website.
Above right: Eucalyptus leaves changing colour.
It also has a lot of healing and medicinal power, which comes from using the oil. The eucalyptus oil is extracted from the leaves and can be used as an antiviral with antibacterial properties, which comes in handy when you have a cold or flu.
Above left: Close-up of eucalyptus bark
Above right: Beautiful colours of the bark
Above: Eucalyptus trees seen from underneath
“The eucalyptus is a holy tree for the Aboriginals. For them it represents the division of underworld, Earth and heaven. At a spiritual level the eucalyptus has a purifying effect. Negative energy disappears in the place where you burn a eucalyptus leaf.”
(cited from thejoyofplants.co.uk/eucalyptus)
Above left: Old bark pieces beneath the trees. This work is titled WLB3 and available via my website.
Above left: This work is titled WLB2 and available via my website.
“Some people, some nations, are permanently in shade. Some people cast a shadow. Lengths of elongated darkness precede them, even in church or when the sun is in, as they say, mopped up by the dirty cloth of the could. A puddle of dark forms around their feet. It’s very pine like. The pine and darkness are one. Eucalypts are unusual in this respect: set pendulously their leaves allow see-through foliage which in turn produces a frail patterned sort of shade, if at all. Clarity, lack of darkness-these might be called ‘eucalyptus qualities’”
Above: Discarded gumnuts seedpods.
Above: Example of A1 prints in frames. Left is titled WLB2 and right WLB1. Prints available via my website.
Despite it having a bad reputation in this part of the world, it is still one of my favourite trees. I grew up surrounded by Eucalyptus trees; and in my eyes, it will always be part of South Africa and a part of me.
Shop my eucalyptus prints via my website.
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Medical disclaimer
Information is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment offered by healthcare professionals.