Beyond the gentle curve in this sunny pathway is a most unusual cameo that, come spring and summer time, is sublime! To describe it in gardening terms, one might write of a scarlet Kleinia that gambols at the feet of a Cape Rattle-pod heavy with yellow blooms, a shy Polygala virgata peering through its canopy. In my imagination, though, Miss Scarlet meets Colonel Mustard in the garden with the Purple Broom!

While it is not yet spring, we’re impatient for it to arrive, and this cameo gives us an idea of the topsy-turvy flowering seasons we’re currently experiencing; but, let’s get to identifying that gorgeous tumbling Kleinia. Succulent expert, Ben Botha, suggests K. abyssinica, a West African plant from Zambia. So, we’re disappointed, but, South African gardeners can replace it with K. galpinii, not as tall as this species, but producing a similar effect, and we’ll make a reference from now on to our local species. Back to the topsy-turvy flowering times; normal flowering times for K. galpinii is December to February /March, Crotalaria capensis from October to April, and the Purple Broom, Polygala virgata, from September to February. But, in this garden of landscaper Jenny Dean, plants celebrate the beginning of spring in full colour. I don’t ever recall seeing them without.

Kleinia galpinii has blue-green lance-shaped leaves with smooth, entire margins that grow in upright rosettes. Familiar orange to scarlet buttons nod gracefully from the tips of branching stems well above the leaves, large and soft, and I find the impulse to touch them impossible to resist! Varying inland nurseries suggest plants grow to between 25 and 45 cm; the species in our display top 60 cm, but plants do tend to grow large in our benevolent coastal climate.  Once established the Kleinia is extremely drought hardy though this species requires rain in the heat of summer, and they cope with a light to moderate frost. Steer clear of fertilisers that encourage leggy growth; instead, mulch the soil with compost. Kleinia galpinii likes full sun but will tolerate a little afternoon shade, suggests Jenny, and I recall Elsa Pooley mentioning she finds sibling Kleinia fulgens does better with some afternoon shade when grown away from the coast. Plants root easily from cuttings planted in free-draining garden soil. Flowers attract butterflies, bees and other insects. If you find K. galpinii difficult to source, mass Kleinia fulgens beneath the Cape Rattle-pod for a similar impact.