Allyssum

(Sweet) Alyssum
(Lobularia maritima)

4 to 8 inches tall by 1 foot wide Honey-scented flowers are white, pink, rose or purple. Late spring until frost Alyssum may decline in midsummer.

Shear, feed and water to rejuvenate.

Nemesia – wildflower and culivar

Family: Scrophulariaceae
Common names: Mauve nemesia (E)
Wildeleeubekkie (A)

Nemesia fruticans occurs naturally throughout the summer rainfall grassland areas of South Africa where it grows mostly in among rocks. Like many other grassland perennials it has a woody taproot that helps it survive fires and winter frost.
The flowers resemble little snapdragon flowers, with two lips and a spur. They are dusty-pink or mauve or even whiter in colour and decorated with bright yellow protuberances in the throat. The mauve nemesia flowers mostly at the beginning of spring (September-October), but the flowering season can extend through summer to autumn. The seeds are produced in flat capsules which are dry and whitish to yellow-brown in colour.

The genus Nemesia is found only in South Africa and has about seventy species. The family Scrophulariaceae is the large snapdragon family which consists of about 5 100 species worldwide. Amongst them, the foxgloves or Digitalis are known to contain certain drug chemicals. In South Africa there are 79 genera of the family Scrophulariaceae.

Growing Nemesia fruticans

Nemesia fruticans is used mostly as a flowering bedding plant and as an ornamental pot plant. Various colour forms are available from specialist nurseries.

It is best propagated by seed sown in March for summer flowering. It can also be propagated by means of cuttings. Cuttings are best taken in spring when regrowth commences and active root formation takes place. Special colour forms are best propagated from cuttings.

The mauve nemesia prefers well-drained soil, enriched with compost. It prefers to be planted in a sunny position. It can be treated as an annual and will self-seed if plants have been allowed to set seed before removal. Alternatively it can be treated as a perennial and cut back after flowering each year, or in early spring. It is frost tolerant. Although the upper growth is damaged by frost, the plant will resprout from the taproot.

If you are looking for seeds, this is my favourite source: http://www.provenwinners.com/plants/?doSearch=1&searchGenus=Nemesia

Lobelia – wildflower and cultivar

Lobelia
Family: Campanulaceae
Subfamily: Lobelioideae

A popular flowering plant comprising 360–400 species, with a sub-cosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate regions. English names include Lobelia, Asthma Weed, Indian Tobacco, Pukeweed, and Vomitwort.

Lobelia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Setaceous Hebrew Character.

Lobelia erinus is a very popular ornamental plant in gardens, grown for its long flowering period, from mid spring to early autumn. Edging Lobelia, Garden Lobelia or Trailing Lobelia) is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.[1]

It is a prostrate or scrambling herbaceous perennial plant growing to 8–15 cm tall. The basal leaves are oval, 10 mm long and 4-8 mm broad, with a toothed margin; leaves higher on the stems are slender and sometimes untoothed. The flowers are blue to violet in wild plants,Edging Lobelia, Garden Lobelia or Trailing Lobelia) is a species of Lobelia native to southern Africa, from Malawi and Namibia south to South Africa.

It is a prostrate or scrambling herbaceous perennial plant growing to 8–15 cm tall. The basal leaves are oval, 10 mm long and 4-8 mm broad, with a toothed margin; leaves higher on the stems are slender and sometimes untoothed. The flowers are blue to violet in wild plants. It is perennial in subtropical climates, but often grown as an annual plant in colder areas. Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, with a wide range of flower colours, including white, pink, red, pale to dark blue, and purple. Some of the better known cultivars are ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Cascade’, ‘Gracilis’ and ‘Rosamund’.

The genus is named after the Belgian botanist Matthias de Lobel (1538–1616).

An active ingredient in the lobelia plant, lobeline, is similar to nicotine in its effect on the body. Like nicotine, it stimulates nerves in the central nervous system. For this reason, lobeline was once used as a nicotine substitute in many anti-smoking products and preparations designed to break the smoking habit. In 1993, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibited the sale of lobeline-containing smoking products. The FDA reported that such products lacked effectiveness in helping people quit or reduce smoking.

It is important to note that lobelia is a potentially toxic herb. Lobelia can be safely used in very small doses (particularly homeopathic doses), but moderate-to-large doses can cause serious adverse effects ranging from dry mouth and nausea to convulsions and even coma (see Precautions). Under the guidance of a qualified health care provider, however, lobelia, in combination with other herbs that affect the respiratory system, is considered relatively safe. Additional information on it’s medical uses: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lobelia-000264.htm

Saponaria

Wildflower
- Soapwort, Bouncing Bet
(S. Officinalis) (Family: Caryophyllaceae

So named because of the sudsy soap-like quality when petals are crushed and rubbed. They come in a variety of showy blooms ranging from white to pink to mauve. Phlox-like and fragrant wildflower. Bounding Bet uses the imagery of the bouncing movement of a washerwoman using a washing board.

Saponaria is native to both North America and Europe. It can be grown very successfully if transplanted early in spring to the garden or grown from seed and does very well, even establishing itself to continue year to year.