More Bloom Day in March

The borders along the upper lawn in our Kigali garden are blooming particularly well this month. I took these pictures yesterday.

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Our front garden is a rather formal arrangement of two long lawns that run parallel to each other and to the length of the house and its terrace. The narrow upper one is separated from the much wider lower one by two sets of 3′ retaining walls, which are joined in the center by a flight of steps. Irregularly curving planting beds border both sides of the lower lawn and one side of the upper.

I’ve tried to balance the formal layout with an informal, sort of “country garden” planting plan. The beds contain a closely planted mix of tropical and temperate plants and shrubs. Most are cultivated, but the “wild” plants and vines that work their self-seeding way up through the jumble can stay if they they add nice textures or colors.

The beds between the retaining walls and the one along the far side of the lower lawn are anchored by several large, often flowering, shrubs and lianas, and even some small trees.

Because of the vigorous plants and the constant warm weather, I’m always pruning or chopping something back.

Almost every plant repeats in the garden, often in several places.  But each 7′ to 15′ section of border has its own primary and secondary colors and then a bit of a third color trailing through the middle or around the edges.

The border along the upper lawn starts out orange and white (with a little pink) at its south end, then becomes yellow and blue/purple with some orange to the center steps. On the north side of the steps, it is yellow and blue/purple again with a stronger trail of orange (red hot poker, lantana, tropical hibiscus). At the north end, it is red and pink with blue around the edges.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is the 15th of every month. To see what’s blooming today in other bloggers’ gardens, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

My earlier March Bloom Day post today is here.

Looking north down the retaining wall borders.

On the south side, Plumbago auriculata (or capensis) is blooming.

I cut it back hard periodically to keep it at about 3′.

On the left is lemongrass; at the south end of the border, abutilons.

A pink-veined abutilon flower.

Kniphofia uvaria and a white abutilon.

Looking north again: Graptopetalum in the tall pot.

Two borders: one at the edge of the lawn and one below a 3′ stone retaining wall.

Looking down on the lower border: l.to r., Stachytarpheta, a purple crotin, orange lantana. . .

and bright blue Eranthemum nervosum.

A variegated ginger in the lower left corner, another purple crotin, and an orange tropical hibiscus.

Another K. uvaria. The stepping stones allow access to a garden hose.

I haven’t identified this self-seeded shrub. There are thorns along the stems.

At the right: pink Clerodendron thomsoniae var. delectum piled on a bamboo and rebar support.

A grey-blue Kalanchoe (maybe K. daigremontiana) at the base of the pot.

In the lower bed: a tangle of Russelia equisetiformis, a rose, Stachytarpheta.

My hybrid tea roses are climbers. I either cut them back frequently or arch the stems and stake them down.

Pink-yellow Lantana camera. It’s so invasive in Rwanda, but so useful in my garden. I cut the seeds off frequently.

A small dark pink rose.

The tall plants with big leaves at the top left are Heliconia rostrata.

A small pink shrub rose.

Variegated crotins (I believe).

Looking south, back down the borders.

A pink zonal geranium. It wants to climb and has to be cut back often.

A Thunbergia erecta flower.

At the north end of the borders, a Mussaenda erthrophylla grows up into an acacia tree.