Birthday spekboom
This year for my birthday I received a lovely variegated spekboom (porkbush for the official English name and Portulacaria afra f. foliis variegatus if you are looking for it in your local nursery). The variegated form is a pleasant change from the normal green varieties. It has lighter green leaves, with white/bleached green tips and reddish pink stems and young shoots.
The spekboom is fast growing. They are tolerate drought (but do not love it) and loves full sun. Be careful of frost though, a large shrub has some tolerance (with a large bush the size protects the inner leaves, but the outer ones will die), but from experience I prefer bringing mine indoors in the winter. When planting in a container, make sure that you plant it in well-draining soil.
Quick Tip: Look for succulent mix at your nursery. This works well with most plants looking for well-draining soil. If it is not available, mix your own by adding coarse river sand to your normal potting mix. Mix the river sand and potting soil half and half. Remember to add bonemeal to your mix.
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| Portulacaria afra |
For variety, you have a few options. The 'standard' spekboom looks similar to the jade plant (Crassula ovata), although the red stems of young growth differentiate it. It can grow up to 5m in the wild, but in cultivation it will be closer to 2m. The leaves are edible and have a sour/tart flavour. Its blooms are a mass of soft pink, though it rarely blooms when grown in the garden.
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| Portulacaria afra f. prostrata |
Different forms are available from cultivation. 'Prostrata' is a low growing form with smaller leaves that spill from the container. They look great in hanging containers or will work well as a rockery groundcover.
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| Portulacaria afra f. foliis variegatus |
'Foliis variegatus' is also a low growing form. It is a slower grower than its green leaved cousins. It has a very handsome brother with the name 'Medio-picta'. In this handsome form, you find the variegation inverted. With a white stripe down the middle of the leaf and green surrounding it, the leaf looks very handsome on the bright red stems of its fresh growth (making the common name, mid-stripe rainbow bush, very fitting).
Another upright form comes from the northern parts of South Africa, 'Limpopo'. It has large leaves that can grow up to 30mm long. And finally, a golden prostrate form, 'Aurea'. It is a sun hungry form that displays yellow leaves on red stems.
The spekboom will tolerate partial shade, however, 'Foliis variegatus', 'Medio-picta' and 'Aurea' will perform best with a full day's sun. 'Aurea' will not be a vibrant yellow with its sun requirements unmet.
Why grow these interesting succulents? They do well in a container on a sunny patio. You have a few interesting choices available. Drying out is not their favourite thing, but you should be able to recover them if your mind was wondering and they ended up bone dry. Propagation is easy and rewarding (think birthday present for all your plant loving friends). You can add them to your salad for a little zing. They are being used in South Africa to rehabilitate land and for carbon sequestering, though they are not completely unique in their carbon sequestering ability.
Quick Tip: To propagate, simply cut a branch. Allow the cutting to dry for a day and then place in river sand. Water once a week. I had the best results when I kept the cuttings in partial shade. My shortest cutting resulting in a viable plant was courtesy of my toddler: two leaves. Cuttings will start rooting in 6 weeks, though the variegated forms are slower.
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