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| Sutera breviflora |
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| Sutera breviflora |
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| Sutera cf halimifolia |
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| Sutera cf halimifolia |
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| Sutera sp Silverhill |
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| Sutera sp Silverhill |
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| Felicia mossambadensis |
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| Felicia mossambadensis |
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| Felicia mossambadensis |
Sutera and the closely related if not synonymous Jamesbrittonia are nice little bushy scrophs from South Africa and nearby that tend to bloom for long periods of time. Some hybrids or selections have been introduced into the US trade under the grossly incorrect name of Bacopa, which is an entirely different, mostly aquatic genus of tropical plants. Sutera breviflora grows high in the Drakensberg and my plants come from seeds collected long ago by Panayoti Kelaidis and resurrected from the fridge to give me a few plants this year. One thing that is important to keep in mind with Sutera and Jamesbrittonia is that if you want seed, you need genetically different clones, they are usually self incompatable or nearly so. I got about three or so plants and got them to set plenty of tiny seeds, it is a tedious task picking the minute ripe pods from the delicate and somewhat sticky stems. I set the two plants that remained by summers end into pockets in a pile of rock that I made while breaking up mostly mica type scheist underneath one of my raised beds in the backyard with a small jackhammer. I will see how they fare the winter, though admittedly they were planted late and are quite exposed to the elements. Nonetheless I got more than enough seeds to start another generation if need be, and the little pinkish flowers are a delight in a container or crevice. Sutera cf halmifolia came either from PK or myself, cant recall correctly, but it produces plenty of seeds and is not as hardy as breviflora but might self sow if I am lucky. It is not quite as showy, being a rather delicate plant in appearance, but it blooms all summer long. The third species, a white flowered one, came from Silverhill and as luck would have it only one germinated so I cut the plant back and am overwintering it. I collected what could be seed but I see no germination thus far, and have started the remainders of other packets of Sutera sp from SH so in case I didn't plant all of them the first time maybe I will find a partner for this floriferous little thing. It looked very nice in a container on the patio all summer long.
Felicia mossambadensis is my own introduction, I was first intrigued by it when I found it growing wild in Gaborone, Botswana on my first trip to Africa in 1984. I brought back some seed and had it for a little while then lost it. Later on during another trip in the early 90s I collected more seed in the then Transvaal and have kept it ever since, growing it out every now and then to add to my stores of seed. Like Sutera, most Felicias are self infertile so again grow a few clones to get seed to store and thus keep it around. In southern Africa it is found as a small weed in ruderal areas and sunny roadsides, but it never gets overwhelming because of its small stature. It is the only yellow Felicia that I know of, nearly all are blue, and a few are white. It is also one of the relatively few found in the summer growing regions so it adapts to garden life well in the eastern US, so long as it is provided ample sun, good drainage, and competition from larger plants is kept away. It seeds readily and next year I will know if it can self sow here, but in the meantime I have filled a plump packet with what I collected from this years plants. It is not winter hardy but blooms so quickly from seed and goes through straight to frost. It would look best in a rock garden or in containers or in the very front of any other sunny garden.
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