A South African Spring in New York

Its spring at last, and after a rather mild winter, many South African plants in both my home and school gardens have come through beautifully. Leaves remain from last season or emerge for this season, signaling that a good growing year lies ahead. Because I never know exactly where the photos actually end up when my postings are published, I'll describe the plants pictured so that the reader knows which ones they are. With a bent flower stalk from last year hovering over the grey green spoon shaped newly emerging foliage, Haplocarphya scaposa enters its second year in my home garden. This fabulous plant of the South African grasslands will produce its large yellow daisies on long stalks above a rosette of foliage during its first year from seed. It resembles a yellow gerbera but with much better foliage, and it will bloom all summer long. As with many Asteraceae, more than one clone is needed to set viable seed, so I have several plants growing in one of my home gardens. Small grey leaves on a branching young plant of Helichrysum spendidum, pictured with dead oak leaves underneath, show that it remained evergreen (evergray?) over the winter in my school garden. Barely a foot across right now, I know from having grown it years ago at the New York Botanic Garden that it will become a real beast this year, potentially nearing a yard in width and nearly as much in height. It will cover itself with numerous small bright yellow "stawflowers" in late summer. The yellow green vegetative "octopus" is Kniphofia northiae, a magnificent species of "red hot poker" lily from the high Drakensberg. Its overwintered for at least three years at home, growing larger each year but not yet near its full size. Perhaps a more sunny area would spur it to grow faster, but in time it will bloom, though the wide, spiralling and sprawling foliage is entertaining enough in the garden. It is one of many kniphofias I am growing that are hardy here. In bad winters the foliage almost dies back, in good winters like this past one, the foliage remains in good condition right into the new growing season. With pinnately cut leaves resembling a thistle, and like the latter a member of the Asteraceae, the genus Berkheya contains several winter hardy large daisy flowered species from the high mountains of South Africa. Other species grow throughout the country as well. I grew this one from seed, I think it is B. multijuga, which will have big yellow flowers over prickly foliage. If I am wrong, maybe it is B. cirsiifolia, which would have simliar, but white, flowers. Berkheya purpurea is a lovely light purple one that may be short lived but will flower its first year from seed started early. Grassy foliage emerging from a vigorously spreading patch marks Crocosmia "Distant Planet" an orange flowered selection from Ellen Hornig's amazing gardens and nursery (Seneca Hill Perennials) in frigid upstate Oswego, New York. This plant is indeed "unstoppable" as Ellen's catalogue description notes, pushing its leaves up through the fallen leaf mulch I put over everything even before winter is over. I see that Crocosmia aurea has also survived this winter along with Crocosmia "Lucifer" offspring from seeds I started last year, but neither is as quick to get up and go as "Distant Planet".

Some of the other South Africans that are growing right now in my gardens include Leucosidea sericea, one of the few winter hardy woody South African plants, Kniphofia porphyrantha, K. hirsuta, K. "pumila" from Plant Delights Nursery (I suspect that it is a hybrid rather than a species) and other spp and hybrids, Diascia cordata, Wahlenbergia rivularis, Amaryllis belladona (bulbs planted late against the wall at school, a protected location), Salvia disermas, and Artemesia afra. Others remain dormant, but that I know will reappear in time include Albuca shawii, Gladiolus papilio, Galtonia candicans, Eucomis bicolor, and Tritonia disticha. Still others resow regularly as self sowing annuals, among these are a species of Nemesia with white flowers (or various shades of pink in the hybrid swarm that formed when blue N. caerulea was planted nearby) and Senecio inaequidens. I am growing seed of many more South African taxa to try out in the garden this year, so it will be an exciting gardening season.

Cry of the Snow Lion-The Terror Continues

How many more of Tibet's youth must die before the world takes notice? Some of the victims portrayed here, and in other images easily found on the net, are the same age as some of the students that I teach. I cannot fathom how even a repulsive regime like the one in Beijing could do this to children. Still, the Chinese government rants about how the Dalai Lama directed the protests (as if he could or would do so), the evil "splittists" from abroad are conspiring to destroy China, and other such patently paranoid fantasies. Evidently they are so convinced of their truth that they feel the need to block Youtube and google news in China, among the usual stuff from the net that they block everyday (like anything on Tibet from a non Chinese source). The Chinese leadership, which includes the butcher Hu Jintao, well known in Tibet for his violent suppression of protests when he was Beijing's appointed leader of Tibet in the late 80's, seems unable to grasp the realities of the situation. They villify the Dalai Lama, who is willing to settle for a lot less (autonomy within China) than most Tibetans, especially young ones will (nothing short of independence). Perhaps this uprising marks the end of the Dalai Lama's control of the Tibet movement as a nonviolent one with limited goals. China's hard line policies and lack of interest in serious discussion with the Dalai Lama and his government are driving Tibetans towards more radical means of resistance and more uncompromising goals. Tibetans see that the Dalai Lama's "Middle Way" policy of trying to find accomodation with China has amounted to nothing, and that if anything China's government disrespects Tibetans and their views even more. Troops and police fan out all over historic Tibet as protests break out in all three of Tibet's traditional provinces (see map). Lhasa is quiet now under military rule (though the Chinese dare not call it that) though I have a feeling many Han will now leave Lhasa and go back where they came from as a result of the violence of the riots. Sadly, those who knew that Beijing's encouragement of Han immigration into Tibet would bring disaster were not listened to. Instead of dealing with the reality that Han immigrants were taking jobs from Tibetans and marginalizing them in their own land, thus sowing the seeds of hatred, China did all it could to facilitate Han immigration into Tibet. Perhaps China hoped that it would reduce Tibetans to an insignificant minority in the land of their birth. Instead Tibetan nationalism is stoked, and now hundreds of new martyrs are being created that will keep the hatred for all things Chinese alive in Tibet for generations. It did not, and does not, have to be like this. But it will only change when China changes, when its leaders are wise enough to reflect on their past mistakes and learn to deal with Tibetans with compassion and understanding, not violence and lies.

Meanwhile the nations of the world dither on about how they hope China will not be to hard on the Tibetans, but in reality their governments, for the most part, just want all the bad news to go away so they can continue doing business as usual with China. The US doesn't have much of a leg to stand on anyway right now, after the Iraq mess and with China holding a major part of our national debt. But people around the world are getting angry and upset as more pictures and accounts emerge from Tibet. Thanks to the new technologies of today, China can no longer hide all of its crimes in Tibet, information will get out no matter what they do. In some way, our outrage must take tangible form so that China can begin to understand that a civilized nation does not do what they are doing right now to Tibetans. Maybe one day this long nightmare for Tibet will finally come to an end, but for now Tibetans need all the support they can get.

Support for the brave people of Tibet in this time of terror

I must take a moment from discussing plants to take notice of the uprising of the long suffering Tibetan people in Lhasa and elsewhere in Tibet. I am heartbroken knowing the torture and deaths that will follow as the Chinese regime's security forces once again shed Tibetan blood on Tibetan soil. For 2000 years Tibetans have been the masters of their own land, but the last 66 years as a colony under China's boot have been the most horrific in Tibetan history. The world watches as another genocidal action unfolds, as people who have been so brutalized rise up against their plantation masters, knowing the might of their oppressors is vastly greater, but they fight on anyway with sticks and stones against tanks and machine guns. Shame on India,the worlds largest democracy and mother of Tibetan writing and religion, for blocking the exiled Tibetan's march to their homeland, and for kowtowing to the Chinese regime,as if they somehow really believe they are a second rate power to China. Shame on Nepal for beating Tibetans rallying on behalf of their countrymen and for closing Mt Everest at the behest of China so no protest can happen when they bring their Olympic torch to the (Tibetan) mountain. Shame on Greece for stopping Tibetans from lighting an alternative Olympic torch in Athens. Shame on the UN and the nations of the world for not having the balls to demand freedom for Tibet's long suffering people. Most of all, shame on the Olympics Committee for not pushing harder for greater freedoms in China and Tibet. How can the Olympics be held in a nation that uses secret police, state condoned terror, torture, and murder to control Tibet, and which has done so for over half a century? Reminds me of holding the Olympic games in Nazi Germany, after all, its not supposed to be about politics--or is it! Its amazing to me that after all these years of abuse and propaganda Tibetans still are unbroken in their quest for freedom. Such brave people!

As a fellow world citizen I support Tibetans in their quest for justice and freedom from tyranny. May God watch all of you and be with you in this time of terror. I will do my small part in spreading the word, China must know that we, the world, are watching.

"Silence equals death". Bod gyalo.