Beauty among the Thorns

Watch that woman with the sharp tongue and the fat belly, the typical ugly duckling that turned into a swan overnight!

She has a fancy name - Parodia Ottonis and hails from South America, but she's adapted well here in South Africa.

She is quite aloof with her sharp spikes, so make sure you don't touch her with your bare hands.

I only started appreciating the beauty of succulents a couple of years ago, and just love how they look after themselves. All they require is enough sunlight and not to be overwatered. What more could a laidback gardener ask for?

The Perodia is a type of Cactus and I did not know that it actually flowers. She's been growing here for a couple of years already.

What a lovely surprise to see the stunning yellow flowers appear, shyly at first and just a day later, it was fully open.

The stunning Lace Aloe also grows in a container, and is quite generous as it makes babies for us to replant elsewhere. I have not tried planting it directly in the garden but am sure it will grow bigger. This one does not do well in direct sun.

Another thorny specimen warning one to stay well clear, is the Pachypodium menabeum. This one is also a couple of years old and growns in a container, but it may soon outgrow this so it's going to be gloves on when we plant it out. They apparently also get a flower, but I have yet to see that!
For now, we admire the thorny trunk and graceful evergreen leaves. Those thorns are quite vicious as you can see!

Bromelias grow all over the garden, and seem to do well both in the sun and dappled shade. This one almost looks like it's wanting to climb the wall!

The fruit from this palm attracts bees but they were so busy buzzing here that I dared not get closer.
If anyone knows what type of palm this could be, please let me know in the comments.

Yet another kind of Cactus, called a donkey's tail, Burro's tail, cat's tail, and all kinds of tails, but it looks so pretty swirling round and round in the wind.

The Senecio is a very good succulent ground cover that will soon be flowering again; it gets a cluster of bright orange flowers, also needs very little to no care once it's strong enough.

A miniature succulent garden that was a gift from one of our bnb guests, still looking very pretty.

Not a succulent, but I simply had to show you my thorny Pomelo tree that's already heavily laden with fruit. This makes the best cooling and healthy fruit juice.

I really wish I could share some homegrown veggies with you, but we've had to give up planting them, as the monkeys harvest everything, even if it's not ripe yet, but they don't touch this as these thorns really give a hectic bite!