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Mackaya bella (Forest Bell Bush) - An upright-dense growing evergreen shrub to 6-8 feet tall or more with oppositely arranged 4 to 5 inch long glossy slender elliptically shaped dark green leaves that have wavy margins and prominent midrib and veins on the lower surface. In mid-spring to early summer appear the beautiful clusters of 2-inch-long trumpet-shaped pale lavender flowers with the throats having pronounced deep purple veins.
Plant in full morning sun, partial sun to dense shade in well-draining soil and give regular to occasional irrigation. It is hardy to about 20 degrees F. Can be pruned hard to control size and shape. It is a nice addition to a tropical-looking garden as a specimen plant or for use as an informal hedge and can be trimmed up as a small tree.
Mackaya bella occurs naturally in forests and along streams in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Swaziland and Northern Province of South Africa. The genus was named after James Townsend Mackay, author of Flora Hibernica and the specific epithet is Latin for "beautiful" in reference to its attractive flowers. We grew and sold this wonderful plant continuously from 1987 on and we have several large specimens of it in the nursery gardens.
The information about Mackaya bella that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.
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