Information on growing other winter-rainfall annuals (mainly from Joffe & Oberholzer 2012) suggests the following methods for this Nemesia : Propagate from seed in autumn (February to April). Prepare open, sunny garden beds. (In colder gardens choose a warm, well protected position.) Add organic fertilizer and well rotted compost to well dug, easily draining, loose soil. Add a little phosphate-rich fertilizer to help with root growth. (Nemesias can grow in poor soil but will do better in a richer medium.) Water the bed the day before sowing so the soil is damp but the surface is dry. Sow seeds on a windless day as the winged seeds will blow away easily. Cover them with a thin layer of fine sand, soil or vermiculite and tamp the soil down with the back of a rake. Water gently but well and keep damp. Seeds may take between one and two weeks to germinate.

Thin the seedlings out to about 100 mm apart, when big enough to handle easily, and replant spare ones in bare areas. For a better display, apply a slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer soon after germination, such as 3:2:1, for leaf production. About three weeks later apply one with high potassium content, such as 3:1:5, to help with flower development. Keep on watering regularly but moderately throughout the growing and flowering periods, if there is no rain.

Alternatively, sow seed in seed trays, using a damp, well-draining, sandy medium with added fine compost and a little phosphate fertilizer. Cover lightly as above and press down. Water well but gently, then cover the trays with glass or clear plastic and place them in a sunny position. Keep damp. After germination, remove the covering. Apply fertilizer as above. When the seedlings are big enough to handle, prick them out into the garden, about 100 mm apart.

When dealing with seeds and seedlings, a useful tip is to use banana or other fruit boxes with air holes as covers for a few days. They help to keep soil damp and help young plants recover from transplanting. They can also help ward off frost. Frost cloth can also help with the last problem.

These plants would also look good scattered in groups in a rockery or as a border to a bed of perennials. Plant them in a wide, shallow pot to make a brilliant feature on a sunny stoep.

It is fashionable at present to have a meadow-type area in a garden, as shown in a number of exhibits at the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show. Several kinds of plants, of roughly similar height, were planted randomly and closely together. Here in southern Africa, we have the unique flora of the dry Northern Cape. Hence, why not create a mini-Namaqualand Spring garden with mixed small annuals in a place with lots of sun? Suitable plants to use with Nemesia suaveolens would be Cotula barbata (button flowers or gansogies), the Namaqualand daisies Dimorphotheca sinuata and D. pluvialis, Felicia dubia (dwarf felicia or sambreeltjies), Gazania lichtensteinii (wild marigold or gousblom) , Grielum humifusum (yellow satin flower or pietsnot), Nemesia ligulata (kappieblommetjie) and N. strumosa (cape jewels or wildeleeubekkie). Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (bokbaaivygie) is much shorter in height but could give a multicoloured edge to the garden. Intersperse the plants with small pebbles, sand or gravel, to create a desert-like appearance.

Don't forget to collect seeds for the next year!