Article & Photos by Andrea Durrheim
“I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in
a garden.” Ruth Stout
O
ur diverse indigenous
plants have inspired
many plant breeders
both in South Africa
and overseas. Every year, new hybrids appear on the market. Are
these plants really better than the
species types? Are they indigenous?
Are species types better to use than
hybrids or aren’t they? You’ll find
that the choice between species
and hybrids depends on your requirements.
Arctotis makes for a fine example.
The creeping species types come in
a range of colours and have lovely,
Agapanthus 'Peter Pan'
1
large flowers in springtime. They’re
also as tough as nails and will cover
ground quickly in harsh conditions.
The hybrid types on the other hand,
are usually clump forming and not
quite as drought tolerant. At the
same time, they flower more prolifically and will produce flushes of
flowers all year round. This makes
them ideal for smaller gardens
where every plant has to make an
impact. Examples would be hybrids
such as ‘On Fire’ ‘Radiance Red’ and
‘Sunset Radiance’.
Osteospemums can also be found
as either species or hybrid types. Of
these, the species types are the hardiest while the hybrids, though they
can last for two to three years in
just the right spot and if planted
early enough, tend to die off in the
heat of summer. If you’re trying the
hybrids out, consider them as seasonal colour, whereas the species
types are much more durable as
well as being likely to self-seed and
have a more spreading growth habit.
This said, the hybrids do come in a
magnificent range of colours, so
they do make really pretty seasonal
fillers to bring a lovely touch of col-
Agapanthus 'White Ice'