Full Circle Digital Magazine February 2014 | Page 13

FLORA • INDIGENOUS

T

he Proudly South African campaign can certainly apply to us
who are ‘plant lovers’ and why not? There are some truly ‘lovely’
plants that are native to South Africa that do very well in the home
garden situation - plants that will do our gardens and ourselves ‘proud’.
Not only that, but indigenous plants have ‘pots’ of advantages
attached to them. They support the wildlife in your area, providing
shelter, nectar as food, or as the local pollinators are attracted to the
flowers in your garden, they attract their natural predators, such as
birds, toads and chameleons. So before you know it, your garden
is not just there for you, but for a whole ecosystem of insects and
animals too - something for you to be very satisfied about.
If you choose indigenous plants that are correctly suited to your
soil type and local climate, you will find that they will thrive and in so
doing, will require less fertilizer, less water, less pesticide and generally
less care - all welcome savings on cost and effort.
Indigenous plants can provide you with all the versatility that exotics
can - you can theme your plantings according to colour; you can
create that ‘English cottage garden border’; a striking mixed border;
you can have colour and fragrance in your garden throughout the
seasons; you can use them to create garden rooms. The variety and
versatility of indigenous choices will surprise and inspire you.

Chameleon (Bradypodian pumilum)
Photo: Werner Voigt

A mauve palette with Selago canescens in the
background, Salvia disermas in the middle and
Pelargonium crispum in the foreground
Photo: Monique McQuillan

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