You can plant any style of garden with indigenous
plants
and ornamental grasses, sedges
and restios are used by birds for
nesting material.
Although most of us aren’t too
keen on caterpillars and other
crawlies, most indigenous plants
have their own defences and are
able to recover on their own after
an attack. Spraying kills off beneficial insects too, so it’s usually best
to allow your indigenous garden to
find its own natural balance between predators and prey.
problems with porcupines, buck
and baboons in the garden. In my
experience, there are no absolutes:
buck prefer certain plants, but seem
to be happy to surprise one by trying something new every now and
then. Porcupines and baboons like
bulbs, but not having them in your
garden doesn’t mean they will stay
away. One approach is to plant
plenty of really palatable plants outside the perimeter of your garden in
the hopes that the wildlife will find
enough to eat there. We are actual-
In the countryside, many of us have
Play with colour and
texture
The Blue Fountain bush, Psoralea pinnata, thrives
near water
Aloe arborescens. Find
out which aloes grow in
your area
ly quite lucky to have this kind of
‘problem’ in the first place, although that can be difficult to remember when the porcupines have
just ruined your favourite flowerbed!
Indigenous gardening is easy, fun
and rewarding. You can enjoy a
wide variety of plants, many of
which are prized all over the world
for their beauty. Don’t forget to
place a garden bench under your
favourite tree so that you can enjoy
the fruits of your labour!
Gazania Ficnia combo an inspiration from nature
Arum lilies like to grow
in wet soil