With South Africa being a drought-prone country and water a scarce resource, we are all affected as gardeners.  The rains have been scarce this spring and it seems likely that we will be experiencing a dry season this year.  Yet there are ways to keep the watering down to a minimum (mulching being one of them). Indigenous and water-wise gardening seem to go hand-in-hand. However, there are certain indigenous plants that are a must for the garden.

Some  of the benefits of growing indigenous plants are:

1. Kiggelaria africana –Wild peach

00337

2. Halleria lucida – Tree fuchsia


Halleria_lucida_TreeFuchsia_flowers_3

3. Chondropetalum (Elegia) tectorum – Cape thatching reed

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

4. Felicia amelloides – Kingfisher daisy

Feliciaamelloides-mult

5. Plumbago auriculata – Cape leadwort

auriculata-473385_640

6. Tulbaghia violacea – Wild garlic

Tulbaghia violacea at Hoyland Plant Centre, Hampton Court 2011

7. Plectranthus ecklonii ‘Mona lavender’

Plectranthus-1

8. Tecoma capensis – Cape honeysuckle

blossom-384312_1280

9. Gazania krebsiana – Botterblom

flower-632964_1280

10. Osteospermum hybrids – Cape daisy

nature-670658_640

Gardening with indigenous plants allows you enjoy all the colour and reward of gardening without the shock of a hefty water bill at the end of this month.