Plant indigenous trees – The Three Cousins

THREE lovely shrubs in the same genus are in flower now – Bauhinia galpinii, Bauhinia tomentosa and Bauhinia natalensis – and are a wonderful addition to any garden.

Their flowers are all very different but they attract a variety of insects and, in turn, insect-eating birds.

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Each has an easily recognisable leaf, namely that of a ‘camel’s foot’ and you will no doubt recall the exotic ‘Camel’s Foot’ tree, Bauhinia x blakeana or the ‘Hong Kong orchid’ that many still have in their gardens.

Unlike its indigenous relatives, this exotic tree is tall, with large flowers and messy, leathery leaves.

Bauhinia galpinii (Pride of De Kaap, named after the De Kaap valley south of Nelspruit) is much wider than it is tall.

Often, when people read in a plant book that it grows 3m (height) x 5m (width), they think there must be a mistake. But this is exactly what it does.

In the wild, it can become a scrambler, however, in a sunny position in a garden, it stays a rounded shrub.

Westville Hospital, the Pavilion Shopping Centre and Hillcrest Private Hospital have this shrub growing on their sloping banks and it does a wonderful job of covering these slopes.

ALSO READ: Plant indigenous trees – Perfect hedges

It is very showy with its gorgeous brick-orange flowers.

If you have an acre or more, then this beautiful shrub will fill loads of space, still leaving you the opportunity to underplant it with a pretty groundcover.

Bauhinia tomentosa is my absolute favourite! It is a more slender shrub with slightly smaller bi-lobed leaves, and the softest yellow bell flower.

Left to its own devices, it will grow into a small tree.

This shrub is such a pretty filler for any garden bed and will combine as easily with pinks and purples as it will with stronger colours such as orange and red-orange.

It can be deciduous in cooler climates but it never loses its charm.

Bauhinia natalensis has a more delicate framework, with a leaf smaller than that of Bauhinia tomentosa and a tiny white flower with a maroon stripe on some of the petals.

So delicate is its structure, that you could happily plant two or three together if you want a show of white flowers.

These three plants are available at most garden centres and smaller nurseries.

Contact the Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902, e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net or the website www.hillcrestconservancy.co.za or contact Lindsay Gray at info@schoolofgardendesign.com

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