Anyone who believes the myth that indigenous gardens aren’t colourful should take a walk around mine at the moment.
In January, so many native plants burst into flower ensuring that the summer garden is an explosion of colour. Golden helichrysums – or everlastings as they are commonly called – provide a beautiful contrast for my favourite summer bloomers, the gorgeous blue agapanthus.
Aggies, such treasures in any garden, must be among of the most popular and well-known of our indigenous flowers.Is there any South African garden that doesn’t at least have an aggie or two? Mass agapanthus plantings look stunning but they are also lovely scattered around a patch of wild grasses.
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In her field guide to the wild flowers of KwaZulu-Natal, Elsa Pooley tells us that these tuberous plants are endemic to South Africa, all 10 species of the Agapanthus genus being proudly South African.
Although they only occur naturally in our country, they are excellent garden plants that have been extensively cultivated around the world. In fact, they were first grown in Holland in the 1680s.
As for the helichrysums, there are an amazing 250 species in South Africa, with about 500 occurring worldwide, mainly in Africa.
Helios means sun and chrysos means gold, so they are well named.
Also adding yellow highlights to my garden are the bright gazanias, while my Pelargonium tongaense contributes its summery bright scarlet. The Hoslundia sutherlandii is covered in fruit, adding a splash of orange to the summer colour scheme.
There are plenty of white flowers as well, including the creeping foxglove or Asystasia gangetica, white osteospermum and my pistol bush (Duvernoia adhatodoides), a very rewarding shrub as it thrives on a bit of benign neglect and seems to flower forever.
While the sunny corners of my garden are appreciated for their summer colour carnival, the shady treed areas also come into their own in January, particularly after all the rain we’ve had. With all their new leaves, the trees and bushes are a wonderful sight and I can almost hear them growing.
I have created quite a few mini-forest walks, usually leading to well-shaded benches that are the perfect refuge on our hot, muggy summer days. There is nothing cooler than the shade created by a leafy tree.
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My avian visitors are celebrating summer, too, and my January garden is filled with bird song. I take care to keep all my bird baths and watering points topped up as the birds so enjoy a drink and a splash on a hot afternoon.
Two rather special plants, my Syzygium pondoense and my Tephrosia pondoensis, are also starting to flower – but more about these ‘Pondoland specials’ next week.
Unfortunately, it isn’t only my indigenous plants that are making the most of the summer sunshine and rain. The invasive plants love this weather, so be extra vigilant at this time of the year. I am presently battling with an inkberry infestation and have had to do plenty of weeding to rid my garden of these pests.
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