A STRETCH of pavement in my neighbourhood is such a pretty sight at the moment, decorated as it is with a rainbow of flowering frangipani trees.
Used extensively in so-called ‘tropical gardens’ in our area, these shrubs or small trees come from all over the world, bringing a breath of the tropics to our sub-tropical environment.
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Many floral imports have become invasive in South Africa but many others, including our exotic frangipanis, are fairly innocuous and are not a threat to the environment.
However, a garden made up entirely of exotic plant material, even if none of the plants is invasive, can be a rather sterile ‘green desert’. A garden is a very personal thing, a green creation reflecting the gardener’s individual taste.
Not every gardener wants a completely indigenous garden and even some enthusiastic indigenous gardeners throw some loved non-invasive exotics into the mix. All the same every gardener should consider making use of at least some of our wonderful proudly South African plants. The birds and the bees would appreciate them.
Going back to the frangipani question, did you know that there is a wonderful proudly South African substitute for this tropical alien? The wild frangipani (Voacanga thouarsii) is a real stunner, bearing bright green leaves and white to creamy frangipani-like flowers.
The mottled, paired oval fruit is eye-catching too and is a little like the fruit of the toad tree (Tabernaemontana elegans), which is not surprising as they belong to the same family.
There is another reason why the wild frangapani is rather special. It is one of the trees that typically grow in the patches of precious swamp forest that are fast disappearing in built up areas of KwaZulu-Natal. When you visit a swamp forest when these trees are flowering, their large white blooms are a beautiful sight.
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