Durban - I remember when indigenous plant material first became available in the larger garden centres.
The gardening fraternity was split in two – those who could see the merits of working with locally indigenous plant material and those who were convinced that these plants offered no visual benefits whatsoever.
Over time, and thanks to events such as the Kloof Conservancy Indigenous Open Gardens event (www.kloofconservancy.org.za), gardeners are now excited about using indigenous plants, especially with the almost-immediate benefits of attracting all sorts of wildlife to the garden.
There are so many options in this palette of plants, especially when it comes to choosing a suitable tree for your garden.
Years ago, gardens were filled with jacarandas, plane trees, liquidambers, camphor and the then-popular Indian Mahogany.
Problem is they are all exceptionally tall trees and not suited to the smaller properties people enjoy today.
Thankfully, there is a wide choice of small to medium indigenous trees that are suited to townhouses, third- and half-acre properties.
If you enjoy playing with colour in your garden, not a month goes by when some or other indigenous shrub, groundcover or perennial is not in flower, making contrasting or harmonious colour combinations easy to implement.
And, of course, the stunning, warm winter colours provided by the wealth of aloes and other succulents has to be seen to be believed.
One of the delights of gardening with locally indigenous plant material is that it attracts all manner of birds, insects, reptiles and small mammals, depending on where you live.
Once your garden has an established list of visitors, you will notice that pest control becomes a thing of the past.
* Gray is principal of The School of Garden Design. The school offers a variety of courses to help gardeners plan their gardens. You can join her on a weekend course or study by correspondence.
E-mail [email protected] or call Lindsay or Denise at 082 44 99 237. - Daily News