Utilising Indigenous Plants in Landscaping Projects

With winter fast approaching, we all want to revitalise our beautiful gardens. Nothing makes a garden fanatic feel more motivated than taking on a new landscaping project, especially when it means keeping your private oasis looking fresh and lively.

However, many people worry that their gardens may lose their colour as the sunny months start to fade. But we here at Windy Willows may just have the solution: indigenous plants. Simply making use of native plants can make all the difference. They tend to stay beautiful year-round and are quite often disease- and insect-resistant, at least more so than non-indigenous plants.

What Indigenous Plants You Can Use for Landscaping

Now, it is important to be aware of what plants are native to South Africa and what they can offer your garden (other than just their good looks, of course). As such, we have compiled a handy list to make your landscaping efforts as easy and enjoyable as possible:

• Confetti Bush: This pretty plant can grow up to one metre in height and is ideal for hedging. They often sprout pink or white flowers and are quite aromatic when in bloom.
• Dwarf Num-Num: Otherwise known as the Green Carpet, this plant is a great addition to any garden. With its star-like flowers and shiny leaves, it will look like a fantasy book illustration come to life right outside your door.
• Bulbine Frutescens: This semi-hardy flowering plant will look gorgeous outdoors and its flowers make for a lovely bouquet to brighten up your home. You can even choose between orange and yellow
• Guinea Fowl Aloe: If you’re looking to attract pollinators to your garden, you may want to consider incorporating this little aloe into your space. Aloes are notoriously easy to look after and their orange flowers add a lovely pop of colour.
• Sweet Thorn: You may also want to include trees for shade and diversity. The Sweet Thorn (or Acacia Karroo) is the perfect native tree. It is hardy, evergreen, and strikingly colourful boasting fragrant yellow flowers.
• River Indigo: Here’s another tree option should you prefer to avoid thorny trees or if you simply have a smaller garden. The River Indigo is decorated in shades of pink and makes for an elegant shady hideaway.
• Silver Bush: This diverse plant is great for pots or hanging baskets but can also be used as a semi-hardy groundcover to cover up sunny spots.
• Eragrostis Capensis: Also known as Heart-Seed Love Grass, this is a perfect option should you wish to add a grass feature to your rockery. It is also a good choice for grasslands that contain horses.

 

Read more on Landscaping Design here.

 

If you want to start landscaping to fill your garden with wonder this season, contact us today for more advice and a quote for your upcoming project.