GROW LOCAL!

Introduce these popula indigenous plants into your garden

- KIM ARENDSE

THERE are many reasons to include more indigenous plants in your garden. It helps preserve our indigenous flora and most indigenous plants are drought-resistant and don't require as much water as other plants. They can also survive in most types of soil and are great at attracting pollinators. You don't have to transform your whole garden into an indigenous one; start small. Russell Davidson of Pick Me Nursery at Garden World in Joburg suggests these ones as a good start.

TREES Dais contiflora (Pompom tree)

This small tree is perfect for large or small gardens, Russell says. “It has no invasive roots and flowers excessively early summer. It is deciduous or semi- deciduous, depending on how cold it gets and is frost-hardy and drought-tolerant.”

Also, try . . . Heteropyxis natalensis (Lavender tree)

This tree is also ideal for a small garden as it doesn’t have an invasive root system.