Why is it that indigenous gardens are good for the soul? Someone who decides to plant an indigenous garden is usually a person who is aware of the need to conserve our floral and faunal species. Someone who is generous and humble enough to be prepared to share his life with the birds and the bees. He will experience the energy of indigenous plants and their related ecosystems and know something of peace in the oasis that he has created to fend off our frantic modern world. This indigenous gardener is giving something to conservation and he must reap rewards in return.
If he plants a host of diverse indigenous plants, he will attract a host of different birds to his garden. The Diederik Cuckoo will come for the larvae of the Garden Acraea butterfly on the leaves of the Wild Peach, Kiggerlaria africana; the local Wild Dagga plant, Leonotis ocymifolia, will bring sunbirds to the garden, with even the possibility of the fabulous Marico Sunbird while the gardener will have to get up early to beat the Olive Thrush to the bright orange fruit in the lovely, dense, spreading, emerald green growth of the Lemon Thorn, Cassinopsis lilicifolia - other bird species that will be eager for this decorative fruit are bulbuls, starlings and barbets.
The Honeybell Bush, Freylinia lanceolata, will be a haven for adult butterflies of many different species who come to collect the nectar from the abundance of honey-scented flowers. The Sweet Thorn, Acacia karroo, aside from being an excellent source of nectar and pollen for bees, will serve as a host plant to the larvae of eleven different butterfly species. They are dependent on the young shoots and thorns for survival. Larvae of the Brown Playboy and Orange Barred Playboy butterflies breed in the pods of the Bauhinia galpinii, Pride of the Cape, which produces a stunning display of pinky orange flowers over a long period.
The gardener does not have to leave all the fruit in his garden for the birds, there are many indigenous plants which produce edible fruit that he may find to his taste. The 'Stamvrug' or Transvaal Milkplum, Englerophytum magaliesmontanum, produces edible berries, often in profusion, on the old wood of the tree. Rich in vitamin C, the fruit can be used to make preserves and jams. Carissa macrocarpa, the Big Num-num, produces a delicious fruit also rich in vitamin C, while the very sugary fruit of Berchemia zeyheri, the Red Ivory, will delight the gardener and attract birds.
If the gardener is a farmer, he should consider using the protection of a 'living fence' rather than an electric fence to cordon off his stock or crops. Spiny indigenous plants such as the aforementioned Num-num will provide an impenetrable, evergreen hedge, along with the fruit that will attract birds, such as Knysna louries, starlings and bulbuls, while the sweetly scented flowers will attract butterflies and other insect species which will bring the insect eating birds. The Kei-apple, Dovyalis caffra, with its well-known edible fruit used for jams and preserves, is armed with long spines and it can play the same role.
A wetland with an area of open water will bring aquatic bird species to the garden, along with frog species and insects, and it can be stocked with indigenous fish such as Tilapia which stash their babies in their mouths to protect them from predators. The gardener can watch the fascinating pollination mechanism of the Waterlily, Nymphaea nouchali, which precludes self-pollination. When the virgin flower opens, insects looking for pollen area attracted to is, being unaware that the pollen is not yet ready, and they are trapped in a small pool of poison at the heart of the flower. The flower closes over the dead insect and pollen from other waterlilies is washed off the insect's body and used to pollinate the flower. When it opens again, the pool of poison has dried up and the ripe pollen is exposed for the passing insect.
It is extraordinary experiences such as these, and so many more, that will reward the gardener who has created a garden of ecosystems, rather than a sterile, green desert where foreign species and pesticides rule the day.
