What to plant for a fuss-free fynbos garden

Chris Lochner is a botanical artist in residence at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, where he spends his days studying and illustrating the plants and insects on the reserve. He is also curator at the reserve's Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery and was a co-ordinator of the Grootbos Florilegium. In other words, he knows his stuff when it comes to fynbos. 

On the subject of growing it in one's own garden, he says it can be tricky. “Most garden plants have been cultivated for almost 100 years.” For many years, the best, most vigorously growing plants have been selected and propagated so they have become “almost tamed to be predictable, to grow easily and to not be very fussy”. 

Fynbos, by contrast, “hasn’t been in 'captive cultivation' for so long so they are still finding hybrids and cultivars that are hardier.”

Grafting is a horticultural technique that joins a plant's stem, leaves and flowers to another plant's root system. The resulting “hybrid” is typically hardier, and it is this process that is making fynbos gardening much easier. “Usually when you hybridise plants they are much stronger — we call it 'hybrid vigour,” he says. 

Thanks to this, “There are some really wonderful fynbos species available on the market — and many being developed — that are hardy and quite easy to grow. They don’t like fertiliser and they don’t like their roots to be disturbed so you just plant them in the space where you want them and then leave them alone.” 

Bear in mind that it is illegal to pick fynbos in the wild without a permit. So buy your plants from a legitimate source. The primary areas where one can grow a fynbos garden are the winter rainfall areas of the Western Cape.

Here is a list of Lochner's picks for easy fynbos gardening. 

PROTEAS

SOUR FIGS

Two similar species that have become common garden plants are Carpobrotus edulis (sour fig) and C. acinaciformis (Elands sour fig).

They are great ground-creepers with succulent leaves and large daisy-like flowers, which produce copious amounts of pollen and therefore attract a range of insects.

The name comes from the ancient Greek karpos “fruit” and brotos “edible”. The large fruits turn brown when dry, and have juicy centres. They are reminiscent of figs, hence the Afrikaans name, vygies. The fruits can be used to make jam and the juice and leaves from both plants have long been used by the Khoe-San people as a treatment for sore throat and mouth ulcers. 

They grow best in full sun. Once established, they are drought-resistant and only need to be watered during extended dry periods.

Leonotis leonurus, also known as lion's tail and wild dagga, has become a firm favourite in South African gardens for its colourful flowers and ability to attract sunbirds, bees and butterflies. It also flowers for many months of the year.

The name comes from the Afrikaans word for cannabis, and the fact that early indigenous people used the plant like a tobacco, though it has no relation to cannabis and no known narcotic properties.  

It does, however, have medicinal uses, and is used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments including high blood pressure, colds, coughs, asthma, headaches and snake bites.

If you’re in need of an excellent flu remedy, simply steep a few leaves in boiling water and drink the tea. 

BROWN SAGE

Typical of the hard-leafed, shrubby vegetation that abounds on sand dunes along the Cape coast, Salvia aurea is an aromatic hardy shrub with unusually coloured flowers, which fade from bright yellow to rusty-orange and then reddish brown.

The name is derived from the Latin salvere meaning to save or heal, and refers to medicinal properties -- brown sage is rich in anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory of some species. The species name aurea means "golden". 

Brown sage is very hardy and can withstand coastal conditions. It is used as a traditional medicine and attracts sunbirds that feed on the nectar. 

BLOB: The images are from the Grootbos Florilegium, which features drawings of and information on 120 fynbos plants all found on the reserve. The project involved 44 artists from around the world, all of whom spent time at Grootbos to observe their particular plants. Read more about it at  grootbos.com/en/florilegium

CANCER BUSH 

Another interesting medicinal plant that is easy to grow is Lessertia frutescens, whose common name, cancer bush, is derived from its reputation as a cure for cancer.

According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi), however, it should not be regarded as a “miracle cure”. “Its real benefits are as a tonic that will assist the body to mobilise its own resources to cope with the illness.”

Sanbi adds that the plant is known to decrease anxiety and irritability and to dramatacilly improve appetite in patients with cancer, TB and Aids. It is also known to improve energy levels and gives an enhanced sense of wellbeing. 

It is fast growing, hardy and drought-resistant, enjoying full sun and tolerating all soil types.

APRIL FOOL

Bulbs are more difficult to come by in fynbos habitats, Lochner says, but there are some indigenous bulbs that can be found in nurseries that have spectacular flowers.

Haemanthus sanguineus (April fool) is a "stunning example" that grow easily in gardens.

Its blood-red flowers stand out in the late-summer flowering season and attract many insects and sunbirds, which are the main pollinators. 

This species makes excellent, water-wise plants that can be used in rockeries or grown in large containers. Because, in the wild, they flower prolifically after a fire, burning a layer of dead twigs and leaves on the bulbs in late summer should encourage flowering.  

If you are on the lookout for a water plant, the blue water lily (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea) is South Africa's most commonly grown indigenous water lily. it is easy to grow in a pond with flowers that are fragrant and beautiful. 

The images are from the Grootbos Florilegium, which features drawings of and information on 120 fynbos plants all found on the reserve. The project involved 44 artists from around the world, all of whom spent time at Grootbos to observe their particular plants.