A Realisation of how Beautiful Many Indigenous Plants can be in a Garden Setting

For a successful indigenous garden you must know the indigenous plants' natural growth habits and provide them with the growing conditions they need.

As their requirements are usually rather different to those that please most exotics, many indigenous plants, especialy bulbs and perennials, are best grown on their own.

Within climatic constraints, your indigenous garden should contain plalnts from both the winter and summer rainfall areas to ensure that there is interest and colour throughout the seasons. It is best to group the ones which need watering in summer together, separating them from those from the winter-rainfall areas which like water in winter.

Because good drainage is necessary for many of these plants, sloping, rocky ground is ideal for an indigenous garden. But a well constructed rockery on a flat site will serve the same purpose.

To set off your succulents, you could use natural rocks and stones to create a rocky outcrop or a stony stream bed as you would find them in the wild. Rockeries work best in full sun and on sloping ground, typically where one would find a natural rock fall. 

A carefully planted garden of indigenous herbs and plants is soothing to the soul, their existence beneficial to the environment and they are a haven for bees, birds and insects.