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Category: Indigenous Gardening in South Africa | Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 3:54 am

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I can already hear thousands of rose enthusiasts around the world crying out in horror - "is she crazy?" No I am not crazy and no I don't really hate roses. I think they are beautiful. What I actually hate is this mass world hysteria to plant roses at the expense of their local flora. The rose originated in Asia, but I don't think there is a country in the world that doesn't have roses. Now the question I would like to ask all the rose fanatics is how many local plants are in your garden? Do you even know what plants were there before your neighbourhood developed? Would a world filled with only roses and nothing else be beautiful?
A few more questions for the rose lovers. Do your roses survive on your local rainfall or do you have to water them? Do you have to add chemical fertilizers to make your roses look their best? Do you use pesticides and fungicides to control the multitude of diseases and pests on your plants? And finally what impact do you think all these things have on the environment? How many ladybirds and other beneficial insects have you killed? How many chemicals have you added to your local groundwater?
Nature has blessed every corner of the earth with beautiful plants and flowers. Why not research your local flora and plant some of these in your garden before their beauty is lost to the world forever.

I would love to hear from other gardeners who grow indigenous plants, especially from the Western Cape.








This pelargonium is as beautiful as any rose I have seen ( photo / image / picture from indigigirl's Garden )






This Scabiosa is also beautiful ( photo / image / picture from indigigirl's Garden )






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Palm Tree wrote on Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:37 pm:

Hi there indigigirl.
I too do not like the idea of roses. At present I have to tolerate a ssingle rose bush in my garden (IT is my daughter's rose)
I am also from the Western Cape.
I hear every word you say about 'rosecare'.

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indigigirl wrote on Sun Dec 05, 2010 6:59 pm:

Hi palmtree

What part of the Cape are you from? We live in the Strand. Do you grow any indigenous plants?

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Palm Tree wrote on Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:50 pm:

At present my garden is in a state with the house reservations underway.
But I grow (used to before the builders happened) Dietes, Leucadendron, some Strelitzia both Reginae and Nicolai, some Agapanthus and of cource Dimorphotheca and Gazanias.

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