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My Tropical Jungle Garden in Botswana

This garden has developed and evolved slowly, but now that
it has a natural shade of vines, plants are beginning to thrive.

The crucial factors to creating your own Jungle garden are:
semi-shade, friable well-drained soil, water and plant choice.

To increase the humidity in my garden I have a large decorative water bowl, that
my cats love to drink out of, and plenty of smaller bowls filled with stones and
water. This is crucial for some plants, like the more humid dependent ferns,
orchids and bromeliads. I very rarely (once a month at most) mist my plants,
which is great as I’m fairly lazy when it comes to maintenance.
All my plants are packed together, which increases humidity and limits evaporation
of water from the soil. I have a selection of ferns from the dainty Maidenhair, to
the bizarre Staghorn fern and large Giant Sword fern; assorted Bromeliads,
Begonias, Anthuriums, and Strelitzias; plants with differently coloured leaves such
as Cordyline, Dieffenbachia, Dianella, Ficus, Philodendron, Aglaonema, Ctenan-
thes, and Yuccas; beautiful flowering plants such as Peace lilies, Arums, Eucomis,
Cyclamen, Orchids, Fuchsia, and Impatiens; and plants with spiky foliage like
Tillandsias and Cycads. I find they all work well together, and occasionally I add
in another plant and watch the panorama evolve. These plants are all easy to find,
either in garden nurseries or supermarkets, plus it’s heaps of fun living in a jungle:
the cool air, colours and greenery will beguile away the hours! Text & photos by S.C

Above: Nephrolepis, Phalaenopsis Opposite Page (Clockwise): Anthurium; Cordyline fruticosa;
Begonia; Zantedeschia ‘Night Cap’; Guzmania; & Spathiphyllum
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