Page 18 - nov21

Rocks in the garden - wild & dry

The beauty of having rocks in the garden is that they almost don’t need
anything extra to look good. During the rains they make lovely natural
birdbaths, and are the perfect backdrop for aloes, the beautiful Xerophyta
retinervis (front cover), indigenous creepers like Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum), or
Devil’s thorn (Dicerocaryum) and Cissus quadrangularis.

Ferns like Pellaea calomelanos grow easily in rock crevices, and miniature sedges
quickly colonize cracks in the rocks. Acacias and the Shepherd trees grow well in
and amongst rocks, along with Combretum molle, Vangueria infausta, Pappea capensis,
Elephantorrhiza burkei and Pavetta zeyheri; plus shrubs like the wild pomegranate
(Rhigozum brevispinosum) and raisinbush species (Grewia flava and G. flavescens). So if a
wild garden is what you’re after, then there isn’t much work to do.

18