Plant indigenous trees – Another early-Winter delight
Lindsay Gray on behalf of Hillcrest Conservancy will produce weekly articles regarding the various indigenous small trees that you can plant in your garden.
SO many of the soft-stemmed shrubs are flowering now – the ribbon bush (Hypoestes aristata), wild dagga (Leonotus leonurus) and the hedgehog sage (Pycnostachys urticifolia), that we are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing colour for our autumn/winter gardens.
This week I would like to highlight the wonderful attributes of Leonotus leonurus or the wild dagga, wildedagga or duiwelstabak (Afrikaans), umcwili or utshwala-bezinyoni (Zulu) imvovo or utywala-bengcungcu (Xhosa).
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You will notice pops of orange all around the suburbs right now as well as in natural grasslands and on rocky outcrops, while on your travels.
Leonotis leonurus is a fast-growing, woody shrub with erect, square stems (so typical of plants in the Lamiaceae family) that produces ball-shaped flower clusters (inflorescences) along the stem at regular intervals.
As the stems grow taller, so new flower clusters develop above the older ones.
These inflorescences bear furry, tubular flowers up to 2,5 cm in length that curve slightly downward. To the untrained eye it looks as if the stems are actually growing through these ‘balls’ of flowers.
The slender green leaves are rough on the upper leaf surface and velvety on the lower leaf surface and have toothed margins. They are aromatic when crushed and have a strong herby scent.
The plant is known for its deep orange colour, however the white form has become popular in gardens (Leonotis leonurus var. albiflora) and there is a cream form which I have in my garden, although I have noticed this year that the flowers are tinged with a little more orange than in previous years.
Leonotis leonurus is primarily bird pollinated. Its sweet nectar attracts a variety of sunbirds, bees and butterflies.
The plant can be used effectively as a backdrop to smaller shrubs, as a screen to hide an undesired element or for height in an open area.
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Because of its soft, woody stems and non-invasive root system it can also be grown along walls and against buildings without damaging the infrastructure. The plant responds well to being cut back hard at the end of winter.
As with most herbaceous plants, Leonotis leonurus does well in soils that have been well-composted and that drain easily.
They enjoy the full sun and our summer rains.
Fortunately this plant is drought tolerant and will cope with light frost, but extreme cold will plunge it into a state of dormancy. You can collect seed from the plants and grow them in spring, or a faster method, take cuttings when you tidy the plant and even divide the clumps.
Contact the Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902, e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net or the website www.hillcrestconservancy.co.za or contact Lindsay Gray at info@schoolofgardendesign.com
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