Welcome wildlife into your garden with these indigenous alternatives

Jane Troughton of the Durban North Conservancy and Enviro Fixers has put together a pamphlet of the worst invaders in Durban North. In a four part series, she will highlight common alien invasive plants and suggest indigenous alternatives to grow which will attract wildlife such as birds and butterflies to your garden. To request a pamphlet which has colour images and protocols for removing alien plants, email Troughton via: Janetroughton.mjt@gmail.com. 

Alien: Tecoma stans (Yellow Bells)

These are Catagory 1 Invasive Alien Plants, which means they are prohibited.

“This means they are illegal to grow or keep, and must be controlled or eradicated. These plants possess characteristics that can prove harmful to humans and/or have detrimental impacts on people or the economy. They drive out space for our indigenous species to grow and this reduces species diversity and destroys wildlife habitat,” said Troughton.

Tecoma stans trees can currently be spotted along most roads and freeways, spread out like a sea of yellow flowers.

Alterntive: Calupurnia aurea (Wild laburnum)

This is Troughton’s top choice for an alternative to Tecoma stans.

“These gorgeous flowers are much loved by carpenter bees. It draws in mouse birds, moths and butterflies. It’s small size and neat shape makes it an excellent option for a small garden. Other showy alternatives include Ochna natalitia Showy Ochna and Ochna serrulata Carnival Ochna. Their common name is Micky Mouse Bush as the seed heads resemble Micky’s head. Another hardy and beautiful shrub is the Bauhinia tomentosa. Very delicate leaves and petals. Host plant to the Orange-barred Playboy butterfly. Somewhat less readily available but also wonderful wildlife supporting shrubs are the Hypericum revolutum and Senna pietersiana,” she said.

Alien: Ageratum conyzoides (Invading Ageratum) 

This alien must be hand pulled to remove, said Troughton.

“These attractive plants produce masses of seeds that germinate easily and once they establish themselves in your garden or in a conserved landscape where they are not wanted, they can prove very tricky to evict. With their fluffy blue flowers, they are easy to spot. Once you’ve spotted one, look around and you’ll see them everywhere,” she added.

Alternative: Tetradina riparia (Misty Plume Bush)

“This is a larger plant with a very similar colour. It can grow up to about 3m so plan for its space. Prinias enjoy weaving their nests into their leaves. It is much prized for its medicinal value as well,” said Troughton.

Another alternative is Vernonia capensis, a narrow-leaved plant with a similar form and colour.”It is a pity this is not more widely available in our nurseries as it makes a beautiful garden plant,” said Troughton.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations  

You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532.   Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.