PLANTS add softness to the home, and a green haven to which to return after a long day out.
They’re fun to share with family and friends, and offer a means to connect with each other and nature.
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Owning organically-grown indigenous plants takes this well-being-promoting ability to a whole new level – from conserving local biodiversity to soothing a sore throat, all while doing no harm.
Benefits of organically-grown indigenous plants
Many can be harvested for flavourful foods, health-promoting tonics, delicious teas and other beverages, fragrant crafts, and first aid remedies.
All play a role in biodiversity conservation, helping to restore local ecosystems and provide habitats for wildlife.
They support the local well-being economy, helping to create meaningful nature-friendly employment.
Many provide a feast for the senses, with a variety of naturally relaxing, health-promoting sights, smells, tastes and textures.
They create opportunities for children (and adults) to engage with nature, discovering and exploring the intricate web of life.
In the Kitchen
Indigenous plants well suited to the kitchen include culinary herbs, edible plants and first aid remedies.
Bulbine – Bulbine frutescens
African mint – Menta longifolia
Wild rosemary – Eriocephalus africanus
Blue sage – Salvia africana
Spekboom – Portulacaria afra
Wild garlic – Tulbagia violacea
Num-num – Carissa macrocarpa
In the bathroom
Bathrooms tend to have the highest humidity in the home, and suit plants that like the extra moisture in the air. Ferns enjoy this climate, and our indigenous krauss spike moss is a good choice here. Plants that are happy in lower light levels are also suited to bathrooms.
Krauss spike moss – Selaginella kraussiana
Spatula-leaf crassula – Crassula spathulata
Hen-and-chickens – Chlorophytum comosum
Zebra plant – Haworthiopsis attenuata
In the bedroom
We spend a considerable amount of our lives tucked up in our beds, and quality sleep is vital for our well-being. Plants can play an important role in creating a peaceful space that encourages relaxation and calmness, and is conducive to deep, restorative sleep.
Cape ivy – Senecio macroglossus
Canary creeper – Senecio tamoides
Gasteria – Gasteria liliputana var. bicolor
Gardenia tree – Gardenia thunbergia
Thicket spurflower – Plectranthus madagascariensis
Rose-scented geranium – Pelargonium graveolens
Peppermint-scented geranium – Pelargonium tomentosum
In the living area
Living rooms can provide a variety of plant-friendly spaces, and extra floor space may allow for larger plants and even small trees. Many of our indigenous fig trees, for example, are happy in bright to medium light.
The bird of paradise (strelitzia) provides a spectacular indoor option in areas with a lot of bright light, as do our indigenous wild olive and sand olive trees.
Large-leaf dragon tree – Dracaena aletriformis
Forest fig – Ficus craterostoma
Bird of paradise – Strelitzia reginae
Sand olive – Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia
Wild olive – Olea europaea subsp. african
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