THE | ESTATE NEWS
TOP 10 INDIGENOUS
TREES TO PLANT
Written By: Glenice Ebedes
South Africa is home to a magnificent variety of indigenous trees and shrubs, and with a move by home owners towards the use of indigenous plants, it has become ever more important to choose species that will work in your home. Whilst many indigenous species are now being planted in gardens around Gauteng, not all of them are suitable for small gardens where walls, paving and house foundations need to be taken into account. Indeed, in my day to day consultations with clients I frequently come across gardens where incorrect species or incorrect planting techniques have been used, often leaving the home owner with costly expenses to fell problem trees or repair the damage to property. Even seemingly innocuous exotics such as palms and yuccas can become problems over time, either putting pressure on walls as their stems bulge, or dropping heavy fronds and seed pods which can break roof tiles! Fortunately there are some beautiful indigenous alternatives that are ideal for small gardens, so to help you along we’ve created a list of the top 10 indigenous trees for small gardens on the highveld, with a selection below this list of species that would also be worthwhile. Please note that the list is entirely subjective, and we’d welcome your feedback on the selection. Here are the criteria used to compile the list:
The tree should be used more often as a tree, rather than as a shrub. i.e. we’ve excluded species that regularly feature as trees in tree books, but which we prefer to utilise as shrubs for our landscaping clients, e.g. Mackaya Bella, Freylinia tropica. The tree should not be too slow growing. Slow growing species are ideal for low maintenance gardens, but we generally find that our clients prefer trees that will reach a respectable height in a reasonable time. Note however that the terms ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ in the context of trees are relative terms! Indigenous highveld trees usually grow at a rate of between half a metre to a metre in a year – patience is always required when growing trees. The tree should be moderately frost tolerant (although most trees should be protected from frost when they are young) The tree should have a non-aggressive root system. This is usually a critical factor when planting in a small garden, although we still recommend that all trees be planted at least 1-2 metres away from walls, foundations and paving. We specifically excluded trees that are usually planted for their structural appeal, such as Cussonia sp. and Aloe Barberae, the Tree Aloe (although both these species are also unsuitable for small gardens due to aggressive roots systems and bulging stems respectively.)
2021 | I SSUE 4 | 11
