Waterwise Gardening In South Africa And Namibia

Plants that are indigenous to an area do not need additional watering; they are automatically adapted to the prevailing climate and weather conditions and are able to thrive under all but the most exceptional of circumstances. Gardening in harmony with nature means no longer having to provide the soil conditions and amount of water that non-indigenous species require. Waterwise Gardening in South Africa and Namibia is aimed at anyone who wants to create a new garden or convert an existing one to waterwise principles. The first part of the book focuses on general horticultural practises, such as creating the right type of garden for your climate and the best time to plant or prune. Part two details various garden types, based on South Africa's vegetation regions: Fynbos, Strandveld-fynbos and Succulent Karoo for the winter rainfall areas; Highveld, Bushveld, Thicket and Karoo for the summer rainfall regions. The forests and coastal belt of the Indian Ocean seaboard are covered, as are the Namib and adjacent desert areas, and indigenous indoor plants. For each region, representative lists of plant species are presented in categories such as trees, shrubs, perennials, architectural plants, succulents etc, with notes on plant form, height and growth rate, flower colour, months in flower and whether they prefer sun or shade.

This handy pocket guide introduces local gardening enthusiasts to some of southern Africa’s most beautiful, beneficial and easy-to-care-for indigenous plants, giving guidance on how best to use them and how to ensure that they flourish. It offers: a selection of 145 garden-friendly, low-maintenance trees, shrubs and bedding plants perfectly adapted to our local soils and weather conditions, text that’s direct and simple, Full-colour photographs that show plant details and ‘in context’ planting, Icons indicating at a glance whether a species is evergreen or deciduous, frost-hardy, suitable for a sunny or shaded position, fast or slow-growing, water wise, fragrant and attractive to insects or birds. An essential handbook for easy-care beautiful gardening.

This is a charming yet practical guide to planning and designing gardens with a view to attracting birds. It's a companion to the very successful Cooking for Birds, also beautifully illustrated by Verné. The author caters for garden situations across the country, and includes advice on planning very small gardens and even planting on balconies. Specific 'habitats' are recommended, to attract the widest variety of birds – an open area, wetland, canopy section and wild zone. For each, there's a list of suggested plants, from ground covers to shrubs, creepers and trees. There are also sections on planting for birds with particular diets: nectar, seeds, fruit, insects and even meat. Beautifully presented, with simple text and delightful illustrations, this is an excellent perennial gift.

The succulent species of the families of subclass Rosidae are presented by alphabet of families, genera, and species, with comprehensive listings of synonyms added at all levels. Detailed descriptions are given for all accepted taxa, together with data on the distribution and typification, and references to the most important literature. Where necessary, information on ecology, ethnobotany, history, etc. is added, and in many places, proposed relationships are critically discussed. The volume covers the succulents from the families Anacardiacae, Begoniaceae, Bixaceae, Brassicaceae, Burseraceae, Capparaceae, Caricaceae, Clusiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Francoaceae, Geraniaceae, Malvaceae, Melastomataceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Moringaceae, Oxalidaceae, Passifloraceae, Sapindaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Urticaceae, Vitaceae and Zygophyllaceae.

A magazine of colour plates with descriptions of flowering plants of Africa and neighboring islands.

Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) in Southern Africa: Classification, Biology, and Cultivation provides a highly readable, illustrated account of the Kalanchoe species. The book includes an overview of the family Crassulaceae and genus Kalanchoe in global and subcontinental contexts that is followed by information on the taxonomic history of the genus. The characters and ecology of the species are also discussed, including their distribution ranges, where they occur, their habitat preferences, and where the species were formally recorded for the first time. For each indigenous and naturalized species, comprehensive taxonomic, descriptive and other information of interest is provided. This is the must-have resource for plant scientists, plant taxonomists, ethnobotanists, herbarium curators, ecologists, pharmacologists, invasions scientists, horticulturalists and landscape designers. Includes currently accepted scientific names and synonyms, common names in English, morphology, cytology, chemistry, toxicology, biogeography, pollination biology, dispersal, cultivation, biocultural applications, and more Contains a dichotomous identification key and descriptions, providing much needed tools for accurate species identification Provides an extensive sets of illustrations for all species