An indigenous coastal nursery with a “tree library”

Rulan and Rhalda Heunis (right) are the owners of Witbos Indigenous Nursery in Boesmansriviermond, halfway between Port Elizabeth and East London. The nursery is in the Albany thicket biome, with a transitional climate between the southern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The region is rich in species − there are about 350 tree species as well as a variety of aloes, shrubs and wildflowers.

Within five years, the Heunises have planted more than 200 indigenous trees in an arboretum, where gardeners can identify trees or see which ones they would like to plant in their own gardens.

Here’s Rulan and Rhalda’s list of waterwise plants for coastal gardens:

• Trees White ironwood ( Vepris lanceolata), wild olive ( Olea europaea subsp Africana) and coast silver oak ( Brachylaena discolor)

• Shrubs Strelitzia ( Strelitzia reginae), Natal plum or big numnum ( Carissa macrocarpa), krantz aloe ( Aloe arborescens) and wild pomegranate ( Burchellia bubalina)

• Groundcovers Trailing gazania ( Gazania rigens), dune daisy ( Felicia echinata), gold carpet ( Helichrysum cymosum) and dune scrub everlasting ( Helichrysum teretifolium)

witbos.co.za 072 135 8625 or 082 960 9248 >