26 Jun 2024

Indigenous Plants for Bird-Friendly Gardening in KZN

Planting indigenous plants in your garden not only enhances its natural beauty, but also plays a crucial role in supporting local wildlife. Not only have indigenous plants evolved alongside local bird species, providing them with essential food, shelter and breeding sites, but they are well-suited to local climates and soil conditions, making them easier to grow and maintain.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a few of our favourite indigenous plants that are perfect for attracting birds to local gardens in KwaZulu-Natal. From nectar-rich flowers for sunbirds to berry-bearing shrubs for fruit-eaters, indigenous plants offer a feast for our feathered friends.

Aloe species

  • Attracts: Sunbirds, Crested Barbets, White-eyes, Weavers, Black-headed Orioles and other nectar-feeding birds, as well as a variety of insects.
  • Features: Cactus-like succulents with rosettes of thick, fleshy leaves and tubular flowers that bloom in various colours, including shades of orange, red and yellow, providing a rich nectar source.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained soil and full sun. They are drought-tolerant and require minimal watering once established. Prune dead leaves and spent flower stalks to maintain a neat appearance and encourage new growth.

Burchellia bubalina (Wild Pomegranate)

  • Attracts: Sunbirds, Bulbuls, Starlings, Barbets, Mousebirds as well as bees and butterflies.
  • Features: A neat and attractive ornamental evergreen shrub or small tree with clusters of bright red to orange tubular flowers that bloom in spring and summer, followed by decorative, pomegranate-like fruit.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained soil.  While they grow and flower best in full sun, they can also thrive in shade. They should be protected from very cold winter winds and extreme frost.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Clivia (Bush Lily)

  • Attracts: Nectar-feeding birds such as Sunbirds, as well as insects.  The insects often lure insectivorous bird species.
  • Features: Clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of orange or yellow, which appear from around August to November, followed by attractive berry-like fruits.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained, humus-rich soil and thrive in partial to full shade. Requires regular watering during the growing season, but should be kept relatively dry during the dormant period. Ideal for shaded garden spots or as a container plant.

Cotyledon orbiculata (Pig’s Ear)

  • Attracts: Nectar-feeding birds such as Sunbirds.
  • Features: Succulents with fleshy, round leaves and clusters of tubular, bell-shaped flowers that range from red to orange, providing a rich nectar source.
  • Care Tips: Plant in well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. They’re drought-tolerant and require minimal watering, making them an excellent low-maintenance choice for bird-friendly gardens.

Grewia occidentalis

  • Attracts: Louries, Mousebirds, Bulbuls and Barbets as well as butterflies and bees.
  • Features: A very hardy, fast growing, evergreen shrub with star-shaped, pink to mauve flowers with a cluster of prominent, bright yellow stamens that bloom from October to January, followed by edible fruit that are clustered together in a square or cross shape.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained soil and can grow in full sun to partial shade. Prune to shape and remove dead or damaged branches to encourage healthy growth.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Halleria lucida (Tree fuchsia)

  • Attracts: Nectar-feeding birds like Sunbirds, White-eyes, Thrushes, Robins, Pigeons, Flycatchers, Louries, Mousebirds and Barbets.  They also attract bees and butterflies.
  • Features: A tough, easy to grow, fast-growing evergreen shrub that thrives under many different conditions. They have tubular, orange-red flowers that bloom profusely throughout the year, followed by small, edible berries.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained, compost rich soil and can grow in full sun to partial shade. Fairly hardy and relatively drought-tolerant once established.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Hypoestas aristata

  • Attracts: Bees and other pollinators, with some species also attracting nectar-feeding birds.  The insects often lure insectivorous bird species.
  • Features: Produces spikes of tubular, purple or lilac flowers that bloom in autumn and winter, providing a valuable nectar source when other flowers are scarce.
  • Care Tips: They thrive in well-drained soil and while they can grow in full sun, they prefer semi-shade. Can be pruned after flowering to maintain a neat, bushy shape. Ideal for adding colour to garden beds and borders during the cooler months.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Leonotis leonurus

  • Attracts: A variety of Sunbirds, as well as a host of insects including bees and butterflies.
  • Features: Tall, robust shrub with striking, tubular orange flowers arranged in whorls around the stems, providing a rich source of nectar.  Flowering time is in summer, from November to January in some areas and from mid-autumn to winter (April to June) in others. It is fast growing and is both drought and frost hardy.
  • Care Tips: They prefer rich, well drained loamy soils with plenty of compost added. Best in full sun but can tolerate light shade. Prune back after flowering to encourage bushy growth and maintain shape.

Metarungia longistrobus (Sunbird Bush)

  • Attracts: Sunbirds and other nectar-feeding birds, as well as bees and butterflies.
  • Features: A shrub with striking tubular flowers, typically orange to reddish-brown, that provide abundant nectar and are particularly attractive to sunbirds.
  • Care Tips: Thrives in well-drained, loamy, compost-rich soil and prefers partial to full sun. Regular watering encourages blooming, but it’s relatively drought-tolerant once established.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Pavetta lanceolata (Weeping Bride’s Bush)

  • Attracts: Fruit eating birds, butterflies, moths and a variety of other insects, as well as birds that feed on insects.
  • Features: Produces clusters of fragrant, pure white, pincushion-like flowers with long stamens from October to January, followed by small black berries.
  • Care Tips: Prefers well-drained, well-composted soil and partial to full sun. Fairly drought-tolerant once established. Can be pruned to maintain a desired shape and encourage more prolific flowering.

IMAGE:  WIKIMEDIA

Pincushion Protea

  • Attracts: Nectar-feeding birds like Sunbirds and Sugarbirds.
  • Features: Distinctive, brightly coloured flower heads resembling pincushions, with long, needle-like styles that produce copious nectar.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained, acidic soil and a sunny position. Requires minimal watering once established, but benefits from regular deep watering during dry periods. Avoid fertilising with phosphorus.

Plectranthus

  • Attracts: Attracts nectar-feeding birds.  It also attracts bees and insects and therefore, also attracts insectivorous birds.
  • Features: Aromatic foliage and sprays of flowers in various shades of purple, white, or pink, often blooming from late summer, through autumn and into winter.
  • Care Tips: They prefer well-drained soil and partial to full shade, making them ideal for underplanting in shady garden areas. Requires regular watering, but can tolerate dry periods once established. Trim back after flowering to maintain compact growth.

Strelitzia reginae (Bird of Paradise)

  • Attracts: Nectar-feeding birds like Sunbirds, as well as Mousebirds.
  • Features: Striking flowers resembling a bird’s head, with bright orange and blue petals that provide a rich nectar source.
  • Care Tips:  Although they are fairly tolerant of soil conditions, they do prefer well-drained soil and a sunny to partially shaded location.  They need little water once established. If cared for well, they will flower several times in a year.

Tecoma capensis

  • Attracts: Sunbirds, Bulbuls, and other nectar-feeding birds, as well as bees and butterflies.
  • Features: A vigorous, rambling shrub with large spikes of funnel-shaped flowers in orange, yellow, red, bronze or salmon colours, rich in nectar.  The flowers are borne from early spring, throughout summer and into the winter.
  • Care Tips: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate partial shade. Requires well-drained soil. Can be pruned to maintain shape and encourage bushy growth.

 

DISCLAIMER:  The information presented on this website is intended solely as a general guide. We neither endorse specific plant varieties over others nor claim expertise in stock performance. All information is believed to be accurate, based on private inquiries and experiences, and is provided in good faith. Blackwood’s, including its employees, disclaims any responsibility for harm, loss, cost, or damage arising from the use or reliance upon any information on this website, especially if any part of the information proves to be inaccurate or incomplete. Please note that the displayed photos are not representative of current stock but are used for illustrative purposes only.