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Utilizing ground covers can help to transform a bare or dull part of your garden into a beautiful, low maintenance show area. The suitability of a plant to use as a ground cover is determined by its growing habits, not necessarily by size or by height. Typically, ground covers sprawl, spread, run, or colonize by reseeding. Some ground covers will only grow in full shade, others thrive in full sun, and still others will survive no matter where you grow them.
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Growing bulb type flowers is a very rewarding task, considering the ease of planting and the resulting flower shows. More than 1,200 species of native bulbs flourish in South Africa. Some of them are adapted to drought-resistant landscapes while others are ideal for planting in shade under trees.
Around 10% of the world's flowering species are found in South Africa. South Africa's pelargoniums, in particular, have contributed greatly to gardens all over the world, as have the arum lilies – the classic white species is from the southwestern area of South Africa, the yellow and pink from elsewhere in the country.
Proteas, sometimes also called Sugarbushes, are probably the showiest of all South African flowers. They display mammoth inflorescences, some of which can reach up to 30 cm in diameter! In addition, the large, colorful bracts surrounding the tiny flowers are often highly ornamented with silken hairs, giving the inflorescence a feathery, almost birdlike appearance. Most Protea occur south of the Limpopo River.
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