You are not only limited to attracting butterflies and birds to your garden.  You can also creating an inviting habitat for our indigenous old world monkey, the Lesser Bushbaby (Galago moholi).

The presence of these cute, furry and saucer-eyed nocturnal mammals will only enhance the quality of your outdoor living area.

The first thing to consider when planning on inviting bushbabies to your garden is your pets.  If you have dogs or cats, it might not be such a good idea, as you might be luring the bushbabies to a certain death.

Seeing as these little nocturnal pro-simians are indigenous, you will need to plant indigenous plants in your garden to create the perfect environment for them.  Take into consideration what they need in terms of food, water, nesting and safety.  I suggest you conduct intensive research on these tiny furry creatures to be able to ascertain what their needs will be.

Firstly, bushbabies are arboreal, which means they spend most of their time in trees.  Therefore you will have to plant some large trees in your garden.  They are omnivorous and eat tree gum – from acacia trees – flowers, fruits and insects, such as moths, beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers and even small reptiles, such as lizards.   They are not dependant on water, but it would be a wise idea to provide a safe watering spot for them in your garden.

You can entice them to stay and breed in your garden, by providing a nesting log or box for them.  In nature, they will nest in the hollow of a tree.  Bushbabies normally give birth to one or two offspring and sometimes even up to three babies.

Finally, please keep in mind that these animals are wild and you should not try to keep them as pets.  Be satisfied with providing a habitat for them in your garden, where they can exist in peace and are free to roam as they want.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping can design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

Linda Poultney ©

Attracting butterflies to your garden is as easy as planting indigenous, flowering plants in your garden. The first step you will need to take in creating a butterfly friendly garden is to conduct research on the endemic species of butterflies in your region. From there you will be able to determine which plants you will have to incorporate into your garden design, which will provide food and shelter for the butterflies that you wish to attract.

Some common plants that are inviting to butterflies include wild irises (dietes grandiflora and dietes bicolour), Blue Freylinia (freylinia tropica), Honeybells (freylinia lanceolata), Cape Honeysuckle (tecomaria capensis) and Cape leadwort (plumbago auriculata). Adult butterflies feed on nectar and their larvae – caterpillars – feed on the leaves of larval host plants.

Butterflies are attracted to colour, so make sure that you plant flowering plants, which are on your endemic butterflies’ menu. Your lay-out should be carefully thought through, as these dainty and pretty insects love sunny areas. Therefore, you will have to plant your butterfly-attracting plants in sunny areas. Naturally, you will have to research the needs of the plants, to ensure they will thrive in the sun. Butterflies also need water, so it would be a good idea to create an area for them to drink from.

Finally, it is important to avoid pesticides as much as possible, as this will harm not only the butterflies, but also their offspring – caterpillars. Not only will attracting butterflies to your garden add life and beauty to your garden, but you will also be contributing to conservation, as you will be restoring the balance of the ecology in your garden. And, sadly most of our indigenous butterflies are endangered. Butterflies are essential role players in pollination.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping can design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature. We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service. We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

Linda Poultney ©

What do birds require to not only survive, but thrive?  Once you have determined that, you can start by providing for these needs and attracting birds to your garden.

Just like us, birds need food, water and shelter.

Different birds require different types of food, such as seeds, fruit or insects and also have various needs for shelter, depending on their habitat preferences.

You can start by setting up a bird feeding tray in your garden.  Make sure that you can view this bird restaurant from your favourite spot in the house or garden.  Ensure that the birds will be safe from your dogs or cats, while they are occupied with feeding.

Secondly, you can install a bird bath, which will both provide water to drink and to bath in.  It would be best to place the bird bath close to the feeding tray.

Finally, you can attract birds by planting indigenous plants in your garden.  Some birds, such as weavers, hadedas, and barbets love large trees.  Robin chats and thrushes love dense bushes.  And mousebirds, touracos (louries) and barbets love fruit-bearing trees.

Guarantee your feathered visitors’ safety, by keeping an eye on your cats and dogs.  If you can not train them to leave your guests alone, put the feeder and bird bath in a part of the garden where your pets can not reach.  It is also a good idea to put the feeder and bird bath in an area where the birds will have a good vantage point.  This will afford them with a chance to flee if Felix or Fido is on the prowl!

You should also make sure that you do not use any pest control that will be harmful to birds.  Stick to non-toxic and organic methods of pest control.  It is a much healthier option for your plants too!

Once you have followed all of these steps, you can sit back and await your first plumed friends.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.