South Africa's large areas of semi-desert scrub and grassland might suggest a certain poverty of plant life. Aside from the fact that a tract of pristine grassland can hold up to 60 grass species, nothing could be further from the truth.There are five major habitat types in South Africa: fynbos, forest, Karoo, grassland, and savannah. The country can also be divided into seven biomes, or ecological life zones, with distinct environmental conditions and related sets of plant and animal life: Nama Karoo, succulent Karoo, fynbos, forest, thicket, savanna, and grassland.Whichever classification is used, some 10% of the world's flowering species are found in South Africa, the only country in the world with an entire plant kingdom inside its borders: the Cape Floristic Kingdom, which contains 8 600 species, 68% of them endemic. The Cape Peninsula alone boasts more plant species than the whole of Great Britain.Fynbos:This southwestern area of South Africa is the home of the fynbos, which is composed of ericas (heathers), proteas and the grass-like restios. Most spectacular in flower are the proteas, which include the king protea - the national flower - and others of broadly similar shape, the pincushion leucospermum types and spiky leucadendrons. The colour
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Tags: Flowering Plants, Pincushion, South African Plants
Turing your yard of grassland into a beautiful garden design through effective landscaping is challenging but not impossible. Although there is not one single magical formula that will transform a veritable blank space of mud and grass into a successful green landscape, you definitely have the freedom to select your plants and design a garden to make a lasting impression. In order to achieve the desired results, it is essential to plan every step of your gardening methodically.Here are some essential landscaping tips that will help you to understand the basics of garden designing and landscaping with different flowers, trees and plants.Planning your landscaping spaceThe first step would be planning your landscaping space. Planning of the desired space has to be done according to the size and shape of your garden plot. If you like your space and openness to be pronounced, then you could consider covering a major part of the area with a neat and thick lawn and encircling it with trees and flowering plants. Of course, if you have sufficient garden area, then you have the option of putting together several elements that could make an impressive garden design.Planning your gardening design spaceThe next step would be