Different flora for a change

I think there is a common tendency among gardeners to choose plants that they know well rather than to go for something different.

Now that so many people have such little gardens this is even more evident since everyone wants their favourite plants around them, and there is a limit as to how much you can accommodate.

This week I have chosen some plants which are easy to come by, and really special, which you may like to consider instead of one of thebetter known specimens.

Otacanthus caeruleus is a lovely aromatic shrubby perennial with lovely mauvish-blue flowers.

It loves the sub-tropical climate of the East London area, but will tolerate winter temperatures as low as 3°C.

The flowers have a sweetpea-like appearance, although they are not related in any way, and the foliage which has a strong herby fragrance is bright green and rough in texture.

Otacanthus grows to about 50cm in height in a sunny to lightly shaded position where it will flower for most of the year.

Mayhenia erecta is another pretty blue shrub with glossy green leaves and quite large mauve flowers.

This plant is indigenous to parts of South Africa and also occurs in West Africa.

It has rigid, upright stems which have an interesting blackish colour when young, and grows to about 2m in height.

It will tolerate fairly low winter temperatures(but above freezing point). It is summer flowering, and requires a fairly sunny position.

Sometimes this lovely shrub is referred to as "Thunbergia erecta".

Galphimia glauca is a lovely yellow shrub which thrives in most climates as long as winter temperatures are not below -3°C.

It has masses of small yellow flowers for much of the year, and the foliage is an interesting bluish green. This shrub is sadly under-rated, since it is very showy, wind tolerant and excellent for screening.

Galphimia has a spreading habit, covering an area of 2 to 3m, and reaching a height of around 2.5m. It has dense leaf-cover throughout the year.

In the line of smaller shrubs and fillers there are also some lovely plants which are still a little new to many gardeners, and which have yet to gain popularity.

Most of us are familiar with Ajuga which is available in various forms, but there is a relatively new varietyavailable, which goes by the name of Ajuga "Caitlin's Giant".

Caitlin's Giant has large purple-green leaves, and spikes of blue flowers which stand about 25cm high.

As with all Ajugas this one is a little prone to Powdery Mildew, but a quick spray with 2tsp of Bicarbonate of soda plus 1tsp of sunlight liquid in five litres of water will clear it up in no time.

Ajugas will grow throughout the country as long as they get sufficient water in dry areas.

Lantana "Sundancer" is a stunning low growing shrub which covers a large area.

It needs a very sunny position and excellent drainage, and given this it will grow very quickly and reward you with masses of bright yellow flowers all year round.

It responds well to pruning should it spread a little further than you want it to, and is extremely pest and disease resistant.

Lantana "Sundancer" is a distant cousin of the big, bad noxious weed Lantana which is such a problem in the warmer parts of the country, but it does not set seed at all and there is no question of it becoming invasive.

Unlike the problem Lantana it is completely thornless. You can grow this pretty plant in most parts of the country, except where winters are very cold, and drought and wind are no problem at all.

Scaevola is a stunning blue flowered ground cover which is suited to most parts of the country.

It bears masses of sky blue flowers which have all the petals on one side, making them look like little fans among the bright green leaves.

Scaevola needs a sheltered, sunny position or preferably a spot which gets sun for only part of the day.