UWC Nature Reserve Unit

Salvia dolomitica

dolomite sage

Salvia dolomitica in flower

Plant of the Month

Salvia dolomitica, commonly known as dolomite sage or Pilgrim's Rest sage, is an attractive indigenous South African shrub that belongs to the mint family Lamiaceae. It naturally occurs in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where it grows in rocky, dolomitic habitats. The species name dolomitica refers to its association with dolomite-rich areas.

This hardy, aromatic shrub is valued for its attractive grey-green foliage and delicate flowers. It can grow into an upright shrub of approximately 1–2 metres. From spring through summer, it produces clusters of pale lilac to pinkish flowers with attractive markings. After flowering, the calyces remain on the plant and develop a striking deeper colour, extending its ornamental display.

One of the most valuable features of S. dolomitica is its role in supporting pollinators. Its flowers are adapted for bee pollination, providing a landing platform for visiting bees. This makes dolomite sage a wonderful addition to gardens designed to support pollinators and urban biodiversity. A garden filled with indigenous plants can provide valuable food and habitat for the small creatures that help keep ecosystems functioning.

The plant is also well-suited to water-wise gardens. It is drought-resistant and performs best in full sun and well-drained soil. Regular watering during the growing season encourages healthy growth and flowering. Pruning after flowering helps maintain a compact and bushy shape. The plant can be propagated from seed or cuttings.

At a glance

Sun: Full sun
Water: Water-wise / drought-resistant
Soil: Well-drained soil
Wildlife value: Supports pollinators
Propagation: Seed or cuttings

Beauty with ecological value

Beyond its horticultural value, Salvia dolomitica has also attracted scientific interest because of its aromatic essential oils. Research has investigated the antimicrobial activity of essential oils from South African Salvia species against selected microorganisms. With its fragrant foliage, attractive flowers, pollinator value and ability to tolerate dry conditions, dolomite sage is an excellent indigenous shrub for water-wise and biodiversity-friendly gardens.

A personal favourite

I personally enjoy using the aromatic leaves of dolomite sage to make a simple cup of tea. I like combining two to three fresh leaves with lemon, cancer bush (Sutherlandia frutescens), and a little honey. The combination makes a pleasant, fragrant herbal drink that I enjoy now and then. For me, this is one of the simple joys of growing aromatic indigenous plants.

Note

This is a personal preference rather than a recommendation for treating or preventing any health condition. Herbal plants can contain active compounds and may not be suitable for everyone, particularly when consumed regularly or alongside medication.

Grow Indigenous.
Grow for Biodiversity.

UWC Nature Reserve Unit

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by Admin | July 3, 2026 | Indigenous indoor plants | 0 comments

Streptocarpus primulifolius

Common name: Cape primrose
Family: Gesneriaceae
Origin: South Africa
Plant description: A fast-growing and highly rewarding soft perennial herb with an unusual growth habit: it features no true stems, as each rough, hairy leaf acts as an individual plant with its own roots and flowering stems. The leaves grow in a rosette formation from a thick horizontal rootstock, originating at ground level and curving gently outward. Throughout spring and summer, it produces large, striking single or paired flowers on long, slender stems. The tubular flowers are two-lipped with five broad, uneven petals, typically appearing in beautiful shades of purple, pink, or mauve/lilac with deep violet or reddish-purple stripes inside. The long fruit capsules characteristically twist open in a spiral when dry to release tiny seeds.

Use: An exceptionally popular and decorative indoor pot plant, ideal for adding a splash of vibrant color to bright interior spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, or offices. It also performs beautifully outdoors in containers on sheltered, shaded patios or nestled under a forest-like tree canopy in frost-free gardens.

Light and position: Prefers bright, indirect light or dappled shade (an east- or west-facing windowsill is ideal). Keep it strictly out of direct sunlight to prevent leaf burn, but avoid deep shade as this will result in poor flowering.

Water requirement: Medium to low water requirement. Because they have shallow root systems and natural cliff-dwelling adaptations, they prefer to dry out between waterings. Water regularly during the active growing season, but allow the top layer of soil to dry before watering again. Reduce watering significantly in winter; the plant can tolerate slight wilting and recovers beautifully once watered, but sitting in soggy soil will cause fatal root rot.

Plant care: Plant in light, well-drained, slightly acidic potting soil mixed with organic matter like bark compost or peat. Feed monthly during the spring and summer growing season with a potassium-rich liquid fertilizer to encourage abundant flowering. Deadhead spent flowers by snipping the flower stem at the base. Re-pot only when the roots start growing out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Choose a wide, shallow pot rather than a deep one, only one size larger than the root ball, as these plants thrive and flower best when slightly root-bound.

Pest and diseases: Generally exceptionally pest and disease-free. However, keep a lookout for aphids, mealybugs, and leaf miner caterpillars on the undersides of the leaves. Watch out for rotting at the leaf base, which is a sign of over-watering or poor drainage.

Propagation: Highly versatile and easy to grow from both leaf cuttings and seeds. Leaf cuttings are best taken in spring or early summer; select a healthy leaf from the center of the plant, cut it into 3 cm sections or cut along the midrib, and insert it upright into a well-drained mixture of compost, sand, or vermiculite. Keep the medium humid and moist, and new plantlets will develop from the leaf base in 4 to 6 weeks. To propagate by seed, scatter the dust-like seeds thinly on top of a fine, well-drained medium. Do not cover them with soil as they require light to germinate. Keep them warm, moist, and under a clear cover until they sprout in 3 to 4 weeks.

By uwcnursery

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by Admin | May 12, 2026, | Gardening Tips | 0 comments

Cape Flats Gardening Guide

🌿 

May & June activities in the Garden 

🌿

As the Cape’s winter edges closer, May and June bring a gentle rhythm to the garden. Rain begins to fall more often, soaking the soil and helping roots settle in. It’s a season of preparation, tidying, and planting. A time when small efforts now will reward you with lush growth later.

❄️ Winter preparation

• Clear gutters, downpipes, drainage channels, and stormwater drains to prevent flooding during heavy winter rains.
• Spike compacted lawns with a garden fork, fill holes with sand or old potting soil, and sprinkle bonemeal to encourage healthy root growth.

✂️ Gentle garden maintenance

• Tidy up summer- and autumn-flowering shrubs including Barleria, Plumbago, ribbon bush, and wild dagga.
• Prune Plectranthus after flowering and root cuttings in a cool, shaded area.
• Add compost around shrubs and perennials, avoiding direct contact with stems.
• Relocate struggling shrubs while the soil is moist and cool.

🌱 Soil Care

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden.

Healthy compost 

• Spread compost generously over garden beds twice a year.
• No digging needed, let earthworms and soil microbes do the work naturally.

🌿 Featured winter plant

Metalasia muricata

Metalasia muricata is a hardy indigenous shrub with fine foliage and creamy flower heads, ideal for water-wise and fynbos gardens.

🌿 Winter planting

This is an excellent planting season for indigenous and Cape Flats species:

Flowering Jordaaniella dubia

• Conicosia pugioniformis (pigroot)
• Euphorbia mauritanica  (yellow milk bush)
• Helichrysum capitatum (imphepho)
• Jordaaniella dubia (matvygie)
• Metalasia muricata (wild olive)
• Olea europaea subsp. africana (blombos)
• Ruschia macowanii  (beach tentifig)
• Salvia aurea (brown sage)
• Searsia crenata (dune crowberry)
•  Senecio halimifolius (tabakbos)

Feed flowering aloes with compost (available at our next plant sale for only R35) to encourage dazzling winter blooms.

🪴 Containers & window boxes

Brighten patios and windowsills with:

• 
  Gazanias
• Geraniums
• Diascias
• Osteospermum
  

🌼 Indigenous & fynbos magic

Try these winter performers:

• Agathosma serpyllacea (wildeboegoe)
• Coleonema pulchellum (confetti bush)
• Euryops abrotanifolius (lace-leaf euryops)
• Euryops pectinatus (golden euryops)
• Osteospermum moniliferum (bietou)
• Phylica ericoides (heath phylica)
• Salvia scabra (coast blue sage)
• Strelitzia reginae (bird of paradise)

Together, these plants create a colourful, textured, and uniquely Cape winter garden

Please support our next plant sale on Friday, 29 May, where you can buy many of these resilient, dazzling indigenous plants at very affordable prices! 

Kindly refer to the brochure for more details

April Plant Sale

 

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by Admin | April 20, 2026, | Plant Sale | 0 comments

🌿 CASH PLANT SALE 🌿

Bring biodiversity to your garden with climate-resilient indigenous plants

Learning, Growing, Gardening

📅 Date: 24 April 2026 (Friday)
⏰ Time: 08H00 – 15H00

🌼 Border & Filler Plants

• Bulbine frutescens
• Chlorophytum saundersiae
• Felicia echinata
• Felicia ‘nice blue’
• Helichrysum patulum
• Osteospermum sp.

🌿 Medicinal Plants

• Bulbine frutescens
• Eriocephalus africanus
• Leonotis leonurus
• Pelargonium sidoides
• Salvia aurea
• Tulbaghia violacea

🌳 Hedge Plants

• Dodonaea viscosa “Purpurea”
• Dovyalis caffra
• Euryops virgineus
• Plumbago auriculata
• Tecomaria capensis

🌱 Reserve Plants

• Elegia tectorum
• Euphorbia mauritanica
• Osteospermum moniliferum
• Pelargonium capitatum
• Phylica ericoides

🪴 Available Plants & Prices

• Bulbine frutescens – R20
• Carpobrotus – R15
• Clivia miniata – R30
• Coleonema pulchellum – R60
• Crassula species – R15–R20
• Eriocephalus africanus – R20
• Euryops pectinatus – R40
• Felicia echinata – R20
• Leonotis leonurus – R40 (2 for R70)
• Osteospermum moniliferum – R20
• Pelargonium species – R30–R60
• Phylica ericoides – R40
• Salvia aurea – R30
• Tulbaghia violacea – R30

🧺 Extras

• Bark – R40
• Compost – R35
• Potting soil – R35
• Trees – from R100
• Indoor plants – from R30

💵 Cash sale only

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📍 More Information

UWC Nature Reserve
📧 zmaphanga@uwc.ac.za

Next sale: 08 May 2026

*Please note: Not all plants may be in flower at the time of sale.

July Plant Sale

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by Admin | July 18, 2025, | Plant Sale | 0 comments

Every purchase supports local biodiversity and environmental restoration.
Add indigenous plants to your space and help strengthen green belts, support pollinators, and restore natural ecosystems. No green fingers needed, just choose the right plants for your area.
Look at what’s growing naturally around you and match your garden accordingly.
Please don’t grow invasive weeds, we’ve got the perfect resilient, indigenous plants for your garden.

Come explore, learn, and grow with us!

NB: No card machine

We thank you for your support

JUNE PLANT SALE

 

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by Admin | June 27, 2025, | Plant Sale | 0 comments

It’s that time again — the nursery is open!

Join us for our upcoming monthly Plant Sale on Friday, where every purchase supports local biodiversity and environmental restoration. By adding indigenous plants to your space, you contribute to the health of our green belts, pollinator populations, and natural ecosystems. Come explore, learn, and grow with us!

Date: 27 June 2025, Friday 

Time: 08h00 - 15h00

Location:  Nature Reserve Unit (Nursery) near the West Link entrance off Robert Sobukwe Road, right next to the security gate.

NB: Cash Only!!!

We thank you for your support.

May Plant Sale

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by Admin | May 19, 2025, | Plant Sale | 0 comments

May Plant Sale at the Nature Reserve Unit! 

Join us for our monthly May Plant Sale on Friday, 23 May 2025, at the UWC Nature Reserve Unit (Nursery) from 08:00 to 15:00. Conveniently located near the West Link entrance off Robert Sobukwe Road, right next to the security gate. 

Winter Garden Preparation Tip: 

As the colder months approach, protect your garden beds by mulching, planting groundcovers, and composting. Spread compost over the soil, no digging! Micro-organisms will naturally work it in, enriching your garden without disturbing the earth. Just remember to keep thick layers away from plant stems to avoid rot. Composting twice a year is key!

Seasonal picks:

• Arum Lilies are now available on the stand—perfect for the cooler months!
• Plectranthus shrubs are marked down as they need pruning to thrive next year.
• Artemisia afra is back by popular demand
• New in stock: Haemanthus for only R30!
• Herbs: Sage, Coriander 

Please note: Sales are cash only

We look forward to seeing you there as you find the perfect plants for your garden!  

Thank you for your support