June 2010
Fruit for Birds & food for the soul
By Jenny Dean

The joys of a wildlife-friendly garden are simple and many. Be sure to spend some quiet moments appreciating the creatures that stop by to feed, and those that stay longer and raise their youngsters on the largesse your plants provide.
Settling down to write one sunny afternoon I was completely distracted from my task by the antics of a family of speckled mousebirds. The baby, fat and fluffy, clambered precariously amongst the branches of the coral tree (ERYTHRINA lysistemon) that is planted right outside my window. His (he just looked like
a mischievous little boy) near misses made me catch my breath a few times. He tried out a few young Erythrina leaves seeming to chew on them before deciding they weren’t to his liking and wobbling off to a new branch. The two anxious parents hovered over this squawking bundle of feathers offering him tempting little snacks. Fortunately they didn’t have far to fly as under this particular coral tree is a mass of HOSLUNDIA opposita,
with its crop of orange-coloured fruit.
Loaded with Vitamin C, they are quite delicious to us humans and are a favourite with small birds, especially mousebirds
and bulbuls.
Hoslundia is particularly useful in
a garden because it scrambles willingly through surrounding shrubbery in sun
and light shade, yet it never becomes
a nuisance. The flowers are small, white and unspectacular. The fruits start out green, ripening through pale yellow to bright orange, which is when they are most tasty.
In my garden this particular clump, so attractive to my family of mousebirds,
winds its way through and amongst
a clump of sunbird bushes (METARUNGIA longistrobus) and stoep jacaranda (PLECTRANTHUS saccatus). All thrive under the light shade of the coral tree and form a wonderful bird corridor. In autumn the gold flower spikes of Metarungia and delicate white sprays of the Plectranthus sprinkled with Hoslundia’s orange balloons make a show that has to be seen to be believed. Upon seeing this combination most visitors leave the nursery bearing all three shrubs, eager and excited to make a difference to the wildlife in their gardens. If you have space plant groups of three or more of each, like I have. All Plectranthus species attract butterflies, which is an added bonus of course. All that is left then is to wish you many happy hours enjoying the flowering spectacle, fruitful harvest and the wonderful birds it will attract. Food for the soul indeed!