About the Book

This book motivates gardeners to adopt a completely different mindset: instead of growing foreign plants and killing perceived pests, gardeners can benefit from planting indigenous vegetation with the object of actually attracting insects and other garden wildlife. It illustrates how easy it is to work with nature instead of against it. Not just another gardening book, it encourages gardeners to help preserve and restore our fast-disappearing natural heritage. In this way they can contribute to conservation right on their own doorsteps, while deriving great pleasure in the process. Virtually every aspect of environmentally friendly gardening is covered, making it a complete “how to” guide and debunking some long-held myths.

Winner of a University of KwaZulu-Natal book prize, the first edition was out of print for several years after all 15 000 copies had been sold. This new edition, which covers the eastern and northern parts of the country, is a greatly improved version of the much acclaimed original. Besides being expanded to 320 pages with much more information, it has nearly 100 colour pictures and almost twice as many black and white illustrations. The same lighthearted and entertaining style has been retained and technical terms have been avoided, thus making it an easy read. The book is enhanced by delightful humorous drawings that emphasise points made in the text.

A must for all nature-loving gardeners, the large amount of information is almost encyclopaedic and will also be more than useful to conservationists and anyone with an interest in the natural sciences. This book has many selling points, not least of which is its affordable recommended retail price of only R165. The ISBN number is 978-0-620-48228-8 and it is available at most good bookstores or at the Botanical Society botsoc-kzn@mweb.co.za

About the Authors

Charles Botha is a semi-retired businessman and, although he has always been interested in plants and wildlife, his only qualification in this field is an LBE (Learned By Experience). He is past chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Region of the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA, and a life member of both this organisation and the Botanical Society of SA as well as a member of the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa.

Julia Botha is Professor and Head of Therapeutics and Medicines Management at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and chairs the University’s Environmental Committee. She and Charles are long standing members of BirdLife SA.

Together Charles and Julia are committed to encouraging people to preserve and restore what little remains of our natural heritage and in recognition of their work received the President’s Special Award from the Wildlife and Environment Society in 2003. They are the founders of the Botanical Education Trust which funds research and education related to indigenous flora. Both either chair or serve as trustees on several conservation-oriented Trusts. The full proceeds from the sale of all their books have been donated to conservation.

By the same Authors

Bring Butterflies Back to your Garden. Taking environmentally friendly gardening a step further with over 500 indigenous plants to attract butterflies.

Bring Nature Back to your Garden (Western Edition). For gardeners living west of Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Mafikeng.

Buyisela Imvelo Engadini. Environmentally friendly gardening for isiZulu speakers.

Bring Nature Back to your Garden (First Edition). Won a University of KwaZulu-Natal Book Prize in 1999 for popularising science and is replaced by this edition.