Spekboom was thrown into the spotlight in 2019 when a local farming family challenged South Africans to assist them in planting over one million Spekboom plants before 2025. The idea around this challenge was to decrease the amount of Carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon is the compound responsible for Global warming and comes from many different sources, most of them being human activities. Succulents are known to absorb large amounts of Carbon and it was, therefore, assumed that planting Spekboom (a type of indigenous succulent) in large quantities would assist in eliminating some of the Carbon emitted into the atmosphere. South Africans got involved in the challenge and the Spekboom plant has become a standard décor feature in homes, offices and public spaces around South Africa.
Besides the above, Spekboom is popular for other reasons too. For one, it is indigenous to our Country and survives on very little water. This means it is waterwise and is great for areas that receive little to no rainfall. It is a hardy plant that doesn’t need to be fussed with in order to grow, making it low maintenance and easy to grow. In the right conditions, Spekboom can also flower between Winter and Spring. It grows a beautiful pink flower.
Spekboom makes a great plant for hedges as it grows densely. For this reason, it is widely used in landscaping and interior design. Our clients often use it paired with our Trough planters, Café and Ribbed dividers and pots as a way of demarcating certain areas in restaurants, offices and shopping centres. It can be planted both indoors and outdoors as long as they are in a sunny spot which makes it very versatile.
So, next time you decide you want to add some greenery to your space, this local gem is definitely worth considering.
