Skukuza Nursery in Kruger National Park

The Skukuza plant nursery in Kruger National Park is one of our favourite places to buy plants. 

If you have an hour to spare while you are in the Skukuza area, this is a great place to stretch your legs even if you are not buying. Walk the boardwalk, eat an ice cream, enjoy the shady trees, do a bit of bridging and enjoy the butterflies. 

You can pair your visit to the Skukuza Nursery with lunch or drinks at the Skukuza Golf Club and sightseeing Lake Panic Hide.

The nursery is easily accessed between Skukuza Rest Camp / Skukuza employee village and Paul Kruger Gate. Turn on the S42 from the H11 main road. 

Which plants are available from the Skukuza Nursery?

Skukuza Nursery is specialised in indigenous plants, all of which grow in Kruger National Park. Here is a copy of their official pamphlet with some plants available and their recommended uses.

In the office you will also find a selection of seeds your can grow yourself. The seeds come with instructions on how to grow the seeds. 

A smaller selection of plants is also available at the Crocodile Bridge Camp shop.

The Skukuza Nursery probably has the best priced indigenous plants in the region.

We have bought and planted most of the plants listed below at ilanda Guest House!

Skukuza Nursery Opening Hours

The nursery is open from 7 am until 4 pm during the week. 

Please be mindful that during weekends and public holidays, the nursery opens at 8 am until 4pm, but closes for 1 hour between 1 and 2 pm, leading to many disappointments if you come at the wrong time. 

The nursery is closed for Christmas Day.

Also note that during weekends and public holidays, the nursery manager is absent and Honorary Rangers are manning the office. Their knowledge of plants and the nursery is hit-and-miss.

Skukuza Nursery Contact Details

For information and special advice, contact the nursery manager Meurel Baloyi. Meurel.Baloyi@sanparks.co.za or 060 8220 803.

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​​Since it’s an inception in the early 1970’s, the Skukuza Indigenous Nursery has built up an impressive collection of trees, shrubs, and succulent that occurs within the Kruger National Park and surrounds.

The nursery only uses locally collected seeds and plant material for both nursery stock and research purposes. Visitors are welcome to come and browse through the nursery and see the variety of indigenous plants available.

At the Nursery 

• Choose from over 200 species of indigenous plants suitable for both Highveld and Lowveld conditions  

• Plant identification service for KNP plant

• Advice on suitable plants for any sized garden

• Advise on water wise gardening

• Seedling and smaller plants for bonsai

• Large trees in 20 litre bags

• Well known indigenous favourites including the Impala Lily, Kudu Lily and the Baobab

• Great birding opportunities on the wetland Board Walk

• Quotes on large orders for landscaping/ new gardens

Indigenous Plants 

We hope you enjoy your visit to Skukuza Indigenous Nursery. We are often asked to recommend trees and shrubs for different situations, so we have compiled a list of plant for most common situation. There are plenty of other suitable plants available at the nursery including ground covers and flowering shrubs. 

We encourage all our visitors to plant indigenous plants in their garden as they are better suited to our South African climate and add value to the habitat by creating homes and food source for insects, birds and mammals.

Frost Resistant Plants

Common Names	Scientific Name
Coral tree (has thorns)	Erythina lysistemon
Tree wisteria	Bolusanthus speciosus
Anna Tree (has thorns)	Faidherbia albida
Fever Tree	Acacia xanthophloea
Natal Laburnum	Calpurnia aurea
Umbrella Thorn	Acacia tortilis
Lowveld Cluster leaf	Terminalia prunioides
Mountain Karee	Searsia leptodictya
Jacket Plum	Pappea capensis
Bushveld Gardenia	Gardenia volkensi
Natal Bluebush	Diospyros lycioides
Wild Olive	Oleo europaea
Kei Apple (has thorns)	Dovyalis caffra
Buffalo thorn	Ziziphus mucronata

Drought Resistant Plants

Common Name	Scientific Name
Impala Lily	Andenium multiflorum
Kudu Lily	Pachypodium saundersii
Sickle Bush (has thorns)	Dichrostachys cinerea
Weeping Boer-bean	Schotia brachypetala
Pride-of-De-kaap	Bauhinia galpinni
Sjambok Pod	Cassia abbreviate
Weeping Wattle	Peltophorum africanum
Apple leaf	Philenoptera violaceae
White Seringa	Kirkia acuminate
Baobab	Adnsonia digitata
Red Bush willow	Combretum apiculatum
Scented Thorn (thorns)	Acacia nilotica
Gingerbush	Tetradenia riparia
Marula	Sclerocarya birrea
Lowveld bitter-tea	Vernonia colorata
All Aloe species

Fast Growing Plants

Common Names	Scientific Names
Pigeonwood	Trema orientalis
Knobbly fig	Ficus sansibarica
Common wild fig	Ficus Burkei
Sycamore fig	Ficus sycomorus
Mitzeeri	Bridelia micrantha
Propeller tree	Gymnocarpus americanus
Wild mango	Cordyla africana
Fever tree (has thorns)	Acacia xanthophloea

Additional Species

Common Name	Scientific Name
Cape Ash	Ekebergia capensis
Coral tree (has thorns)	Erythina lysistemon
Wild Date Palm	Phoenix reclinata
Quinine tree	Rauvolfia caffra
Natal Mahogany	Trichilia emetica
Tassel Berry	Antidesma venosum
Toad Tree	Tabernaemontana elegans

Bird Attracting Plants

Common Name	Scientific Name
Jackalberry	Diopyros mespiliformis
Monkey Pod	Senna petersiana
Brown ivory	Berchemia discolour
Mitzeeri	Bridelia micrantha
Climbing Num-num	Carissa edulis
Kei-apple (thorns)	Dovyalis caffra
Cape Ash	Ekebergia capensis
Jacket-plum	Pappea capensis
Nyalaberry tree	Xanthocercis zambesiaca
Snuff Box Tree	Oncoba spinosa
Water berry	Syzygium cordatum
Flamecreeper	Combretum microphyllum
Sausage Tree	Kigelia africana
Fig tree	Ficus species
Coral tree (thorn)	Erythrina species
Sunbird bush	Metarungia longistrobus