South African Gardens

This month, I would like to tell you about some of South Africas wonderful gardens. Too many to feature, I have chosen just three to whet your appetite.

This is written mainly from an historical point of view and highlights some of the pioneers of the early days of the country

Kirstenbosch, headquarters for the National Botanic Gardens, it was designed in 1913 for the study and promotion of the flora of South Africa.

4000 of the 18,500 flowering species indigenous to the area are found in the garden. 12 kilometres from the centre of Cape Town, the land was used by Cecil John Rhodes in 1895 and given by him to the people of South Africa in 1902.Avenues of Moreton Bay fig trees and camphor trees have been established, and remains of earlier cultivation - including part of the hedge of wild almonds (Brabejum stellatifolium) planted by Jan van Riebeeck in 1660 can be found.

The garden is in a spectacular setting at the eastern buttresses of Table Mountain, and 528 hectares support a flora of fynbos and coastal forest vegetation. Thirty-six hectares of this are developed to display the various collections of plants. The design of the garden is informal, making use of natural features; rockeries, steps, ramps and terraces have been constructed to highlight the displays.

The development of Kirstenbosch started in an area to be known as The Dell, where Colonel Bird's bath of Batavian brick (incorrectly called Lady Anne Barnard's bath) forms a focal point. The cycad collection, the first significant collection to be established, can be seen in the amphitheatre above the bath.

Collections of succulents are in the Mathew Rockery, Proteaceae and Erica's in the upper garden, disas and bulbs in the nursery, and ferns in the Fern House near the nursery.

There are displays of annuals in September/October.

The Botanical Society holds an annual sale of plants and bulbs; some indigenous seed is available at the souvenir shop.

Caledon is known for its wild flower show, which has been held every spring since 1892 to show the range of flora found. Situated in a 214-hectare nature reserve on the slopes of the Swartberg. It was established in 1927 by the Wild Flower and Horticultural Society, which was allowed to develop an uninviting site covered largely with gums and scrub.

The garden was started with the aid of JW Mathews of Kirstenbosch and landscaped firstly by a gardener named Cecil Young and then by C. de W.

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