South Africa gardens

25 years ago

I am about tospend a month in South Africa, travelling all over the country. I'd love to know about gardens web site posters have visited that were especially remarkable.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Maddy
25 years ago
Susan,
Go and have a look at the website of the SA National Botanical Institute and have a look at the various botanical gardens. I only know the Witwatersrand BG personally, which is, especially if you are also also into birds, well worth a visit. Kirstenbosch in Cape Town is a must!
Maddy

Here is a link that might be useful: SA National Botanical Institute
nick
25 years ago
Lucky you! Get ready for a magical experience. By far the best place in all of South Africa for gardeners is the Cape Town area. First, it's where Kirstenbosch is located...one of the foremost botanical gardens in the world. But, best of all, is the area south of Cape Town, where you can take day trips to drive through the Fynbos ecosystem, a truly unique biome. The drive down the coast is magnificent and there are incredible species growing wild by the roadside...Proteas, Moraeas and many others. The national park at the Cape of Good Hope is spectacular for its diversity. And just a little further down the road (ask any local) you can find an amazing community of Jackass Penguins. Also, don't miss the drive up to the top of Table Mountain...it's Protea heaven. In addition to the Kirstenbosch web site (use your search engine), you should also check out the site for the ARC (South African Agricultural Research Council). They have several research centers that are doing innovative work on ornamental and endangered species. You might even be able to arrange visits to their research centers just outside of Cape Town and Pretoria. (I did and enjoyed every minute!)
Related Discussions
Recommend a rose in between WS2000 and South Africa
Q
Comments (18)
4' would be fine...and the beauty is that 'Blue Chip' is an excellent low-growing sprawler...I have about 4 of them tucked in spaces around roses where I need a splash of blue/purple. They bloom all summer/fall and I found they are very winter hardy. Just a haircut in the Spring and they start blooming. Just a hint, though...they are lazy and might take awhile to bud out...so don't be too hasty to yank them if you think they've died. I had one that I thought didn't make it through the Winter but I over-pruned it in the Spring and it took it awhile to bounce back. It was late June/July before it woke up and then it went bonkers and started growing like its siblings to make up for lost time. An added bonus is the beautiful butterflies that will haunt your garden...
...See More
Hippie Seeds For South Africa 2011
Q
Comments (39)
Hellooooooooo!!! Hope everyone is handling this heat quite well! UPDATE on these seeds... Received your seeds Donna just in time for the second shipment to SA. Am also forgeting to acknowledge Carol's lovely deep red/"NOT Pink" Hippie seeds....hundreds of them. Sent are 15 packets of 70 mixed seeds each. Some I had to place in more "exotic seeds" as per request. I still got a few requests here and there to take care of. DIZZY... There were not much cybister seeds received but I am just now harvesting my own crosses. So give me more time and I'll send you some. ARIF...Working on your yellow seeds right now. Pray with me my dear friend. Lots of aborting and rotting seedpods here! Too hot and humid! Some rebloomers... Scadoxus seeds were harvested and will be sent hopefully soon. Clivia seeds will also be sent soon. If we get lucky, we might receive C. robusta seeds also. Please don't contact me now for these seeds. I will post an update in this thread once I receive the seeds and are ready to be posted. You all have a wonderful 4th of July!!!!
...See More
The Green Miracle in South Africa
Q
Comments (4)
Jeffrey! Thank you for sharing this with us! I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner...for some reason, I haven't had access to this site. Whenever the desert flourishes through this kind of wise stewardship, I think of promised lands.... and the return to Eden (or Aiden, shall we?). Josh
...See More
Growing Pelargoniums hybrids in South-Africa
Q
Comments (0)
I don't live in South-Africa, and this is a rather theoretical question. I did not find any reference to that subject, and it goes like this: Most pelargoniums originate from SA, and they account for the majority of hybrids. There is enough reason to believe that if South-African gardeners cultivate garden cultivars near plants growing in the wild, there is a high chance of cross-pollination and therefore genetic contamination, affecting wild species. Did anyone ever do a research on that one?
...See More
Yvonne Savio
22 years ago
I'll be traveling to South Africa in October and want to visit great gardens. I'll have a week and center in Cape Town to begin with. Any suggestions for gardens and transportation and lodgings and eateries? I'm especially interested in kitchen gardens and ornamentals, not much into trees.
Thanks!
annebert
22 years ago
Ooh, I'm green with envy. Of course, Kirstenbosch. I suggest you join the SA Botanical Society. It costs about $35 US. Then you get free entry to all their gardens all over the country(which you can read about on their site). You could feel free to email all the chapter secretaries (whose emails are also on the site) for suggestions. You'd probably get at least one issue of their quarterly journal before you go, which has lots of ads for B&Bs in the back, and is a beautiful mag. Also, in January, you get to pick 15 free packets of seeds from them!

Here is a link that might be useful: SA Botanical Society

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES 3 Exotic Flowers From the South African Wild

By CYAN Horticulture

Add an enticing note to a garden border or patio container with these sophisticated and memorable African plants

Full Story

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Houzz Tour: Curves and Angles Among South African Sand Dunes

By Mitchell Parker

Nature's forces, gifts and Bob Marley influenced this unusual home on a temperate coast

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Milkweed

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Quit cringing. This not-weed plant is a sight to behold in the garden, has a delicious vanilla scent and is a magnet for butterflies

Full Story

STUDIOS AND WORKSHOPS Step Inside a Stunning Nature-Inspired Sanctuary in South Australia

By Jeni Lee

An Aussie artist lets the natural coastal landscape dictate the design of her creative retreat

Full Story

HOUZZ TOURS Regional Design: Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry

By Becky Harris

On the fringes of the South Carolina coast, a range of classic vernacular styles meets modern technology and updated sophistication

Full Story

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING A Minnesota Pavilion Gets Cooking, South American Style

By Vanessa Brunner

Taking over a former play structure's prime location, this three-season retreat brings grown-up grilling to a couple's backyard

Full Story

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Houzz Tour: Candy-Colored Church Conversion in South Australia

By Grace Chamia

A couple bring their 150-year-old church-turned-residence into the modern world

Full Story

119

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: DIY Efforts Transform a South Philly Row House

By Sara Bates

Elbow grease and creative thinking take an early-1900s home in Pennsylvania into the realm of knockout style

Full Story

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: A Storybook Cottage in South Carolina

By Nancy Mac

Whimsy and color rule in this children’s book author’s home

Full Story

TRADITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: English Country Home in the American South

By Becky Harris

This Charlotte, North Carolina, showhouse offers ideas for a fresh, family-friendly take on traditional design

Full Story

South Africa gardens

Comments (4)

Maddy

nick

Related Discussions

Yvonne Savio

annebert

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US