NATIONAL
BOTANICAL GARDENS |
Pretoria
Situated 8km from the centre of Pretoria, the Botanical
Garden has both subtropical and temperate plants from
around the sub-continent and half of the country's tree
species. It is also home to the National Herbarium,
the Mary Gun Library and the Bookshop, all housed in
the "Building on the Hill".
Open daily from 08 00 - 1800hrs Tel 012 804 3166
Harold Porter
Garden, Betty's Bay
This beautiful, secluded Garden is set between mountain
and sea, in the heart of the Cape fynbos region, about
100 km from Cape Town. It has 10 ha of cultivated fynbos
and 190.5 ha of pristine natural fynbos. There are approximately
88 species of birds to found in the garden, including
the orange-breasted sunbird and the rare protea canary.
Mongoose, porcupines and genets are also common.
Open daily from 08 00 -18 00hrs Tel 028 272 9311
Karoo Desert
Garden, Worcester
The Garden is totally unique for being the only truly
succulent garden on the African continent. Floral highlight
of the year is the spring, when thousands of annuals,
brightly coloured vygies and other wild flowers from
Namaqualand come into flower between mid-August to the
end of September.
The garden boasts some 400 naturally occurring species
and is also a haven for rare and endangered plants,
with over 300 species being protected and propagated.
Almost 70 species of birds have been recorded, as well
as a wide range of small mammals, such as the Cape grey
duiker.
Open daily from 0800 - 1800 Tel 023 347 0785
Witwatersrand,
Roodepoort
Situated against the backdrop of the magnificent Witpoortjie
waterfall, the Garden covers almost 300 hectares and
consists of both landscaped and natural veld areas.
The natural vegetation of the area is known as the 'Rocky
Highveld Grassland' and consists of grassland and savannah,
with dense bush in the kloofs and along streams.
The garden is home to an abundance of wildlife, with
230 bird species and many reptiles and small mammals,
including antelope and jackal. A breeding pair of black
eagles nests on the cliffs alongside the waterfall.
Open daily from 08 00 - 1800 Tel 011 958 1750
Natal, Pietermaritzburg
Established in 1874, the Garden's Victorian past is
evident from the many magnificent specimens of northern
hemisphere plants such as swamp cypresses, tulip trees,
camphor trees, giant figs and magnolias. The garden
also specialises in the conservation of plants from
the eastern region of South Africa and rare and endangered
species from elsewhere.
It is rich in bird life, with over 120 species recorded.
Open daily from 0800 -1800 Tel 033 344 3585
Free State, Bloemfontein
Situated on the outskirts of the city, the Garden spans
a valley between picturesque dolerite koppies, with
the natural vegetation comprising tall grasslands and
woodlands, dominated by magnificent wild olive and karee
trees.
The garden is home to about 400 species of plants, mainly
from the Free State, Northern Cape and Lesotho, including
a fine collection of decorative and hardy trees
indigenous to the area
Open daily from 08 00 - 18 00 Tel 051 436 3530
Lowveld, Nelspruit
Situated in the heart of Mpumalanga, amid rugged, rocky
river scenery, the 159 ha Garden straddles the Crocodile
and Nels Rivers. Pools, pot-holes and waterfalls are
features of this spectacular garden, the town's most
popular tourist attraction Open daily from 08 00 - 1800
Tel 013 752 5531
Other Notable Gardens
The Company Garden,
Cape Town
The historic Garden at the top of Adderley Street, once
Jan van Riebeeck's vegetable patch, is a maze of meandering
pathways set in tranquil, tree-lined surroundings adjoining
the National Parliament. It has a graceful fountain,
lily ponds and more than 3,000 varieties of trees, shrubs
and flowers, most of them exotic. The oaks are home
to little grey squirrels, whose ancestors were brought
to the Cape from America
Tel 011 469 1249
Johannesburg
Botanical Garden, Emmarentia
Established in 1968, the Garden is set on the western
shores of Emmarentia Dam and contains over 30,000 trees,
among them numerous exotic varieties such as the silver
birch and the cork oak. The ponds, islands and reed
beds attract many breeding waterfowl, including moorhens,
crested grebes, dabchicks and Egyptian geese. The large
rose garden contains over 4,500 varieties.
Tel: 011 782 0517
Durban Botanic
Gardens
These beautiful sub-tropical gardens contain an internationally
renowned cycad collection, an Orchid House, a Sunken
Garden containing a year-round display of flowering
annuals, a Fragrant Garden for the blind s well as a
Herbarium. See also the long leaves of the Raffia Palm,
the largest seeds in the world (coco de mer) and the
giant water lily.
Tel: 031 201 1303
The Lost City,
Pilanesberg
This spectacular garden adjoining the Palace of the
Lost City, houses more than half a million exotic and
indigenous trees, plants and shrubs. It includes a swamp
area, baobab forest, rain forest and 5,000 species of
trees.
Tel: 014 557 000
Vergelegen, Somerset
West
The octagonal garden in the centre of the beautiful
wine and fruit estate contains more than 300 species
of flowering plants. The white garden, situated nearby,
has a rose garden and a herb and vegetable garden. Among
the exceptionally beautiful trees are five magnificent
camphors and an oak, reputed to be the oldest in South
Africa.
Tel: 021 883 3584
Hester Malan
Wild Flower Garden
(now part of the Goegap Nature Reserve), outside
Springbok
Covering 15,000 ha of rugged Namaqualand countryside,
the reserve offers superb seasonal displays of wildflowers.
Besides over 100 species of aloe and other succulents,
it also contains 45 species of mammal including springbok,
klipspringer, steenbok, mountain zebras, baboons, aardwolf
and honey badgers.
Tel: 027 712 2011
(now part of the Namaqua National Park) near Kamieskroon
This wild flower reserve, 25 kms away from Kamieskroon
along a gravel road, is justifiably famous for its brilliant
spring flowers.
Tel National Parks, Cape Town 021 422 2810
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