The
Best of... Botanical Gardens |
Kirstenbosch,
Cape Town
Situated on the eastern slopes of Table
Mountain, Kirstenbosch is world-renowned for its beautiful
setting on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and
the diversity of the Cape flora on display. Only indigenous
South African plants are grown on the 528-hectare
estate, which supports diverse fynbos flora and a
natural forest. There are a number of lovely trails
through the estate, a Visitors Centre, information
desk and shop as well as the Botanical Society's Bookshop
Open daily from 08 00 - 1900 (summer)
Tel 021 799 8899
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 ss 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
Skilpad
Nature Reserve (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
Links
to Useful Sites
National Botanical Institute - www.nbi.co.za
Botanical Society of South Africa - www.botsocsa.org.za
