Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Entrance & Greenhouse July 2009

 Leucadendron July 2009

Leucospermum July 2009

Phylica pubescens July 2009

 Protea July 2009

 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden July 2009

 

 

 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden July 2009

In July of 2009 I spent 24 days in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa (RSA).  As you probably know, July is a winter month in the Southern Hemisphere, corresponding to January in the Northern Hemisphere.  But it is January as you might experience it in Los Angeles.  The Western Cape Province has a Mediterranean climate.  It is dry in summer & rains in winter.  It rained most of the 6 days I was in Cape Town.  Perhaps the greatest place in Cape Town is the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on the eastern slope of Table Mountain (Taffelberg).  The garden was established in 1913 to conserve and display the flora of southern Africa, the first botanical garden in the world to be devoted to a country's indigenous flora.  Kirstenbosch lies in the Cape Floristic Region, in a specific ecosystem known as Fynbos. The Cape Floristic Region, including Kirstenbosch, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.  I visited the garden twice.

From my journal, 7-11-09:  Mark called.  He set the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden for 2, arrived at 1:30.  We drove to his friends’ house in Dieprivier.  Wolfgang drove us to Kirstenbosch.  The weather had been fine when Mark & I left De Waterkant.  It started raining lightly in Dieprivier.  It was raining hard at Kirstenbosch.  We toured the greenhouse, which held a great variety of succulent plants.  We had tea in 1 of the restaurants, then saw some of the gardens in lighter rain.  But it was too wet to stay out very long, or take any pictures.

7-13-09:  Johan called to say his car was in the garage until 3.  He would borrow a friend’s car.  He came at 12:30.  We arrived at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden at 1.  The plants & the setting against the mountain were beautiful.  The garden was nice, but not excellent.  I had seen many that were better.  The natural area above the garden was very interesting.  I was thrilled to see Leucadendron argenteum (Silver Tree) in its native habitat.  The tree-like Protea nitida was also very interesting.  Many small waterfalls cascaded down the mountain after the heavy rains.  The weather was perfect: cool & partly cloudy.  The flowers made Johan gasp.  We had lunch in the Silver Tree Restaurant at the garden.