Western Cape 2018 | Tours - Alpine Garden Society

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

Established in 1913, today Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden contains over 7,000 species of native South African plants.

Located on the slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch includes a wide range of garden settings. A fragrance garden, medicinal garden and Botanical Society Conservatory (housing plants from arid regions) are just a few of the flora collections you can see.

Down to the Cape

Next, the group took in the stunning landscapes. There was plenty of Moraea species to see. They also got acquainted with some of the local wildlife, most notably penguins!

Ferraria crispa Western Cape South Africa

Gladiolus carinatus Western Cape South Africa

West Coast

On a day spent near Langebaan (a town on the eastern shore of the Langebaan Lagoon, 120km north of Cape Town), Gladiolus carinatus and Ferraria crispa were spotted.

Darling

Next on the itinerary was a trip to Darling (a small town home to hundreds of plant species). The group explored amazing reserves full of bulbs and annuals.

Nieuwoudtville

There was plenty to see when the group headed to Nieuwoudtville. A town in Namakwa District Municipality, this area has more bulbs than anywhere else in the world.

Ceres

In Ceres, the group enjoyed beautiful weather and saw an array of oxalis and orchids including a very rare spider orchid.

Tulbagh

Tulbagh is a town situated in the ‘Land van Waveren’ mountain basin in the Winelands of the Western Cape. Here, there were more very rare bulbs to see.

Hermanus

In the seaside town of Hermanus, the group were lucky enough to be taken to a private farm with the help of a local conservation specialist. Some of the bulbs spotted are known only from a tiny area so they were very fortunate to see them.

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