Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

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Editor Pick

Spectacular Gardens

  • October 17, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Meggysmum from Oxford, United Kingdom
Spectacular Gardens

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is situated in Cape Town in South Africa. It is run by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

The entire site consists of a 528 hectare estate on the Eastern slopes of the famous Table Mountain. Only a small proportion of the estate forms the cultivated garden, approximately 36 hectares. However there are lots of access paths into the uncultivated areas that provide enticing walks on the lower parts of the mountain.

The gardens were founded in 1913 and their main purpose now is to ensure the continuation of indigenous South African plants and to provide access to all to enjoy them. The gardens consist of the local fynbos flora and also natural forest.

Entry to the gardens is R35 for adults, R20 for South African students and r10 for children. Senior citizens who are South African can gain free entry on select days each month.

There is plenty of parking near the main entrance. You enter through the visitors centre. Here there are exhibitions about the gardens and plants and also there is a large gift shop selling many things horticultural in nature and also local crafts. The main walkways as you enter are wide and tree-lined providing much needed shade from the South African sun. The gardens have four areas for refreshment varying from formal restaurants to a tearoom. You are allowed to take picnics into the gardens and enjoy them amongst the spectacular scenery. However you are not allowed to take in any picnic furniture and you are not allowed to barbecue. There is also a "no bins" rule which means that you must take all of your rubbish home with you. This helps reduce maintenance costs and also prevents infestations of rats and mongoose.

Walking away from the major paths and buildings leads you into the main gardens. Here the planting has been arranged into different areas and depending on the time of year of your visit the main attractions will change. It is wise to remember that these gardens are on the side of a mountain. They are extremely steep and although a large proportion of the paths would be navigable in a wheelchair it may be very tiring. There are plenty of seats spaced around the gardens to allow one to rest a while and take in the views and appreciate the plants.

The Peninsula gardens contain 2500 species that are native to the cape Peninsula. Many of these can be seen growing locally but the whole collection is quite impressive. There has been a move in Cape Town to remove non indigenous plants from gardens and return to the many glorious species that thrive here.

Water-wise Garden- this area is planted to demonstrate how to make a beautiful garden that does not require so much water or maintenance. Imported species of plants need regular watering to remain healthy in the South African climate and this obviously depletes natural resources so this is an educational area to make people appreciate what would be more suitable for the climate.

Fragrance Garden –this area is home to plants that have interesting textures or unusual aromas. This area is particularly aimed at visitors suffering from impaired vision who really appreciate the diversity.

Medicinal Plant Garden- this is planted with a variety of species that have been used in African medicine. There are descriptive notices explaining the purposes that each was used for. Some have been found to be very effective and are still used widely.

Protea garden- these flowers are absolutely stunning when in full bloom and the multi-coloured flowerbeds are frequented by delicate hummingbirds collecting the nectar. It is a delightful spot to rest and watch these birds at work.

Towards the edges of the cultivated garden you will come across some parts of the original Van Riebeecks hedge. This hedge was made of brambles and was planted by the European settlers in the 17th century to form a boundary to their colony. The hedge acted as a barrier to animals and people.

On returning towards the entrance there are some small glass-houses that exhibit some of the more delicate species that need a more sheltered spot than the slopes of the mountain can provide.
The location of this garden must be one of the most spectacular in the world. The views across the whole of the city of Cape Town and beyond are breath-taking and certainly make the tiring climbs worthwhile.

From journal Visiting the Cape Peninsula

Editor Pick

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

  • April 16, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by kwasiak from Tucson, Arizona
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is the largest of South Africa’s eight National Botanical Gardens run by the South African Biodiversity Institute. Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 with the purpose of conserving South Africa’s native flora. It is open every day of the year from 8am to 6pm April to August and 8am to 7pm September to March. The garden is located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and has hiking trails up the mountain.

The garden is expansive, and one could easily spend days exploring it and continuously finding new things. Unfortunately, due to our class’s schedule, we only had a few hours to explore. What little I did see of the garden I found to be amazing. I loved the garden just for the fact that they were outdoors and not inside a greenhouse, like so many botanical gardens I have seen in the United States.

The garden is divided into different themes, such as proteas, annuals, cycads, fragrance plants, and, my favorite, useful plants. I thought it was cool to see the different uses of plants that were first used by the native South Africans. Some of the uses include making dyes, making tea, curing stomach ailments, and relieving headaches.

While at Kirstenbosch, we had lunch at the Tearoom. There we enjoyed our first pots of Rooibos tea since arriving in South Africa. I also enjoyed a delicious large salad. The staff here was great and easily handled our group of 25, something that we saw nowhere else during our stay in South Africa.

From journal Cape Town: First World to Third World

Editor Pick

Floral Beauty in Kirstenbosch

  • November 22, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by MiriamMannak from Cape Town, South Africa
Floral Beauty in Kirstenbosch

Together with Table Mountain and Robben Island Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is one of the top attractions of Cape Town.

This beautiful garden is situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, and is world renowned for its beauty and diversity of the Cape flora.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens cover 528 hectares and was purchased by Sir Cecil Rhodes to preserve the area. With his death, Rhodes handed Kirstenbosch over to the government.In 1913, Kirstenbosch was established as a National Botanical Garden with the aim to research and protect the indigenous flora of Southern Africa.

Today Kirstenbosch only boasts flora indigenous to southern Africa, and harbors over 5000 species, including favourite South African plants such as proteas, ericas, restios and pelargoniums. Here one can spend hours wandering through the splendour of countless different botanical displays, such as the Fragrance Garden, the Dell, the Cycad Amphitheatre, Matthew's Rockery and the Fynbos Walk.

Alternatively, organise a summer picnic on the green lawns, gazing at the breathtaking mountain backdrop while listening to the music of one of Kirstenbosch's many sunset concerts held every summer.

From journal What to do in Cape Town?

Editor Pick

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

  • March 4, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by meadowlark from Boston, Massachusetts
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens has a great advantage over its competitors by having one of the most beautiful settings a garden could have -- at the foot of Table Mountain. The map of the gardens available at the entrance shows the vast expanse of land left to the gardens by its patron, Cecil Rhodes, who left a large amount of his prime real estate at the base of Table Mountain to the people of South Africa.

We came here twice: Once for one of the weekly summer concerts and another time to take a tour and see all the flowers.

I was immediately impressed by the beautiful mix of plants and art by local artisans. There are sculptures throughout the first part of the garden as well as large open spaces where visitors can relax on the grass and enjoy the view of flowers, trees, and mountains. There is a greenhouse at the entrance that features many unusual and native plants as well some sensitive flowers. This was a particularly interesting exhibit because I felt I recognized many of the plants from a production of Little Shop of Horrors. There were even these cool plants that look like rocks -- little pebbles to be specific!

Outside of the greenhouse and on the first left after the turnstyles is the row of camphor trees that Cecil Rhodes planted so that he could ride his horse in the shade -- you can almost imagine him appearing at the end of the road. The garden also features several distinctly educational areas, including a medical plant area -- which lists all the potential uses of each plant plus a stern warning to listen to your doctor first -- and an aromatic plant section where we were encouraged to rub and smell the plants (kind of like the equivalent of the petting zoo, eh?).

There was also the potential to take one of several hikes into the mountains; it's said that one of the early Dutch governors used to hike over Table Mountain every morning to get to the parliament building. We just walked part way up one of the many trails in the back of the park and that was enough for us (plus we were running out of time). You could easily spend half a day in the garden, longer still if you wanted to do all the hikes. There's also a lot of movie/commercial filming going on in the park -- it can provide some amusement as well.

Getting to the park is best by car since it is a ways from the city centre. There is a bus called the Golden Arrow Bus that goes from the city centre to the gardens. Check out www.gabs.co.za. The website for the gardens is http://www.nbi.ac.za/frames/kirstfram.htm.

From journal Facing the Past: Historical Sights in Cape Town

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