One thing is for sure: proteas here are everywhere! Leucadendrons, especially, dotted the backdrop. Some are called “Silver Trees”; they need no bloom to display their beauty because of their silvery foliage. Somewhere in my readings, I discovered that the 18th-century Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, was sent so many proteas that he named both the family and genus after the ever-changing Greek god, Proteus.

But we had to move on. After a week in the Kirstenbosh area, we parted from Jean Almon and Cellars. It was then that we followed the so-called “Garden Route” spending, early in the drive, a half day at Vergelegen, the name, in Africaans, meaning “fair lying.” It was the first outpost of the Dutch East India company, now an interpretive center. Its rose, white, and octagonal gardens were beautifully maintained, and its aged camphor trees were unforgettable, but this wine producing estate is also dedicated to recording S.A.’s history with paintings, diagrams, photographs, etc. from the early Khoisan tribesmen to its more recent historical items.

Betty’s Bay and the Porter Botanical Garden was our next day’s destination. This small village had few over-night accommodations and so we drove on to the next town, backtracking the following day.

At a much later date, I learned that the senior curator at the Denver Botanical Garden, Panayoti Keladis, had probably been here as he made six trips to S.A. beginning in 1994. This included exploration in botanical gardens as well as wild areas. Amongst the plants he especially covets are those suited to rock gardens. Keladis introduced 40 to 50 unfamiliar South African species to American gardeners.

Porter’s 450 acre preserve was a gift to the nation from the successful business man, Harold Porter. A 1940 fire near his estate inspired him to save the area’s incredible native flora. It was then termed a National Botanical Garden which includes marshes and beach plantings with paths climbing high overlooking gorges, pools, and waterfalls. Everywhere are lovely proteas, heaths and iris. I particularly remember the lovely native pea family tree named Virgilia oroboides. Also interesting was an unusually low Leucospermum, a good choice for a rock garden. Sadly, Porter’s suffered severe storm damage a few years ago, but has now been nicely restored and improved.

Our next stop was the town of Hermanus with many fine shops and restaurants. We found that the Fernkloof Nature Preserve is a good place to have wildflower photos identified. After an overnight in a hotel, we drove north to Montagu and the Marloth Nature Garden with its springtime flower displays, especially many kinds of daisies. Marloth was an early botanist who was the first to compile a “flora” of S.A. vegetation.

Arriving in Port Elizabeth several hours before our Durban flight, we enjoyed a picnic lunch at Settlers Park named after the 1830 British settlers who camped here. Flowering bulbs were blooming all over the lawns as well as patches of kniphofia, aloe and euphorbia…a pleasant place to relax on the grass.

After renting a car in Durban, we drove around part of the city – large, bustling and modern. For visitors from subtropical parts of the U.S., many landscape plantings here will look familiar. The Durban Botanical Garden is on Sydenham Road. It is noted for, among thousands of plants, its Aleurites moluccana, the Pacific candlenut tree with profuse white flowers, as well as 150 species of palms and an enormous native cycad collection--the latter, perhaps the largest in the world.

Then, with only a week left of our trip, we were determined to meet Nancy Gardiner in the northeast town of Hilton. True to her name, Nancy has been a busy garden writer for over 40 years. She and her husband’s lovely home is in this historic small city. Nicely landscaped on 65 acres, part of the scene is an overlook of Albert Falls. One of her trees bustled with activity. Within its branches, weaver birds created dozens of basket-like nests. The male, it seems, builds one nest after another until the female approves of it for egg laying.

Not too far from here is the Natal Botanical Garden. Brian Tarr, the curator at the time, told us that the 60 acres were divided into two sections, indigenous and imported sub-tropicals. We particularly enjoyed the native hiccup nut shrub, Combreteum bracteous, with its reddish-orange flowers. Imported flowering vines on the garden’s tea house were spectacular, but oh, so sad, was that our S.A. tour was coming to an end!.

Ruby & Martin Weinberg in South Africa Gardens Part I
**All photos by Martin Weinberg