Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - from top to bottom, it's a great place to be!Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens has played hostess to us so often now that I couldn't count our visits there even if my life depended on it! Lazy picnics under huge shady oaks -– scrambling on the Octopus Tree -- visiting our favourite statues -- following the contour paths... these are all part and parcel of our Kirstenbosch experiences.
Kirstenbosch Top Gate gets you into the Gardens at the top of the hill, close to the contour paths and Skeleton Gorge. This is the place to go if you want a picnic spot with a loftier view of the city, or to walk or hike. It’s also closest to the protea and restio gardens.
The Main entrance gives you easy access to the pond area and offers fairly flat lawns for easy family entertainment. The children find endless amusements in the Banana Palm ‘House’, the Xhosa hut and the stream. A trip round the conservatory to see the baby baobab always seems essential on our way out!
My favourite route takes in the tranquil lowest section of Kirstenbosch. Use the Old Entrance and enjoy the Sculpture Garden then meander along the wetland boardwalk listening to bird song and the calls of the wetland frogs.
One of the best things about Kirstenbosch is the distinctive character of each of season there. Spring is glorious with Namaqualand daisies in flower as well as the proteas and pincushions. The gardens are buzzing with activity and there are squadrons of baby guineafowl and Egyptian geese everywhere... Summer is bursting with every colour under the sun. The gardens lie languid under the sun and the velvety lawns and shady oaks offer a welcome respite from the heat. In autumn the plectranthus makes an amazing show of pinks, mauves and blues in all the shady places. March lilies abound. Shadows are longer but the temperatures are still balmy until the sun disappears behind Devil’s Peak at mid-afternoon. In winter the aloes come into their own and the strelitzias enter their long flowering period. The Egyptian geese begin their battle for breeding territory with the pond being prime real estate for all of them! Make use of the Restaurant (almost deserted at that time of year), it has the most glorious crackling open fireplace.
Eye-catching yet appropriate architecture The main Kirstenbosch restaurant building is an architectural masterpiece in my book. It is built of wood, glass and natural stone with cantilevred roof angles that let in the light and the lofty mountain views. Wooden pillars with angled beams support the roof from inside like stylised tree trunks. It’s a delight to the eye. I love it. During the April and July school holidays there are usually free puppet shows held at the restaurant, to the great delight of younger Garden visitors. There’s so much more I could write about Kirstenbosch but you’re going to visit there so I’ll let you discover it for yourself!
Visit my Kirstenbosch picture gallery to share some more of my favourite garden scenes.
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