Harold Porter NBG at Betty's Bay

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Adventuring around False Bay, past the Strand, we continued along the far shore to the southernmost tip of Africa,Cape Agulhas.

Dappat se Gat looking across Kogel Bay

We travelled between mountains and sea, winter flowers, to my wish list stop at Harold Porter National Botanical Garden in Betty's Bay. Years since we've been there, but now it lies within a happy day's journey to collect plants from the nursery. We chose a kind winter day and I would have walked and taken photos for hours, but, we were worried about the car and needed to keep going.

Harold Porter NBG
Original section
New beds after the floods

The garden has a substantial section laid out as a horticultural garden like Kirstenbosch and a new to us forest section. They were badly affected by floods, giving them an opportunity to rethink the layout and plant new sections.

Mountains at Harold Porter NBG

There are mountain trails which I hope we can explore, next time.

The sea at Betty's Bay from Harold Porter NBG

The garden covers crest to coast, with sea views when you turn your back to the mountains. We did come to Betty's Bay to look at houses for sale, before we decided on False Bay and living back in the city of Cape Town.

Waboom and yellowwood trees

Within the garden, echoing the forest remnants tucked into the mountains, are newly planted trees. The waboom, Protea nitida grows not just to shrub size, but to a substantial tree if it is not thwarted by fire. A yellowwood arched down above our heads.

Phylica
Kumara

I am so enjoying a fresh opportunity to gather and plant fynbos. My fan aloe Kumara plicatilis is still on its first fan, and my Phylica is flowering but waiting to be planted. Heart-warming to see them flourishing in the NBG and remind myself - I've got those!

Limestone fynbos endemics

Our fynbos usually grows on acid sandy soil. Limestone fynbos grows on coastal sand of crumbled sea shells. (I'm still trying to work out where our False Bay garden would lie between acid and lime, before a succession of gardeners 'amended the soil' with compost)

Protea scolymocephala, Oldenburghia grandis, Mimetes cucullatus
Metalasia muricata

A small protea with quiet lime and cream flowers Protea scolymocephala is on my wish list. When the sun is out in force the smell of honey around Metalasia muricata is dizzying. Tall and stately daisy tree with HUGE leaves, looking like a thistle on steroids is Oldenburghia grandis. Coral and feathers is yet another protea, Mimetes cucullatus.

Dassiesklip Wind Energy Facility near Caledon

We timed it just wrong, for lunch at Harold Porter on the way up. Nice little restaurant ... but they were in load shedding. So impressed that they still made us a hot vegetarian lunch. Mac 'n cheese with al dente fresh veg of the day. Driving home past Caledon we saw the Dassiesklip Wind Energy Facility, which was opened in February 2014. Next time you want to curse the Cape Doctor or a north-westerly gale, stop for a moment and think, because this very wind might be powering the kettle for your cup of tea.

(Hopefield Wind Farm).

We came home via Peregrine Farm Stall (I remember going there with my parents in school holidays. It goes back to 1964). Queued for a table and I had a delicious lunch of wood-fired veg on couscous with halloumi. Yum!

Pictures by Jurg and Diana Studer
of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

(If you mouse over teal blue text, it turns seaweed red
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