Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Kirstenbosch showcases the splendour of Cape flora (with minor exceptions, only indigineous flora is cultivated). Set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain (the traditional postcard photos of Table Mountain are from the northern end), Kirstenbosch is beaten only by the V&A Waterfront as the most-visited tourist attraction in Cape Town.

Incidents at Kirstenbosch

27 Jan 2007	Muggers armed with knives struck 7 hikers in 2 separate groups. A female victim said she was walking on the contour path with 3 friends, 2 women and a man, about 100 metres from Nursery Ravine when three men came jogging towards them. "Two moved to the front and the other one remained behind until they circled us," she said. "They all had knives and took our backpacks, cellphones and valuables."
19 Nov 2006	Two groups, each consisting mostly of females, were robbed at knife-point within 15 minutes of each other, during this Sunday afternoon. Both robberies were reported to the Claremont police station but no police had come to the scene to take statements. (IOL)
28 Sep 2006	A 65-year-old regular visitor to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Tineke du Toit, was walking on her own at about 9.30am when she was robbed of her cellphone on the contour path near Skeleton Gorge.
Oct 2003	A (St Cyprians) schoolgirl's (Saran Leech, 17) ponytail became tangled in an automated curtain at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (outside the fernery), and she was partially scalped. Saran was standing next to the automated curtain when it began rolling up. Her ponytail got caught and she was hauled up with it. Her friends lifted her by her feet and legs in an effort to take the weight off her hair. Eventually Saran's hair was cut off with a pair of scissors, but not before part of her scalp had detached from her profusely bleeding skull. (IOL)

directions

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with Table Mountain in the background (Dawn Govender)

The estate covers 528 hectares of diverse fynbos flora & natural forest. Kirstenbosch cultivates only indigineous South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.

It's an awesome place to go for a Sunday picnic.

Hazy flowers (by Victor Geere)

There are several special gardens:
- Fragrance garden
- Medicinal garden
- Peninsula garden - with about 2500 of the Cape Peninsula's plant species.
- Protea garden - best in winter, when the proteas, conebushes & serrurias flower
- Restio garden - focuses on variety of texture & form found in the reed family
- The Dell - the oldest part of Kirstenbosch, with Colonel Bird's Bath & several shade-loving trees
- Useful Plants garden - an extension of the medicinal garden
- Van Riebeeck's hedge - planted in 1660 & used to protect the cape colony's cattle
- Water-wise garden - demonstrating how to garden with minimal use of water

Kirstenbosch lawn (Dawn Govender)

History of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

1913	Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are established.
1895	Cecil John Rhodes buys the land around Van Riebeeck's hedge and bequeaths it to the people of South Africa (Rhodes dies in 1902).
1660	Jan van Riebeeck orders a hedge of wild almond to be planted to mark the boundary of the Dutch settlement and to protect the settlers' cattle from Khoikhoi raids (Part of the hedge survives and is preserved as a national monument). The hedge was planted by shipwrecked French refugees.
1659	Muscat Grapevines are planted at Kirstenbosch.
1657	Jan van Riebeeck orders appoints a forester in the area to supply timber to the Dutch East India Company.
Before Van Riebeeck	Area of Kirstenbosch gardens is occupied by the pastoralist Khoikhoi people.
200m years	Kirstenbosch's cycads date back 200 million years, a time when there weren't any flowering plants, and dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Kirstenbosch Hut (Dawn Govender)

Meaning of "Kirstenbosch"

"Kirsten" means "Stone Church" in Dutch, and "bosch" means "bush" or "forest".

Kirstenbosch flowers (by Victor Geere)

Green Lawn (by Victor Geere)

photo by feitpingvin

Pond at Kirstenbosch by Dawn Govender

Kirstenbosch is a popular venue for concerts