Durban Botanic Gardens

See contact information and opening times displayed

See contact information and opening times displayed

Entrance from Visitor's Complex and Information Centre

Entrance from Visitor's Complex and Information Centre

Lily Pond with Orchid House behind

Lily Pond with Orchid House behind

It was a real treat to visit these lush and beautiful gardens where magnificent trees are around every corner. The gardens have free entry and are very well utilized. We ambled along the pathways and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that only nature can provide. There are ample places to sit and relax and a variety of textures and interesting focal points to admire.

Tranquil Tea Garden 

Tranquil Tea Garden 

Beautfiul Stonework 

Beautfiul Stonework 

Contemplation Space

Contemplation Space

Sunken Garden

Sunken Garden

According to their website (http://www.durbanbotanicgardens.org.za) this is the oldest surviving botanic garden on the African continent and was established in 1849 for the trial of agricultural crops. Today the gardens focus on biodiversity, education, heritage, research, horticultural excellence and green innovation.

Living Beehive - Butterfly Garden

Living Beehive - Butterfly Garden

The Durban Botanic Gardens boasts the rarest collection in the world with Wood's Cycad (Encephalartos woodii) reputed to be the world's rarest plant. The Gardens cycad collection includes a variety of plants from South Africa, Central Africa, South America, Asia and Australia.

Cycad Garden

Cycad Garden

Palms - Princes of the Plant Kingdom

Palms - Princes of the Plant Kingdom

The Gardens has a collection of over 860 palms that belong to 130 species in 58 genera. These plants add to the tropical atmosphere that you experience while walking along the pathways.

Bromeliads

Bromeliads

While the bromeliad, orchid, cycad and palm collection are intriguing I was really blown away by the beauty of the trees in the gardens. There are more than eighty heritage trees many exceeding one hundred years old.

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Trees, native to the Indian subcontinent, are often considered sacred and a symbol of long life, with temples often built beneath them.

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Trees, native to the Indian subcontinent, are often considered sacred and a symbol of long life, with temples often built beneath them.

Ficus
Kapok Tree -  This "Rocket Ship" was planted in 1934 and is the national tree of Puerto Rico

Kapok Tree -  This "Rocket Ship" was planted in 1934 and is the national tree of Puerto Rico

Couldn't resist including this Strelitzia - it really looks like a bird peeking out of the leaves!

Couldn't resist including this Strelitzia - it really looks like a bird peeking out of the leaves!

Jardínes del Turia in Valencia, Spain

"The Turia Gardens is one of the largest urban parks in Spain. It runs through the city along nine kilometres of green space boasting foot paths, leisure and sports areas, and romantic spots where you can unwind. From Cabecera Park to the City of Arts and Sciences, the Turia Gardens are the perfect place for runners, cyclists, families and nature enthusiasts. Crossed by 18 bridges full of history, the former riverbed passes by the city's main museums and monuments on either bank. The vast gardens are built on the former riverbed of the Turia, whose course was altered to prevent constant flooding in the city.

After a devastating flood on 14 October 1957, the Turia's course was diverted south of the city, leaving a huge tract of land that crosses the city from West to East, bordering the historical centre. Several urban planners and landscapists designed different sections of the park, recreating the former river scenery. They created a unique itinerary of palm trees and orange trees, fountains and pine woods, aromatic plants and ponds, sports facilities and rose beds. The gardens were inaugurated in 1986. The Cabecera Park and Bioparc border the huge gardens to the west, and the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences border it on the opposite side, near the mouth of the river. " (http://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-visit-valencia/parks-gardens/turia-gardens)

I visited the Jardin del Turia a few years ago but wanted to post these pictures because I was so impressed with this park and it is a reminder how a successful green space can contribute positively to a city. The green belt is actually an old river bed that has dried up and been converted into a park and stretches over 9 kilometers. It is frequented all year by joggers, cyclists, families and tourists. It is a great connector for various parts of the city and a wonderful precedent of how a linear park can become the seam within a city - bringing things together to provide positive public space.

According to Project for Public Spaces (PPS) successful public spaces all generally have these four qualities in common: they are accessible; people are engaged in activities there; the space is comfortable and has a good image; and finally, it is a sociable place: one where people meet each other and take people when they come to visit. PPS developed The Place Diagram as a tool to help people in judging any place, good or bad: 

https://www.pps.org/reference/grplacefeat/

https://www.pps.org/reference/grplacefeat/

This park is certainly all those things, with emphasis on the access and linkages point, and you can see how successful it is by the number of people that make use of it. You can also see that there is an organisation managing the park with importance placed on safety and comfort as well as maintenance.  It may not be realistic to look at European parks as precedents for application in an African context because the challenges we face are so vastly different (crime, vandalism, homelessness, lack of funding etc.) but there are still lessons that can be learnt from them.

Some images of the Park follow below:

europe 074.jpg
Jardin del Turia
Map of Park
Bridge
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

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Inspired by South African Indigenous Flora

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I have been fortunate to listen to two presentations by Elsa Pooley: one hosted at Random Harvest Indigneous Nursery in 2015 and the other at the ILASA Conference held in September 2015 (See Previous Blog written on ILASA Conference). I also recently attended a course at The Cavern in the Drakensberg where I was able to view some examples of beautiful indigenous plants  and see examples of these plants growing in the wild.

Turrea floribunda flowering at Random Harvest Nursery

Turrea floribunda flowering at Random Harvest Nursery

To see more about the tree in the above image visit: http://www.randomharvest.co.za/South-African-Indigenous-Plants/Show-Plant/PlantId/112?Plant=Turraea%20floribunda  

Elsa Pooley is an advocate for using indigenous plants in public and civic spaces and strongly believes that any form of rehabilitation should exclusively make use of locally indigenous species. She has spent many years studying the indigenous flora of South Africa, particularly in Kwa-Zulu Natal and knows the great potential that South African plants have, but are unfortunately not commercially grown and therefore not well known by landscapers and home owners. Fortunately for us Random Harvest is one of only a handful of nurseries in the country growing indigenous plants, many of which have until now been unavailable.

An indigenous garden can have colour all year round and although this may not always be bright flowers it can come from foliage and the variety of colour and texture from different plants. Elsa mentions how South African plants are used throughout the world but we do not necessarily appreciate their true value as we prefer to make use of exotic plants in our designs. The temptation for landscapers is to use the same old plants they always use because they are easy and work well but there are so many other plants that we could be using.

Some plants I saw in the Drakensberg that I hope to use in the future in my landscape designs:

Pelargonium reniforme  (photographed at Engen Garage in Harrismith, all other images taken at The Cavern in the Drakensberg)

Pelargonium reniforme  (photographed at Engen Garage in Harrismith, all other images taken at The Cavern in the Drakensberg)

Helichrysum sutherlandii - look at this wonderful grey foliage

Helichrysum sutherlandii - look at this wonderful grey foliage

Kniphofia northiae - large Poker highly rated by Elsa, impressive flowers

Kniphofia northiae - large Poker highly rated by Elsa, impressive flowers

Hesperantha coccinea - Pink Variety, normally Red Flowers

Hesperantha coccinea - Pink Variety, normally Red Flowers

Monopsis decipiens

Monopsis decipiens

Inulanthera calva

Inulanthera calva

Helichrysum hypoleucum - likes a bit of shade

Helichrysum hypoleucum - likes a bit of shade

Merxmuellera macowanii - beautiful ornamental grass (Gomphostigma on Right)

Merxmuellera macowanii - beautiful ornamental grass (Gomphostigma on Right)

Syncolostemon macratnhus - tall purple pink flowering shrub

Syncolostemon macratnhus - tall purple pink flowering shrub

Helichrysum acutatum

Helichrysum acutatum

Metalasia densa

Metalasia densa

Gladiolus crassifolius

Gladiolus crassifolius

Wahlenbergia

Wahlenbergia

Lotononis pulchella

Lotononis pulchella

Thalictrum rhynchocarpum - soft and delicate foliage for shady areas

Thalictrum rhynchocarpum - soft and delicate foliage for shady areas

Seriphium plumosum (Bankrotbos) also known as Stoebe plumosa

Seriphium plumosum (Bankrotbos) also known as Stoebe plumosa

Polygala virgata (Purple Broom)

Polygala virgata (Purple Broom)

Clematis bracteata (Travellers Joy) - beautifully scented dainty white flowers make this an ideal creeper 

Clematis bracteata (Travellers Joy) - beautifully scented dainty white flowers make this an ideal creeper 

I hope that you will also be inspired by these beautiful plants and experiment with indigenous plants in your garden!

Random Harvest Details: 

For directions please go to our website www.randomharvest.co.za : or call 082-553-0598

Hours of business 8:00 to 17:00 Monday to Sundays

I highly recommend subscribing to Random Harvest Newsletter on their website

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The Cavern - Nature Journaling Course

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The Cavern hosts a variety of activities on its events calendar throughout the year including: bird weekends, yoga retreats, photography workshops and mountain bike races amoungst others. I joined the course called ‘Sketching and journaling – creating a nature journal’ hosted by two well-known figures in the botanical field: Elsa Pooley and Gillian Condy.

The Cavern

The course was run from Wednesday 1 March – Sunday 5 March 2017 and we were blessed with wonderful weather over this time. A few late afternoon showers were well timed as this was when we were indoors drawing in the studio.

Beautiful scenery on our morning walks

Beautiful scenery on our morning walks

View of the Hotel from a vantage point on a morning hike

View of the Hotel from a vantage point on a morning hike

Wonderful hikes in the mountains

Wonderful hikes in the mountains

If you have ever been to The Cavern you will already be well aware of its reputation to fill your belly with the most wonderful and delicious meals as well as provide a relaxing atmosphere that makes you feel as if you have entered into a beautiful warm bubble where all you can think is “Life is Good”.

Always fun choosing what to have for dinner from the menu!

Always fun choosing what to have for dinner from the menu!

Our programme roughly involved breakfast at 8am followed by a morning hike into the beautiful surroundings where we would stop to draw whatever caught our eye (a dam, a tree, the bridge, moss, flowers, a bubbling stream) and then tea was brought to us at our location in the bush. We would head back to camp for lunch and then in the afternoon spend time in the studio drawing the plants we brought back with us from the morning walk. Some people drew flowers, others fungi, leaves, insects or seeds.

Working in the Studio

Working in the Studio

Elsa Pooley has the most incredible plant knowledge (which comes from her love of the area and having written several books on the subject) but it is her passion for plants that is completely contagious. She generously shares her knowledge of each plant we stop to admire, points out its special features and patiently answers all our questions (most often, “How do you spell that again?”)

Elsa showing us a beautiful locust

Elsa showing us a beautiful locust

Heading out for the morning walk and drawing session in the forest

Heading out for the morning walk and drawing session in the forest

Inspecting some flowers

Inspecting some flowers

While Elsa is the person to go to for any plant question Gill Condy is a trained botanical artist and gives tips and direction on how to improve your drawing skills. Both ladies are talented at water colour painting and it was a treat to learn some tips on how to use this medium for the first time.

Absorbed in our drawings

Absorbed in our drawings

Our nature journals were all very different and we had the freedom to make them into whatever we liked. It was interesting to see how each person took a slightly different angle and approach to the same subject and how everyone was drawn to different plant types.

Bridge in the Forest

Bridge in the Forest

Drawing in the Forest

Drawing in the Forest

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon not quite sure what to expect, and left on Sunday feeling inspired and rejuvenated. The fresh air combined with soul-inspiring walks through unspoilt nature, not to mention being fed and pampered (some even went for massages at the onsite Spa) made for a most amazing and memorable trip. Thanks to everyone for making it so special!

Such a treat to share this time with my dearest Mom!

Such a treat to share this time with my dearest Mom!

De Hoop Nature Reserve

Earlier this year I visited beautiful De Hoop Nature Reserve. An information booklet can be bought at reception which details the activities, history, geography and wildlife found in the reserve. The Interpretive Marine Walk is a guided tour during low tide to discover the life of sea creatures in the intertidal zone and is highly recommended (see images below). 

De Hoop Nature Reserve is home to more than 260 bird species as well as mammals such as the bontebok, Cape Zebra, smaller predators and various bat species. The De Hoop Vlei is a Ramsar site of international importance where aquatic birds and other organisms breed and feed without disturbance. The De Hoop Marine Reserve is also one of the world's most important calving grounds for the Southern Right Whale.

There is a wide range of eco-tourist activities available from bird-watching, game-viewing and hiking to photography and mountain-biking. 

Sprout visits De Hoop Nature Reserve
Sprout visits De Hoop
Sprout visits De Hoop
Sprout visits De Hoop
 Interpretive Marine Walk - guide gives insights into the lives of star fish and sea urchins

 Interpretive Marine Walk - guide gives insights into the lives of star fish and sea urchins

Sea urchins sheltering from the sun by putting shells onto themselves

Sea urchins sheltering from the sun by putting shells onto themselves

Low Tide reveals a whole new world

Low Tide reveals a whole new world

Muscle Power!

Muscle Power!

Sprout visits De Hoop Nature Reserve
Fynbos - unique vegetation synonymous with the southern tip of Africa

Fynbos - unique vegetation synonymous with the southern tip of Africa

Sprout visits De Hoop Nature Reserve
There are several accommodation options - we stayed in Opstal Vlei Cottages which are self-catering.

There are several accommodation options - we stayed in Opstal Vlei Cottages which are self-catering.

Sunset over the Vlei

Sunset over the Vlei

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ILASA Conference - Re-interpreting Landscape

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The ILASA Conference was held on 29 and 30 September 2016 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria and attended by over 120 delegates. The theme for the conference was “Re-interpreting Landscapes” and the various sessions raised questions about what future landscapes will look like and how people will respond to them. Global environmental crises were discussed as well as the importance of landscape and the benefits it provides.

ILASA Conference

Some of the highlights of the conference included the following key note speakers:

Mario Schjetnan, received the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award 2015 by the International Federation of Landscape Architects, which is the highest award of Landscape Architecture Worldwide, and is the first Latin American to be awarded this honour. Mario started his firm, Grupo de Diseño Urbano / GDU in 1977 and in his presentation at the ILASA Conference showcased several of their projects spanning over the last few decades. Mario highlighted the similarities between South Africa and Mexico and expressed how the various attributes shared by the countries can be used as opportunities (youth, the natural environment and rich biodiversity) in the rapidly changing landscape we are experiencing in developing countries. Two projects that he discussed in detail which I found intriguing were: Natura Garden, Bicentennial Park; an old refinery that was cleaned and recreated into a series of parks and Rehabilitation of Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. Chapultepec Park is a deeply historical park in the heart of Mexico City that is 686ha large and receives 50-70 million visitors annually. During one of its upgrades the lake was dredged in order to clean it and a whole host of unusual items were found, so much so that the National Museum of Anthropology took the paraphernalia and made an exhibition from it.

Mario’s work is truly inspirational and I am sure that every person at the conference wished that projects of this scale and calibre could be realised in South Africa. Mario closed off by sharing with the audience that he knows his projects are successful when he sees the following happening in his landscapes: people taking photographs, families visiting or young lovers kissing because then it means that they feel safe to be there.

ILASA Conference

Tunji Adejumo, president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects Africa Region (IFLA Africa) as well as co-founder of Generation Twenty One Consult in Nigeria, gave a theoretical presentation covering problems faced by landscape and suggestions as to how to introduce identity consciousness. He called for the creation of a national landscape charter to determine “what people were, what people are, and what they want to be”.

A good definition of landscape taken from his presentation reads, “Landscape is a special entity that develops from geomorphic conditions and historical usages for economic, social, recreational, transportation, religious and agricultural purposes.”

Astrid Sykes gave the presentation as a representative of Mia Lehrer & Associates as Mia Lehrer was unable to make the conference due to the birth of her grandchild. Astrid shared the design principles of the firm as well as examples of their projects.  The most inspiring project was the work that the practice is doing to rehabilitate and revitalise the Los Angeles River. The river is mostly channelized at the moment with industrial development along the main spine with buildings that have turned with their backs towards it. It is Mia Lehrer & Associates dream to see the Los Angeles River become a recreational green open space that provides connections within the city and opportunities for the community. The project is documented on their website and includes the following definition, “A bold commitment is made to restore riparian habitat and to reconnect park-poor neighborhoods to green space. The regional open space network will provide trails, parks, and bikeways along the length of the river. Making the river green and accessible is expected to transform an undervalued asset into a valued amenity” (http://mlagreen.com/projects/la-river; accessed 2016/10/10)

ILASA Conference

The local icons were just as inspiring and included the two key note speakers Patrick Watson and Elsa Pooley. Patrick Watson gave a visual presentation showcasing the vast number of exceptional projects he has been involved in over the past few decades. Starting with Coromandel, then resorts such as Sun City, Mount Grace, several game farms, Apartheid Museum, Apple store in Sandton, The Saxon, Stark Studios, North Island in the Sechelles, to only name a few. His work covers a vast range of projects in countries all over the world. His design style is unique and he shared that one of his sources of inspiration is the sub-conscious and that he allows this part of his brain to work when working on a design. He is currently involved with Steyn City and is busy planting thousands of trees there.

Photo Fun at the ILASA Exhibition Stand

Photo Fun at the ILASA Exhibition Stand

Elsa Pooley’s love for plants is evident and she challenged landscape architects to really “know your plants” – how they grow, where they grow and how they look in every season. Maintenance is crucial and while we do not always have a say in this aspect we can design with it in mind.

Elsa explained her involvement in the rehabilitation of the dunes at the Durban Beachfront and it is amazing to see the before and after pictures of the rehabilitation work done. She also used Olympic Park in England as a precedent study to show how beautiful a meadow garden using only plants indigenous to South Africa can look. She shared a variety of indigenous species that she believes would make outstanding landscape plants but are not commercially available. After listening to her speak I am itching to go to the Drakensburg (she shared some accommodation gems) to see beautiful wild flowers in their natural habitat and maybe even join one of her botanical art workshops. Apparently she is also working on a book that will hopefully be available next year.

ILASA Conference

Be sure to attend the next ILASA Conference if you get the chance, not only are the presentations inspiring and educational, you also get to network with a great community of landscape architects.

Max van der Stoel Park, Prague

Lovely lake with large slabs of stone where people can sit on its edge

Lovely lake with large slabs of stone where people can sit on its edge

Lots of grass and trees

Lots of grass and trees

When we were planning to visit Prague we asked our host to recommend some outdoor spaces that we could take our daughter to and one of the ones she recommended was Max van der Stoel Park. Travelling with a toddler is not the easiest but it helps that I actually love spending time in parks and would rather be outdoors than inside a museum anyway.

Prague is in fact a city that begs to be explored on foot with so much to see and experience in the outdoor realm. I was amazed by the beautiful sidewalks and took several pictures of the cobbles and the patterns and details they were constructed in. 

Even the manholes are beautiful!

Even the manholes are beautiful!

Variety of colours and textures in the sidewalk paving in Prague

Variety of colours and textures in the sidewalk paving in Prague

So much attention to detail

So much attention to detail

Before I get carried away with describing the delightful vistas and beautiful buildings that are found in this magical city, let me get back to this gem of a park.

The central focal point is a long, linear water feature that is interactive and a real delight for little ones. You to get up close to the water that merrily winds its way to the bottom and it allows you to manipulate the stream in various ways.

Beautiful long linear interactive water feature

Beautiful long linear interactive water feature

Start of the water feature - the source of the stream - follow it and have loads of fun!

Start of the water feature - the source of the stream - follow it and have loads of fun!

The Park has comfortable seating and play equipment for children of various ages. The seating and most of the play equipment is made from timber so the park has a natural and warm feel to it. I liked the fine pebble crush that was used beneath the play equipment – a much nicer material than the rubber matting we mostly use in South Africa. It crossed my mind that a park like this would probably not be robust enough in a South African setting.

Play equipment has fine gravel surrounding - easy on children's feet. How does it not spread with no edging I wonder.

Play equipment has fine gravel surrounding - easy on children's feet. How does it not spread with no edging I wonder.

Pathways requiring some maintenance - gravel washed away by rain

Pathways requiring some maintenance - gravel washed away by rain

Lots of trees have been planted and properly staked. Like every garden, maintenance is required and some of the gravel pathways have washed away. I am sure these will be quickly repaired. 

Very nice chairs. Likely to be stolen if used in South Africa

Very nice chairs. Likely to be stolen if used in South Africa

Love the curving paving and curving chair

Love the curving paving and curving chair

Visit http://www.praha.eu/jnp/en/life_in_prague/environment/park_for_everybody.html for more information. You can also view videos of the water feature posted on YouTube

It is situated on the tram line at Hládkov station and on Google Maps it is called Park Maxe van der Stoela. 50°05'27.7"N 14°23'10.5"E

Garden Highlights of my Germany Trip

Siedl Park, Murnau

This rather rustic park is an area of natural beauty with several historical elements dotted through it that you happen to discover as you make your way along the gravel paths. There is a beautiful wooded area with tall leafy trees and meadow like embankments with grass. The park is named after Emmanuel von Seidl (1856-1919) who was an architect involved in the design and beautification of several areas in Murnau including the pedestrian zone in the old town centre. 

Map of Park with photos of Emanuel von Siedl's country villa (destroyed 1972)

Map of Park with photos of Emanuel von Siedl's country villa (destroyed 1972)

Sprout Visits Siedl Park
Sprout Visits Siedl Park

Linderhof Palace, Linderhof (Near Ettal)

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but it is something to behold: extravagance and opulence I have not seen before. The mad King Ludwig II certainly knew how to live in luxury.

The gardens are lovely to walk through and consist of gravel pathways with large beautiful trees and a few dams. I enjoyed the wild flowers. The gardens are the setting for the King’s numerous ‘pavilions’ that he placed in this picturesque alpine valley.

A highlight of the garden was the Neptune water feature at the back of the palace showing a dramatic and mighty herd of horses galloping with jets of water spraying from their nostrils.

See http://www.schlosslinderhof.de/englisch/park/history.htm for more information.

Formal Gardens in front of the Palace

Formal Gardens in front of the Palace

Stunning displays using annual colour

Stunning displays using annual colour

You can walk for quite a few kilometers in this park, through meadows and forests

You can walk for quite a few kilometers in this park, through meadows and forests

Plan of the Palace Gardens

Plan of the Palace Gardens

Pavilion with the Peacocks

Pavilion with the Peacocks

Neptune Sculpture Linderhof Palace

Neptune Sculpture Linderhof Palace

English Gardens, Munich

This extensive green lung in the centre of Munich is an extremely popular spot for locals and tourists alike on a hot summer’s day. We were amazed at the thousands of people sunbathing and swimming in the water and it really felt more like a beach resort than a public park with everyone walking around in their costumes. This experience was a real highlight - especially watching so many people jump into the river and float away with heads bobbing :)

Sunbathers in English Gardens

Sunbathers in English Gardens

Going with the flow

Going with the flow

Book Launch at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens

On the 20th of July 2016 I attended a book launch at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens. The book is called Guide to Trees Introduced to South Africa by High Glen and Braam van Wyk.

Guide to Trees introduced to South Africa

Hugh Glen gave a most informative talk looking back in history to when and where plants were introduced to South Africa covering the Oaks brought in by Jan van Riebeek to the Camphor Trees at Vergelegen and the 140 year old trees in the Durban Botanic Gardens.  He also highlighted the importance and various uses that exotic plants have. His talk was followed by co-author Braam van Wyk who gave more detail into the book itself and how the tools are used to help the user identify a specific tree.

Book Launch Milk Plum

The word “Indigenous” has always been debatable and the talk highlighted this by suggesting the following concept: If ‘indigenous’ means locally found in a given area and ‘alien’ means introduced to a given area, then is it accurate to say that a Fever Tree (locally found in Kwa Zulu Natal) planted in the Pretoria area is an alien? The difficulty comes with the term “In a given area” as this could be geographical or political and is a very vague guideline. As a solution Braam van Wyk suggested that we choose Earth as the “given area” and can happily say that all trees are indigenous to Earth and that Aliens can be found on another planet. 

I was particularly impressed to hear that the counterpart to this book – Fieldguide to Trees of Southern Africa – has an e-book available. A useful feature is that you can specify your location on a map which then only lists the trees that are local to that area to aid in tree identification.

Drinks and Snacks in the Beautiful Gardens of Milk Plum Cafe 

Drinks and Snacks in the Beautiful Gardens of Milk Plum Cafe 

Another very interesting element to the talk was realising how special South Africa is with the high diversity we have in tree species. I did not know that Finland has only 20 native trees, Spain 25, Great Britain and Ireland combined a mere 38 and France 62. It is amazing to think that Europe and the U.K. combined has 124 species compared to South Africa’s more than 1600 native species. Southern Africa has more than 2100 native species and more than 2000 alien species. Remarkably, Madagascar has an incredibly high biodiversity with 4300 native trees. (Note to self – visit Madagascar!)

I used a few spare minutes to have a quick walk around the Pretoria Botanical Gardens which besides the fact that it is winter and very DRY (actually throughout the country), is looking really beautiful. Here are some plants that are flowering:

Crassula ovata with flowers in the shapes of small white stars (As noticed by my brother)

Crassula ovata with flowers in the shapes of small white stars (As noticed by my brother)

Crassula multicava - Fairy Crassula

Crassula multicava - Fairy Crassula

Aloes look striking this time of year! Love watching the sunbirds hop around on them

Aloes look striking this time of year! Love watching the sunbirds hop around on them

Strelitzia reginae - Crane Flower

Strelitzia reginae - Crane Flower

Stark contrast of the bare Celtis africana, showing their lovely smooth grey bark

Stark contrast of the bare Celtis africana, showing their lovely smooth grey bark

Letná Gardens, Prague

Wonderful ceramic horse sculptures that children were playing on!

Wonderful ceramic horse sculptures that children were playing on!

Blue horse

Blue horse

I was so impressed with this large leafy green space situated North of the Old Town (The entrance is a 10 minute walk from Letenské náměstí). Not only is it loved by locals, but you will see many tourists enjoying the scenic views over the Vltava River as well as a beer from Letná Beer Garden.

Beer Garden with Views over the Old City and Vltava River

Beer Garden with Views over the Old City and Vltava River

Broad walkways with tall leafy trees make this a lovely park to explore

Broad walkways with tall leafy trees make this a lovely park to explore

This park caters for every age: we saw elderly ladies reading; moms with babies and toddlers at the children’s playgrounds; a youth group attending a class under a tree; teens learning to roller blade; hip young men skating and filming stunts; couples picnicking; people walking their dogs or sunbathing or cycling or jogging. A multi-functional space providing recreation opportunities in a safe and well maintained environment. I also saw a fenced off section that was specifically designated for dog training with obstacles where you teach your dog to do tricks.

Skateboarders are entertaining to watch

Skateboarders are entertaining to watch

People admiring the view from Letná Terasa

People admiring the view from Letná Terasa

Giant Metronome sculpture ticking away

Giant Metronome sculpture ticking away

Like most public spaces there is an element of vandalism which is particularly present at the uppermost viewing point where most of the skate-boarding takes place. This is also the platform with the best view point of the city which is dominated by a giant moving Metronome – one of the many quirky artworks dotted around the city)

I always orientate myself when I arrive somewhere by looking at the map they provide

I always orientate myself when I arrive somewhere by looking at the map they provide

Letná Gardens, Prague
Even through the graffiti it's interesting to read the Park's history

Even through the graffiti it's interesting to read the Park's history

If you need a breather form the tourist filled streets of Malá Strana, this is the perfect place to go!