Cape plants at home and in cultivation
Information on the Cape flora and its conservation may be found on many sites, including:
The Biodiversity and Wine Initiative – promotion of a sustainable and environmentally-friendly wine industry
at the Cape.
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, a major conservation area near Cape Town, supporting almost 2,000 species of plants, 77 of them endemic (occurring nowhere else in the world).
South African Botanical Biodiversity Network
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) – includes Kirstenbosch.
For more information on Cape bulbs in cultivation see
Indigenous Bulb Association of South Africa
Suppliers of Cape bulbs and seeds
African Bulbs (Cameron and Rhoda McMaster)
Cape Seed and Bulb (Jim Holmes)
Silverhill Seeds (Rod and Rachel Saunders)
One of the major plant groups of Cape origin now in general cultivation is pelargoniums. While there is no shortage of these in every high-street florist and most nurseries, more attractive and unusual varieties may be had from specialist nurseries, notably
For Streptocarpus, no one beats
For Disa orchids (Pride of Table Mountain)
Kirstenbosch at the Chelsea Flower Show
Kirstenbosch has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show for over three decades, winning 31 Gold Medals in the process. With sponsorship from the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) and the SA Gold Coin Exchange and Scoin shops, designers David Davidson and Raymond Hudson and their team struck gold again in 2011.
For details see the SANBI link and a short video clip on YouTube.
Designer David Davidson (for all your design and print needs) relaxes after a previous gold-winning performance at Chelsea. See a report of the South African exhibit at this year's event on the SABC and more info on the RHS website.
How you can help
To support conservation efforts in the Cape Floral Kingdom, please consider joining the Botanical Society of South Africa and contributing to the work of Green Futures, a wonderful environmental and social project in the southern Cape.
Photographic credits page
Research links page