When Monty Don arrived in South Africa, his mission wasn't inspired by the Big Five animals for which the country is best known, but rather the country's unique and beautiful native flora.
"As a gardener you want to see the plants you have grown in your garden where they actually belong," Monty says. "It's intriguing to see what things look like in their natural environment and it's informing, because it helps you to grow it well."
The self-taught horticulturist and TV presenter arrived in Cape Town to spend his first two days amid some of the Cape region's finest fruit and vegetable gardens at Babylonstoren. This exquisitely restored werf (17th-century farm built in the Cape Dutch tradition) comprises tranquil and welcoming accommodation for guests; its myriad edible plants grown in its 200 hectares of fields and orchards contribute to the hotel's seasonal menu. What could be more rewarding for a gardener such as Monty than to stay at a hotel where he can pick his own salad ingredients for dinner?
After two days of feasting on farm-produced vegetables, honey, eggs and fruit, Monty travelled onward to Grootbos private nature reserve, a luxurious eco-friendly lodge. Only a couple of hours' drive south along the coastal route from Cape Town, Grootbos is located in one of South Africa's most beautiful natural landscapes, as Monty describes: "You drive along the road and suddenly you notice that there are flowers everywhere: pinks, oranges, purples, reds and bright, bright yellows.
"You look again and think: hang on, that's a plant that I nurture from a seed in a greenhouse and then plant – and here it is popping up like a weed. In Europe we all grow pelargoniums in pots. To see them growing in South Africa as large shrubs everywhere you look puts it into context."
Surrounded by fynbos (the native heathland unique to the southern tip of Africa) and offering splendid views of the Atlantic coast, the nature reserve is home to more than 750 recorded plant species and teems with flowers, birds and marine life. It was here that Monty had the incredible experience of seeing southern right whales, during a boat trip in Walker Bay.
"It's an unbelievable thing," he says. "An animal the size of a bus, playing a few metres away from you and not because it's in captivity, or because it's been led or seduced in by food, but because it chooses to be there. It's amazing how quickly you include the whales in the landscape. It's not a case of becoming blase about it, it's actually that these creatures belong here and it's you who doesn't. It's a humbling experience." At Grootbos, guests enjoy all the comforts of five-star lodge accommodation and gourmet cuisine in a lush and unspoilt landscape. It offers peace and privacy as well as stunning views and numerous outdoor activities, such as beach walks to the prehistoric Klipgat caves; a "Marine Big 5" boat cruise to view whales, sharks, dolphins, seals and penguins; and a magical flower safari in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, which was a highlight of Monty's visit.
"Grootbos nature reserve gave me the opportunity to see plants in their natural home," Monty says. "Look closely and you notice that despite the fact there are so many different types of flowers there, they are all working in incredible harmony. It's like a tapestry, woven together. I left Grootbos feeling very happy that I'd been."
The penultimate destination on Monty's trip was Harold Porter national botanic garden, 100km from Cape Town. Located in the Western Cape between the mountains and the coast, this stunning landmark comprises 190 hectares of natural fynbos and is astonishingly rich in wildlife, containing some of South Africa's most important plant families. And it was paradise for a passionate gardener such as Monty, who was able to explore an incredible range of flora, from pretty daisies and exotic orchids to flowers that have adapted to growing on salt marshes.
Back in Cape Town, where he stayed at the elegant Kensington Place, an eight-room luxury hotel, Monty's final treat was a place he describes as "one of the great gardens of the world". Kirstenbosch botanical gardens are situated at the foot of Table Mountain's eastern slopes, and famous for the beautiful and diverse Cape flora that grow there.
"What makes these botanical gardens really stand out is not only their incredible setting, but also the fact that all the plants there are indigenous," says Monty. Kirstenbosch was founded in 1913 with the aim of protecting South Africa's unique flora, and in 2004 became the first botanic garden in the world to be declared a Unesco world heritage site. One of its most spectacular examples within the 528-hectare estate, where there are some 7,000 species in cultivation, is its collection of proteas: a flowering plant (also known as sugarbush) whose life cycle Monty describes as "extraordinary".
He explains: "The proteas seeds fall and ants take them underground, eat their coating and leave them there, protected from all predators, where they wait until a fire comes along, which could take 20 years. Now, that symbiosis of fire, flower and soil is a perfect example of how very precise things happen in particular places – and I love that."
Looking back on his week's tour of South Africa's finest floral destinations, Monty says: "One of the paths to wisdom is to see what is in front of you – and that is what this trip, to such a beautiful part of our planet, has reminded me of."
Garden state
Anyone who shares Monty Don's passion for beautiful and unusual gardens will find paradise in South Africa, with its astonishing display of plant life flourishing everywhere from mountain peak to seashore. The country has eight national botanical gardens – including Kirstenbosch and Harold Porter, which Monty visited – which specialise in growing and conserving indigenous plants, including some of the most exotic specimens. Pretoria national botanic garden is described as a "botanical tapestry", featuring different biomes such as savannah, fynbos, forest and more.
Hantam national botanical garden, at Upper Karoo in the Northern Cape, was only established in 2007, but is already regarded by horticulture experts as one of the world's "biodiversity treasures".
Other notable gardens not on the national botanical list include Johannesburg botanical garden, a green recreational space in the city's northern suburbs containing more than 30,000 trees; Durban botanical garden, which contains a cycad recognised as the world's rarest plant; and North-West University botanical garden in Potchefstroom, a twitcher's paradise famous for its vast, varied and colourful bird population.
So, whether it's rare, exquisite orchids, a meadow of indigenous wild flowers or untouched fynbos that conjures up a perfect vision, be sure to make a trip to South Africa your mission.
