Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch is an excellent botanical garden located near Cape Town, South Africa. Here, at the foot of Table Mountain, many plants, including endemic species, have gathered on the territory of Kirstenbosch.

Previously, the plants of this territory were actively destroyed, and the tree from this area served as a material for building ships. In 1657, the forestry department was founded here for the first time, and the history of Kirstenbosch began. In 1895, the territory of the modern garden was bought by Cecil Rhodes, who began planting trees in earnest. After the founder of the garden died, the area began to belong to the people, and in 1911, a director appeared in it, who became Harold Pearson, a biologist responsible for education. But formally, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, together with the manager, was recognized by the local government only in 1913. It is with Pearson's initiative that the area is successfully filled with a variety of plants, including trees and shrubs. Thanks to the director of the botanical garden, more than one variety of endemic plants of this area was saved. Nowadays, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden boasts more than one thousand rescued plants unique to South Africa, which has become famous all over the world.

The area where the garden is located is quite poor in soil and nutrients, but belongs to the floral zone, where the richest vegetation is represented. The entire territory of the botanical garden is 528 hectares, but only 36 hectares belong to the zone where intensive care and reproduction of plants are carried out.

The climate of the park is Mediterranean, characterized by dry, long summers and rainy, cool winters. The park has a gorgeous view all year round, but in order to have time to admire the maximum number of blooming plants, it is advisable to visit it from the end of winter to the beginning of summer.

The entire Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is endowed with two main types of vegetation – shrubs (finbosch), which perfectly tolerate heat and winter coolness, and forests. It is impossible not to mention the local flower, which is a symbol of African plants. Protea is a unique flower that blooms from late winter to summer. The stem of these evergreens reaches about 3 m, and the flowers themselves contain so much nectar that pollination occurs not by bees, but by birds and various small mammals.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is very popular among tourists from other countries, as well as local residents. Outdoor concerts are regularly held here in the summer. The beauty of the garden's plants, as well as the mountain air, fill them with a special charm.