(Note the name change from Friends of … to Supporters of … to avoid confusion with the Friends of Harold Porter Gardens, which is a sub-group of the Supporters of the Kogelberg Branch!)
As I write this newsletter and gaze out of the window, the last rays of the sun are setting over Hangklip Lighthouse and glow onto the mountain behind my house. The diversity of the fynbos there never ceases to amaze. The Nivenia stokoei are just starting to bloom. SANBI has this to say about this magnificent flower:
The Kogelberg Biosphere is home to many wonderful indigenous plants, among them Nivenia Stokoei with its clusters of bright blue flowers. It is one of the most striking plants in the area, flowering in late summer at a time when little else is in flower. Nivenia stokoei is a low rounded shrub which grows to the height of between 1-1.5m. In sheltered areas it will reach a height of 1.5m but in open rocky areas, plants are dwarfed.
Nivenia Stokoei is a rare species with fewer than ten sub-populations within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. Its population is stable and is not threatened.
It occurs at the foot of the mountains in Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond. It is endemic to the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, grows in open rocky sites in nutrient poor sandstone-derived soil, which is typical for the genus.
MONTHLY TALK
The monthly talk took place on Saturday 15 February. Our guest speaker, Dr Donovan Kirkwood, is the Curator of Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens. He was with CapeNature for many years and was responsible for the development of CapeNature’s methodology for protected area biodiversity, biophysical and culturally sensitive mapping/analysis and reserve zoning and planning. His work included implementing the development of the Oudebosch Ecological Cabins and conserving as many endemic species as possible, especially our ground orchids and indigenous bulbs. His talk aimed at “making people fall in love with their local plants and their environment” – and did just that, not that the audience needed any encouragement in this respect!
GARDEN CIRCLE
Trees – more than meets the eye. On Friday 14 February the Garden Circle hosted a talk and demonstration by Ebraime Hull, Senior Horticulturalist and plant propagator at the Harold Porter Gardens. Ebraime shared his extensive knowledge and experience with trees, explaining how to select the right endemic trees for our area, how to plant them correctly, how and when to prune…
A display of labeled twigs/small branches of alien trees, endemic trees and indigenous trees was set up in the hall, a helpful addition to the talk.
TIM ATTWELL’S SATURDAY WALK
Tim’s walk, the annual pilgrimage up Bobbejaanskop to look for Nivenia stokoei, also took place on 15 February and, as always, was enjoyed by the participants who came away with their knowledge of our fynbos much refined.
HACK
We are truly blessed to have such a dedicated team of hackers and just when you thought they were exhausted from all the effort they put into the hack, blow me down, but Chris Geldenhuys and his merry team decide that the aliens are not going to get the better of them and they have now introduced another weekly hack on a Monday morning. So, the Hangklip Hardcore Hackers now hack every Monday morning and every Wednesday morning. I just shake my head in amazement at what this group of intrepid hackers are achieving in the Hangklip area.
To Chris and Rob Boyd and all the hackers, a big, big thank you from all of us. To summarize the hacks are as follows:
First Saturday of the month: Betty’s Bay Hack – Convened by Rob Boyd.
Last Saturday of the month: Pringle Bay Hack – Convened by Chris Geldenhuys.
Hangklip Hardcore Hackers: Every Monday and Wednesday of the week throughout the year.
HAROLD PORTER BOOK AND CRAFT SHOP
The great news is that we have appointed Janet Nel of Betty’s Bay as the Manager of the Harold Porter Book and Craft Shop. Janet has only been at the helm since the beginning of the month but already has made a huge difference. Her smiling face and friendly disposition has boosted sales. She has come up with a whole lot of new initiatives for the shop and I am sure that, with Janet at the helm, the shop will just go from strength to strength.
For the whole month of January, the shop was manned by volunteers who did a wonderful job and moved the bar even higher when it came to sales. Sales in January 2025 were 39% up on January 2024. A big thank you to Paddy Dall and her very merry band of volunteers.
We ask that you please support the shop. All the profits of the shop go to the Conservation Projects undertaken by the Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society, especially supporting the Friends of the Harold Porter Gardens initiative and the hack initiative which, as you see, is getting bigger and bigger. We keep on adding to the stock in the shop, so it is always worthwhile paying the shop a visit to see what is new.
We continue to fight to get our own entrance to the shop, so that one does not have to pay the Garden’s entrance fee every time you want to buy a birthday card. This is an ongoing battle but one we will not give up on.
Remember that on the first Tuesday of the month entry into the Gardens is free for South African Citizens over the age of 60 years.
FRIENDS OF THE HAROLD PORTER GARDENS
This initiative also goes from strength to strength and one can definitely see the difference to the flowerbeds in the gardens. To Viv von der Heyden and her team, a big thank you for all you do. The gardening sessions take place once a week alternating between Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
We desperately need more volunteers, so please do not hesitate to put up your hand to come and join the merry band of gardeners in the Harold Porter Gardens. I quote Jenny Pattinson, one of the leaders of the gardening groups:
“Looking back on this mornings work, it looked so good where we had cleaned up. Such a good thing for the soul – weeding!”
SUPPORTERS OF THE KOGELBERG BRANCH OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
It is thanks to the membership contributions to the Supporters of the Kogelberg Branch that we have been able to increase the hacking initiative, do more work in the Gardens and spend money on educating the youth in the value of the flora of South Africa, but especially of the Kogelberg Biosphere.
GENERAL
Harold Porter National Gardens Plant Sale: Easter Friday 18th April and Saturday 19th April.
The annual plant sale will be a plant sale with a difference this year. The Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa is joining forces with the Staff of the Harold Porter National Gardens and together will be providing a far greater range of indigenous plants for sale. More about this initiative in the March Newsletter. All I can say is “watch the space”. This is an exciting new development.
CONCLUSION
Enjoy exploring the fynbos in the Kogelberg Biosphere, there is always something new to see. Many of the small Ericas are now starting to bloom and they are stunning in the veld.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to join the Supporters of the Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa or one of the subgroups ,or if you should have any suggestions as to how we can serve you better. We welcome new members!
Peter Dall
082 784 4326
Email: peter@pdconsult.co.za