Lynne is a member of the Cape Horticultural Society.
With our friend Judi Thomas, who is also a member, we decided to go to Elgin for the Open Gardens weekend
We stayed overnight in an AirBnB. It was quite an experience; do always check the reviews before you book ....
We began our visit at Freshwood. The gardens here are spectacular at this time of year
They have been arranged as different rooms, all filled to the brim with interesting and some unusual plants
A male malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) in a Spathodea campanulata or African flame tree
Lynne loved this rose so much, that we have brought home a plant and hope to grow it in our front garden
The bamboo forest and the path leading to the Japanese maples
Sadly a tree fell just there in the storm and had caused some damage
Thick, strong and impenetrable bamboo
In the English garden, a Columbine Aquilegia
Tall foxgloves Digitalis
There are several large Rhododendron bushes, some still flowering as well as the smaller Azalea
They make such splashes of colour
A Common Metallic Longhorn Beetle (Promeces longipes) on a lime green Euphorbia
Azalias
Unusual Yellow malacoides Primula
A beautiful mixed border backed by a vibrant prunus tree
Iris, rose and lilies all blend perfectly
Another variety of Columbine Aquilegia
A tall tree fern
Golden Inca Lilies aka the Peruvian Lily, or Alstroemeria after the Swedish botanist Baron von Alstroemer
The Stone Kitchen was our next stop where we met the owner, Jane Touwen
Swathes of the Inca Lily, or Alstroemeria in this characterful garden
Fighting cocks
An attractive door at the side of her house
A Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild)
Yet more Inca lilies
A Hadeda Ibis high in a stone pine tree
The following day we visited Auldearn and were sad to see that they also had suffered damage
On the way into the garden, several large trees had fallen
But, thankfully, it did not damage most of the near perfect garden
The house is high on a hill with marvellous views over the Elgin countryside
Refeshments and plant sales on a verandah at the house
Such clever planting reveals the views
Mixed beds and shade trees, the photo does not show the magic of this bit of the garden
Verbena bonariensis, the purpletop vervain
Looking back toward the house
A spikey spiral aloe
More views across to the blue mountains
Glorious old roses in full bloom
And a perfect pale pink rose
Agave Attenuata
Koppie Foam Grasshopper (Dictyophorus spumans)
It feeds on poisonous plants, which makes it toxic to predators
Looking across at orchards and vineyards
The pincushion protea attracts many birds
Like this Malachite sunbird
Keurbos is more of a nursery than a garden but the walk to the plants is lovely
A European paper wasp (Polistes dominula)
Golden moon flowers Brugmansia 'Yellow'
We were so lucky to see this huge epiphytic cactus in flower
A Cape robin-chat (Cossypha caffra)
A lovely show of pink oxalis with a tiny white daisy
After all the rain this year, all the leaves are beautifully green
Two nectar lovers, a Common Dotted Fruit Chafer (Cyrtothyrea marginalis)
and a Common Metallic Longhorn Beetle (Promeces longipes)
Aloeides vansoni, the Van Son's copper butterfly
A lovely old rose arbour
Some sensational pink and red roses intertwined
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