Worcester
The Breede River Valley is well known to many visitors for its fine wines, fruits and beautiful mountains. Not so well known is the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden in Worcester, capital of the Breede River Valley. It is probably the only truly indigenous South African succulent garden in the world, and is one of a handful of outdoor succulent gardens in the world.
The Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden is surely the showpiece of the Breë (Breede) River Valley. In August and September of each year it becomes a magnificent carpet of colourful flowers with ursinias, arctotis, dimorphothecas, gazanias and mesembs (commonly known in South Africa as vygies).
What makes the biodiversity of this area unique is that in a radius of 50 km about sixty veld types are found with a diverse number of species in each veld type. Low rainfall and high summer temperatures ensure a xerophytic flora, able to withstand drought conditions, with mainly succulents, dwarf Karoo bushes and geophytes. Some occur just in a specific area like Moraea worcesterensis a rare and endangered plant species only known from the Worcester area. Another rare and endangered bulbous species from the Worcester area is Ixia mostertii.
Jacob’s Kop peak south east of Worcester is renowned for a symbiotic relationship that exists between a protea and mouse that is totally endemic to he region. This was well documented in National Geographic Magazine.
The garden has fairly comprehensive collections of succulent plants like haworthias, gasterias, stapelias, huernias, duvalias, adeniums, pachypodiums, tylecodons, lithops and other mesembs. The bulbous plants are brunsvigias, boophones, crossynes, babianas and lachenalias that mainly flower in autumn or spring.
The garden is open every day of the year from 07:00 to 19:00. In season time a small entrance fee is charged with concessions for scholars, students and pensioners during the flowering season, from August to October.
