Last week we did some (snap-)photo shooting in our garden (Soekershof, South Africa; also named The Green Cathedral of South Africa).
This garden is the breeding place of cacti in South Africa. In 1910 Marthinus Malherbe started to exchange seeds of South African succulent plants with those from the Americas and with that he introduced (except for the prickly pear) virtually all cactaceae in South Africa. The oldest cactus of South Africa is 99 years old and this giant is the pride of our garden. Opposite this Pachycereus weberii Malherbe and his wife Molly Darling (see pictures left) are burried. Malherbe was an amateur botanist and in American (botany) archives there is more known about him than in his homeland. The memorial tablet of his wife was gone but thanks to relatives we were able to make a new one with the original text (born with Christmas and passed away with Ascending Day; how symbolic for her).
After his dead in 1976 the Soekershof gardens, in Robertson (Western Cape, South Africa), were not only neglected for 24 years but also 'robbed' of some valuable species. During the past 9.5 years we have been busy in restoring and extending the garden. At the moment we have an outdoor collection of more than 2500 different registered species (subspecies, cultivars, etc.) and we cultivate all plants in the gardens and our nursery fully organically. We try to find a balance between habitat and cultivation. We rather have healthy plants than 'smooth looking' plants which need chemical warfare every week or so. Honestly; we are fairly proud on what we've achieved so far. Not the best pics but it provides you with an idea.