In the villages of Rooiels, Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay, where mountains meet the sea, gardening takes on a whole new meaning. These coastal communities lie within the Kogelberg Biosphere – a UNESCO-declared site celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity.

This region forms the heart of the Cape Floristic Region – one of the world’s most remarkable biodiversity hotspots. Gardening here isn’t just about creating beautiful spaces, but it comes with the added responsibility of caring for a unique and fragile natural world, where plants and animals have adapted over millions of years to very specialised growing conditions.

For members of the Kogelberg Garden Circle (KGC), the work is equal parts stewardship, frustration and delight, redefining what it means to garden with nature. This is where the Kogelberg Garden Circle has found its purpose. An “arm” of the Botanical Society of South Africa BOT SOC Kogelberg Branch, the circle is made up of both branch members and enthusiastic local gardeners. Galia explains that this group is not a formal garden club, but a circle, where she best describes members as “going round and round in circles, we’re not quite sure what we’re doing, but we garden anyway”.

Earlier this year, the KGC launched a gardening series titled Snippets for an amateur fynbos gardener in the local community newspaper, the Overstrand Herald. The idea was sparked when Galia was approached to share insights on gardening with newcomers to the Kogelberg Biosphere. It quickly became clear that there was – and still is – a real need to bridge the gap between conservation knowledge and the everyday choices people make in their fynbos gardens.

The aim of the newspaper articles is threefold: to share practical advice on gardening in this unique environment, to cultivate a sense of custodianship for the fynbos that literally grows on people’s doorsteps and to reassure newcomers that gardening in the Kogelberg is not more difficult, just different.

Tempting topics for the green fingered

Topics have included the dangers of invasive alien plants; the distinctions between alien, indigenous and endemic plants; where to source indigenous plants; water-wise gardening; the quirks of microclimates and acidic soils; the challenges of gardening in extremely windy conditions; and the importance of succession planting when starting afresh in a new garden.

Through the series, the articles have highlighted how invasive alien vegetation not only threatens biodiversity, but also increases the risk of intense wildfires, which in turn bring devastating economic and ecological losses. They have touched on how local soils differ dramatically between mountain slopes, wetlands and dunes, and why fertilisers should be avoided in favour of mulching or seaweed-based feeds. The articles have also pointed out why choosing smaller, hardier trees is often a wiser option than buying larger, mature specimens raised in “intensive care” conditions. When these nurtured plants are suddenly thrown out into the wild, to face drying summer winds, gale-force winter gusts and poor, acidic soils, it’s a bit like sending them straight from a luxury spa into a howling southeaster!

The community response to the articles has been heartening. New members have joined the garden circle, and feedback suggests the information has simplified gardening, encouraging them to learn more about – and embrace – the hundreds of species of fynbos. In a place where every garden is a small piece of biosphere, this kind of shared knowledge is vital.

For members of the KGC, gardening is both challenging and rewarding. But it is also a responsibility, an act of conservation, and a way of connecting with our unique natural heritage. Each plot is, in essence, a mini-Harold Porter garden, and every gardener a custodian.

Galia Manicom is a branch member of the BOT SOC Kogelberg Branch and member of the Kogelberg Garden Circle.

Teneal Barnard is communications coordinator of the BOT SOC SA team.