Leon Kluge Shares His Little Black Book

Leon Kluge “paints with plants”, and his latest masterpiece – featuring 22 000 fynbos stalks – scooped three top awards at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. He’s the green-fingered guru behind many spectacular outdoor spaces, including all the Singita Lodges, Klein Constantia Manor House and Hazendal Wine Estate, as well as gardens and public parks in Spain, France, South Korea, China and Japan. He’s won several prestigious awards, including Best Designer at the Philadelphia Flower Show and Gold at the Gardening World Cup in Japan. Back home, he received the South African Landscape Institute’s National Chairperson’s Discretionary Award for his contribution to landscape design in 2019.

And, for two weeks only, in September and October 2024, South Africans will be able to witness a replica of his award-winning fynbos masterpiece in the bucolic Overberg town of Stanford.

On plant-finding hikes

When it comes to a quick hike that’s close to Franschhoek (where I live), the area behind the Berg River Dam is my favourite. You start in the flats, then go into the wetlands, and then up the mountains… The protea varieties you get there are astounding. Look out for Serruria florida (blushing bride), which comes from that area. For a long hike, head to Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve, where you’ll see snow during winter, and lots of king proteas at their best.

In Cape Town, I hike the pipe track just to see the leucospermums – or pincushions – which flower between July and December. I’m also always in the mountains above Scarborough. It’s a competition between me and the baboons up there. But some very interesting plants and proteas that grow there.

If you’re looking for loads of flowers, plan a hike in Tygerberg Nature Reserve during spring.

Kogelberg Nature Reserve is one of the richest, most biodiverse areas in the world. One of the most beautiful hikes is from the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay. In summer there are lovely streams to cool down in. If you go a little bit further up the mountain you’ll discover an array of fynbos, including a lot of carnivorous plants. People are always excited to see carnivorous plants, especially kids, and it’s fun to show them how the plant eats the goggas.

For a walk that’s completely unique, Du Kloof Lodge in Du Toits Kloof has a hike that goes into the only moss forests of Cape Town – it’s a world of Narnia, and it’s spectacular!

On his Cape Floristic Region Big Five

Number one would be the king protea. Every foreigner wants to see a king protea – whether it’s a pink, red or white one – and Table Mountain is probably your best bet. There’s always one in flower up there.

My second would be the red disa – the orchid that flowers on Table Mountain. It blooms around February, so it’s also called the Valentine’s Orchid, and is very special to see.

Number three, a little further away, are the big yellowwoods in the Garden Route National Park. They’re some of the biggest trees in the world, and there are only a handful left because they were cut down for buildings in the 1600s. When you stand next to them, it’s like you’re touching time. They’ve been there for centuries.

The Namaqualand daisy might be a little flower that doesn’t last long, but it’s definitely in the top five to go and see. For the early birds, the north – Namaqua National Park and the area around Springbok – is in full bloom during August and early September. Then the flowers start further south, all the way from the West Coast National Park right down to Blouberg. It’s spectacular, and doesn’t happen in many places around the world.

The last in my Big Five is protea amplexicaulis, which is also called the “skaamroosie” (the shy rose). It grows on the mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek. It hides its flowers, but they’re just gorgeous – black and velvet. If you smell fresh croissants when you’re in the mountains, especially at dusk, that’s them putting out a scent that attracts mice and other rodents to pollinate them.

On the beauty of Cape bulbs

I love bulbs, any kind, but my favourite are the iris family. We have so many in South Africa, including the watsonias that turn Table Mountain orange, pink and purple.

Irises have these clever adaptations to attract their pollinators. There’s a little iris called Babiana ringens that grows around Blouberg. It makes these little red flowers, which it tilts upside down, then it makes another stalk with a velvety texture below…  and it’s exclusively for a sunbird. The sunbird perches on that soft stalk and the upside-down flower fits exactly around its beak. It’s about 20cm from the ground, allowing the sunbird to check there aren’t any snakes or other predators around. Somehow, the plant knows and provides what its pollinator needs, so ensures it can be visited. That’s why these plants are just so astounding – and humans are still discovering how clever they really are.

Agapanthus is a common garden bulb all over the world but that little plant comes from right here, on Table Mountain. There aren’t a lot of them on the mountain, because plants struggle to survive in their natural habitat, and that makes it even more special when you get to see one still growing in its original home.

The weirdest little bulbs come up in Koeberg Nature Reserve in Melkbosstrand. I love those dunes and go there especially for the parasitic plants, which are so cool; when they start to flower, these weird red cones just come up out of the sand. Look out for the Ferraria crispa or spider flower on the beach, which is like that blue or white dress everyone argued about. For me, the ferraria smells like vanilla; for some people it smells like rotten meat; for others it’s more like liquorice.

On must-visit gardens

If you want to see vygies – which are also world-renowned – you should go to the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden in Worcester. Around the end of September, that whole garden just erupts in flaming, luminescent colours. It’s spectacular to see, and it doesn’t last that long.

I know it’s quite far out – it’s a whole day trip, or even a two-day trip – but we have the bulb capital of the world at Hantam National Botanical Gardens in Nieuwoudtville. All the bulbs congregate there en masse and it’s just mind-blowing to see. It’s a sister botanical garden to Kirstenbosch, but it’s only open from mid-August to mid-September when the bulbs are in flower. People come from all around the world to see them.

Another great little garden is the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden in Betty’s Bay, although I’m a little biassed because my grandfather was a curator there. There’s such biodiversity in that little pocket of fynbos – it’s actually where a lot of fynbos was collected and cultivated for hybrids all around the world. It’s also lovely to see the little red disa in the mountains up there.

If you want to see some interesting design aspects in a garden, I’m a big fan of the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Stellenbosch. It’s a little sanctuary of indigenous plants, which I think has been done very well. I love going there when I have the time to do so.

On shopping for plants

I’m a regular at Cape Garden Centre in Joostenbergvlakte. It’s a big nursery and there’s always something new that I see and have to put in my car.

A hidden gem is Tulbagh Nursery, which is just south of the R46 when you head towards Tulbagh. If you like edibles for your garden, then there’s no other place to go. From berries and fruits to herbs and veggies, there’s just so much variety. They have really unusual fruit trees – you’ll find 30 different types of figs for example – and such interesting citrus. We don’t just have one type of lemon; some are sweet, some are sour, some are red inside, some are white.

I’m also always looking for small nurseries by the side of the road – like Namib Garden Cactus Garden in Melkbosstrand – where you’ll often find obscure little plants. When I drive past I always pop in and there’s usually something that I have to buy. When I travel along the Garden Route I find so many little nurseries that have stuff you can’t buy in bulk – like this tannie has 10 of them, and there’s only 10. Whether she’ll grow another 10, you never know. It may look like there’s been an orkaan (hurricane) right through it, and you might find a snake under every bush, but that’s where you find the interesting stuff.

On weekend getaways

Whenever I’m in Montagu, I visit Jonkmanshof. It’s a wonderful guesthouse I’ve stayed at once or twice; I also just go for a quick tour of their orangery. I think it’s the only place in the Cape with a proper orangery – and it’s just a maze of interesting citrus. Either the owners or their gardener will give you a really informative tour.

When I go to the Garden Route, I usually stay at Barrington’s Small Hotel in Plettenberg Bay. I love the vegetable garden. They have a fabulous restaurant, and they harvest everything from the garden.

I’m also a big fan of Britannia Bay. It’s nothing pretentious and there aren’t any shops to speak of, but it has the most gorgeous beach. And the reason I love that so much – besides the plants – is I can take my kayak there and paddle in that lagoon-y beach area, where I’m always surrounded by dolphins. It’s just the most incredible thing.

Then, of course, I live in a popular weekend getaway spot. Franschhoek has so much to offer, but as a local, I have my favourites. For my coffee every morning, it’s Terbadore. The best bakery in town is Mother Dough and I highly recommend their early-morning cinnamon buns – but be warned, if you’re late, they’re gone! I also love Let’s Frites and always go for the wedge salad and triple-fried fries.

The best lunch in my valley is Knus Karoo Kombuis in Paarl. Their pulled pork roosterkoek is the absolute best, and my favourite dessert is their unique carrot cake. I also head to FiftyFive Croissants in Wellington to treat myself to the best chocolate and hazelnut croissant and a cappuccino. The best dinner around Cape town, in my opinion, is Die Damhuis in Melkbosstrand – and my usual is the traditional bobotie. The best!

Don’t miss Leon Kluge’s recreation of SA’s Chelsea Flower Show display.
Cost R175
Free (children under 12)
When 21 September – 6 October 2024
Time 10am – 6pm
Where 32 Queen Victoria Street, Stanford
Book Now

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