Colour blaze to hit Spring Show

Fynbos colour burst

Up to 400 indigenous species will be on display at this year’s Hermanus Botanical Society’s Spring Show at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve from 24-27 September, turning the exhibition hall into a blaze of colour

Planning begins at least 10 months before the show date, and the picking happens a few days before the show opens. In the preceding weeks, the final plant and flower gathering and recces are executed to assess which plants will be ready and from where they can be gathered,

CapeNature provides the Botanical Society with flower-picking permits. As many as 45 pickers go into the mountains and along the coast, come rain or shine, to gather specimens that are sorted into families and species.

A team of flower arrangers creates the arrangements, with additional flowers sourced from local growers and farms in the district.

This year’s exhibit theme is Fernkloof in Colour. Visitors will learn about light – the part it plays in the colour of plants, flowers and pollination. Informative posters prepared by members will show how there is no colour without light and how light powers all botanical life.

An ultraviolet light box, manned by experts, will demonstrate ultraviolet light’s influence on a flower’s colour, and how this colour interacts with the birds and insects that use it as a pollination guide.

Entry to the hall exhibit is R50 for adults and free for under 18s. Pay at the door or book on Quicket.

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