Months of preparation is down to only hours now, with final plants going into the display and the design is slowly becoming a reality. The last day is always manic but excited for it to beginโฆ there are moments you lose time on the build and then unforseen moments that make your life so much easier. Nick from @riverdalefallsuk was one of those moments , bringing our fynbos natural spring to life. @tristanwoudberg #leonkluge #flowers #southafrica #flower #plants #capetown #flowerstagram #fynbos #garden #protea @tanyavisserza@the_rhs
Today is flower market day, a little break from site and we head into London where I source some of our softer cut-flowers, all the ones that wont survive the long journey from Cape town. This is planned many months in advance to make sure we booked out all the flowers we need, such as Gladiolus, gloriosa, sandersonia and lots more. Its also just such a nice experience being surrounded by cut flowers from all corners of the world. #leonkluge #flowers #southafrica #flower #plants #capetown #fynbos #flowerstagram #garden #protea #rhs #gardendesign #landscape #flowerartist #flowerarranging #flowerandgardenfestival #flowerarrangement
Today we received all our cut-flowers from South Africa- because of the stormy weather back in the Cape the farmers could not harvest any flowers, causing a lot of sleepless nights for me, trying to think of a plan B- Luckily we had a very small window of calm weather and managed to get some flowers picked and unboxing them at the show is very special. The flower quality is exceptional this year! #leonkluge #flowers #southafrica #flower #plants #capetown #fynbos #flowerstagram #garden #protea #southafrica๐ฟ๐ฆ #flowershow #showgarden #rhs #fynbos #flowerart #flowerarranging #flowerartist
@premierleague continues to make an impact in our local communities.
In March, the @grootbosfoundation coaches hosted a Community Coaching Workshop in collaboration with the Premier League and the British Council in Gansbaai.
The workshop was designed to support the development of grassroots coaches and football organisations by sharing best practices, modern coaching methodologies, and practical on-field learning aligned with the Premier Leagueโs coaching framework. Young coaches from schools and clubs in Gansbaai, Stanford, Hermanus and Cape Agulhas were invited to attend at no charge. This opportunity was not wasted on them, as they understood the cost of training and the value of hands-on, in-person learning, which is often absent from online courses.
Premier League is deeply committed to and has invested in Gansbaai and Grootbos Foundation since 2008, when it sponsored the state-of-the-art artificial pitch for the town of Gansbaai. In 2025, the Premier League replaced the original pitch, which was laid just before the 2010 Soccer World Cup, with a new artificial surface. Co-sponsors and collaborators, @rhino_turf_sa installed the new pitch. This fruitful collaboration gives the youth and community of Gansbaai access to world-class artificial playing surfaces, opening the door to bigger dreams and competition against the best teams in the country.
Special mention must go to the Overstrand Municipality, which manages the whole sports facility for the benefit of all.
#grootbosfoundation #spacesforsport #gansbaai #premierleague #britishcouncil @rhino_turf_sa ,
๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ด, ๐๐ข๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ช๐ข ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด, and ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ด๐ช๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ค๐ฉ๐ณ๐ข are three autumn-flowering fynbos bulbs found in the fynbos landscapes of the Walker Bay region. Often we think of spring as the prime-time for flowers but in fynbos many flowering bulbs conserve their energy during the hot, dry summer months, then burst into flower with the onset of autumn rains, when cooler temperatures and improved growing conditions make flowering more favourable. Producing flowers requires a great deal of energy, so timing is important. Fynbos geophytes often have short and highly specific flowering periods. This strategy may also improve pollination success by reducing the competition between plants with similar pollinators.
Did you spot the insect on the ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ด๐ช๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ค๐ฉ๐ณ๐ข. This is a Hairy Sugar ant, which is most likely collecting nectar from the flower. Ants are not considered to be very effective pollinators since they have limited mobility which makes it unlikely that they would carry pollen between flowers!
Have you seen any of these species in fynbos over the past few weeks?
#fynbos #grootbosfoundation
Your weekend traffic report looks a little bit different at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve!
While this road may be man-made, it is certainly not only used by humans. This camera trap footage shows just how many animals choose to use our roads during the day and at night.
How lucky are we to share this landscape with nature, wilderness and wildlife?
Let us know how many of these animals you can identify!
#cameratrapfootage #grootbosfoundation #capefloralkingdom #CameraTrap #fynbos
Grootbos Foundation herbarium is a product of thirty years of plant surveys conducted across Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and the Walker Bay Region. These surveys have contributed to the description of six new-to-science plant species and a record of 1024 plant species on Grootbos alone.
Last month, we were delighted to welcome a team from Natural Science Collections Facility (NSCF) to fully digitise our collection of almost 2000 plant specimens. This digitisation process started with giving each specimen a barcode, which serves as a permanent, unique identifier to link physical specimens with digital data and images. Thereafter, every specimen was photographed. These images will eventually be uploaded to a virtual museum which will be accessible to researchers.
Watch the video to see how this process unfolds!
Thank you to the team at the Natural Sciences Collection Facility for this contribution to Grootbos Foundation and the protection and conservation of the Cape Floristic Region!
@nscf_sa
#conservation #capefloristicregion #CapeFloralKingdom #GrootbosFoundation
Meet the characters from book 2 of the series.
The stories in the second book feature real, shy and scarcely seen species. While the presence of a larger predator, like the Caracal, and the elusive Cape Genet is highlighted as something truly special, the urgent need for consistent efforts from the community to conserve them is brought to the foreground. As mentioned in Book 2, night-time Caracal roadkills on our mainroads are devastating to discover. The What a Wonderful World Series does three things:
1. It reveals the preciousness of what we have in our natural world.
2. It shows us what is threatening the livelihoods of our local fauna and flora.
3. Inspires us to take action to care for the wonderful world we live in.
Please help us inspire more people through this book series by funding the printing of this third book in the series. https://thundafund.africa/campaign/18D1EF818C6E724F23FF
The conservation and research efforts into the lives of these two species (and many others) by Grootbos Foundation and Philipskop Private Nature Reserve is invaluable. The camera and camera-trap images in our post are sourced from both their fantastic organizations' work! Visit their websites and support them by booking a stay or guided walk at their reserves โ your contribution will help continue their vital conservation work ๐
#caracal #conservationmatters #wildlifephotography #bookcampaign
Itโs official! Stanford in Bloom and Chelsea Flowers in Stanford will be back for the 3rd year in a row. Save these dates: 12 - 27 September 2026.
Thatโs all we can share for now. Online tickets to see the flower exhibit are not yet available but as soon as they are, we will announce it here.
In the meantime, weโll be holding our breaths as @leonkluge and the team exhibit South Africaโs spectacular flora at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London between 19 - 23 May 2026.
Follow @visitstanford , @grootbosfoundation and @grootbos for updates.
Tickets, talks, and more will all be announced in the coming months.
#StanfordinBloom #ChelseaFlowersinStanford
Grootbos Foundation is proud to announce that we are an official charity partner of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, one of only five local charities selected to partner with the marathon in 2026.
For Grootbos Foundation, this partnership is a natural fit. It is a powerful opportunity to raise vital funds for our conservation and community programmes, and also a platform to champion the extraordinary natural landscapes that surround Cape Town and define our work. Cape Town and the Western Cape is home to one of the most unique landscapes in the world; 70% of the plants found here are found nowhere else on Earth. Grootbos Foundation is committed to the protection of this unique and precious landscape. We have a 23 year legacy of conservation and community upliftment. Over 300 young people have graduated from our skills college since 2003, each year approximately 3'000 children are supported through our Sports Development programme and our conservation team has supported the protection of over 26'000ha of land through the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy, all while supporting youth to find work in sustainable, green careers.
As the Cape Town Marathon moves closer to becoming the first Abbott World Marathon Major on African soil, it offers a unique moment to connect runners from around the world with fynbos and the globally significant Cape Floral Kingdom. We believe that as runners train, race, and recover in the Mother City, they should have the opportunity to truly experience, understand, and appreciate the natural heritage they are running through. Each Grootbos Foundation fundraiser has committed to raising $2,000, and we are proud to share that our 8 charity runners have already collectively raised $13,193. We will continue to recruit charity runners until the end of January, with the goal of building a team of purpose-driven runners.
If you, or someone you know, believes in protecting nature, uplifting communities, and using sport as a force for good, we would love to hear from you.
To enquire click visit Cape Town Marathon charity ticket webpage or contact [email protected]
Leadership in football doesnโt happen in one way โ or in one place and too often, work that really matters goes unseen.
Across different countries all around the world, women are building systems, opening access, and creating spaces for other to lead; not by waiting for permission, but by doing the work, day in, day out.
This series exists to make that work visible. Meet three more women shaping football and their communities from the ground up.
One of our 2025 highlights was wrapping up a @lessons.in.conservation lesson set with an excursion, in collaboration with the incredible @grootbosfoundation team.
We went to @capenature โs Walker Bay Nature Reserve๐๐ The learners explored birdlife, coastal systems, invasive species management, kelp forests, and the deep human and natural history held in this landscape.
The day was designed to move learning beyond the classroom, using play, observation, and time outdoors to help learners connect lesson content to real ecosystems. Experiencing these concepts in person helps turn learning into understanding and gives learners the opportunity to relax and feel the benefits of nature ๐ฟ
