Roughly stated, there are six floral regions in the world. One, the Boreal Forest Kingdom, extends across 20 million square miles of Russia, Europe and North America, making up 40% of the (dry) Earth's surface.

At the other end of the spectrum (so to speak), is the Cape Floral Kingdom, occupying a mere 0.04% of that surface. Yet, inside that tiny area, barely 500 miles long and 200 miles wide, the aspiring eco-tourist will find a staggering 8,600 plants, of which 5,800 are endemic (unique to the area). This is the home of watsonia, ixia, gladiolus, erica, protea … plants that are now so common around the world and found in so many gardens, hardly anyone even wonders where they originated. They came from the Cape. And they can be found in a bewildering variety of species .. there are over 100 pelargoniums (that's geraniums to you), over 500 ericas of the world's 740 species, .. the list is extensive. Even if you never graduated beyond lawn-school, you cannot help being impressed by the diversity. Charles Darwin would have had a ball.

The Serengeti of flowers.
Before we discuss WHERE to go, let's cover WHEN. Since the South Africans, like the Australians, live on their heads (or something), their summer is our winter, and vice versa. Well, that's how it was explained to me. That means that when it's a 125F summer day in Phoenix in August, it's a balmy 25C winter day in Cape Town. The Cape rains fall in winter, which means the best time to visit is August and September, for the spring flowers.

If you don't want to make it then, or you live in the north (New York, Toronto), you might want to get away in our winter (December - February). Remember it's their summer out there (35C), and there are lots of flowers all year round.

The main reason for going in September is to see the spring flowers in Namaqualand. This is an area 300-700 km north of Cape Town. The road (the N7) is paved and fine to travel at 100 km/hr. The flowers, however, are erratic .. one year they will be good, the next year spectacular, the following year only OK. It depends on the rains, and they vary.

The National Botanical Gardens .. Kirstenbosch
If you aren't inclined to drive a full day to see carpets of spectacular daisies stretching to the horizon, then visit the National Botanical Gardens at Kirstenbosch, on the slopes of Table Mountain. Located almost in the heart of Cape Town, Kirstenbosch is a multi-acred garden with wide walks, specialized plant areas, greenhouses, long established trees, and a huge diversity of flora, as befits a botanical garden located in such a unique region. Plan to spend some time there. On summer evenings (Dec-Jan) there are concerts. During much of the rest of the year, there are special flower shows, featuring multiple species in bloom. The recently completed Silver Tree Restaurant features a café-style area, as well as a sit-down, white-linen-cloth section with a very eclectic menu. You can try warthog, crocodile tail, cape buffalo steaks, and numerous other unusual dishes.

Located in the gardens, huge soapstone carvings from neighboring Zimbabwe (often weighing several tons), add a gallery-like feel to the already manicured layout of lawns and paths and beds.

Nature Reserves
There are a number of other excellent places to enjoy the extraordinary plant diversity of the Cape area. One such place (and it's free) is the Silvermine Nature Reserve. Set at the top of the Old Cape Road (Ou Kaapseweg), it's open from sunrise to sunset and is easily accessible from the road. Since you park at the pass, the views are spectacular before you even leave the car, and improve as you follow the sandy track up through weathered rock formations, balanced in precarious positions, shaped by erosion into bizarre shapes. Among the cracks and crannies you may see everything from red crassula and multi-coloured ericas to vygies (everlastings) and leucodendrons. The varieties and density are surprising. Coupled with views of the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Silvermine N R is a great way to spend half a day.

At the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a closed area, that requires an entrance fee, but is well worth the time spent. Over 2500 species of plant await the horticulturist or botanist, plus there are a number of wild buck and other game. But beware of the baboons! At the end of the road near the lighthouse, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet below a 250m high sea cliff, these primates have learned to live well off passing tourists, and are not immune to jumping onto your car and breaking windscreen wipers and radio aerials until they get fed!

Outside the city .. wildflower shows
Numerous small towns have, over the years, developed flower shows that are well attended by locals and tourist alike. One of the oldest and best, is the Darling Flower Show. Well, a name like that is tough to beat. Yes, there really is a town called Darling, about an hour north of Cape Town, and every mid-September they host a floral festival over a long weekend, that should not be missed.

Visit the Orchid Show first. The Darling area is home to numerous indigenous orchids and disas, and the organizers bring together a wide range of local and exotic plants for visitor to admire. Once through the show area, you pass into a warehouse where gardeners can buy many of the plants they have just seen, in all sizes from seeds, bulbs and cuttings through to huge established plants. (A note to North American visitors: permits are needed to bring plants into the USA or Canada.)

Darling is not a large town (pop. 3,000?), but the local folks are proud of their show. Let's leave the orchids, and head across to the main event, the Wildflower Show. Year after year, collectors have learned where the best of the fynbos (see Info Box 1) is, and each year they create museum-like dioramas of plants, collected together in themes. There will be a dry Karoo section, filled with succulents, daisies (in flower), ixias, renoster bush and more. The next show-piece might be a wetland diorama, filled with arum lilies, marsh grasses, anemones, leucadendrons and similar.

The marvel of these displays is not simply that they are there, under a roof, and in full bloom, but that they look like they have grown there. Wild flowers are notoriously difficult to cultivate or store. The show somehow manages to bring together and display swathes of spectacular spring flowers. Many of the plants are labeled, plus there is a section where individual plants (usually cut, and in vases) are fully described with Latin and local names, for your information.

The volunteers are friendly, and keen to chat. Mr Duckett is a local farmer (retired) who has been helping at the Flower Show for longer than he can remember. Every year he has a few 'specialties' that he knows where to find, and he digs and brings them in a frantic rush on the Friday of the show. So do many others. Together, the whole creation appears in just a few hours of hectic work.

We talk about watsonias, which resemble gladiolus plants, but have a more delicate flower, and I mention that at Kirstenbosch earlier that week I saw an entire bed of white ones, which must be a new variety. I have, by accident, pushed the right button on Mr Duckett.

"I'm glad you mentioned that, because I'm the fellow who found that flower. One spring .. I forget how many years ago that was now … I was collecting for our Flower Show, and there, in a whole field of wild watsonias, there was one white stem. Just one. I didn't have time then, but later I came back and dug it up. Carefully, of course. And I sent it down to the people at Kirstenbosch. And they did whatever they do, and now there's hundreds … thousands .. it's wonderful."

Mr Duckett is clearly pleased with his tiny contribution to the field of horticulture. And, no, the variety isn't named after him. It's named after the area. "I just found it," he says modestly.

East of Cape Town, a few hour's drive along the famous Garden Route to Port Elizabeth, the small town of Caledon in the wheat belt boasts the Caledon Botanical Garden. This 214-hectare centre is renowned for its displays of spring wildflowers, and an annual show is staged each September. It's the perfect time to see the Caledon bluebell. Nearly 60-hectares have been cultivated, while the remainder consists of mountain fynbos. Indigenous trees ring a lake, forming an attractive feature in the valley. Short walks explore the garden, which also has a tea room and picnic sites.