AFRICAN COLLECTION
Matt’s collection of fynbos and bespoke plant finds collected on his travels throughout the African continent lives in perfect harmony alongside historic Cape vineyards.
FYNBOS ‘Our fynbos garden features more than 150 species of Protea, Leucadendron, Erica and Agathosma, many of which are found naturally on the Constantiaberg. It also includes pretty much every species of less well-known fynbos such as Brunia, Berzelia, Mimetes, Phylica and Metalasia that I could lay my hands on. A pink-blooming Metalasia
fastigiata is one of my most novel finds. After looking for it for five years, I recently stumbled upon it at a local retail nursery.’
FLOWERING TREES ‘I have a great love of flowering trees – for example kapok trees. My favourite is the Brazilian kapok, with its showy pink blooms. Although not endemic to Africa, they’re widely grown throughout the continent. I’m rearing an orange-blooming kapok from seeds I collected in Mali that is endemic to West Africa. Other trees from upcountry and subsaharan Africa include Schotia afra, Khaya anthotheca, Erythrina abyssinica, Spathodea campanulata, Millettia grandis, Kigelia africana, Trichilia emetica, Adansonia digitata, Peltophorum africanum and Xanthocercis zambesiaca.’ Garden Design: Mary Maurel 8 marymaurelgardens.co.za Landscaping: Ross Mcgill 8 rossmcgilllandscapes.co.za