Friends of Bots

14/06/2026

In 1877, this area of the Botanical Gardens was completed and included the entrance gate, terraces and stone seats below the old oak tree (which has since been replaced with another of its species).

E. Tidmarsh, the curator, wrote:

‘The new entrance to the Gardens from Beaufort-street, spoken of in my last report as being in progress, is now about complete and is a great addition to the attractions of the institution, the shaded space beneath the ‘big oak’ is so cool during the hottest day, that the seats placed there are seldom without some occupant, enjoying the breeze usually blowing below and through the foliage of an oak tree.’

11/06/2026

According to the records from the 'Grahamstown Botanical Gardens' on eBird, about 146 species of birds have been documented in Bots. Do you have any to add?

Explore a complete list of bird species observations in this region.

10/06/2026

Join the Diaz Cross Bird Club on their outing to the Makana Botanical Gardens on Saturday!

10/06/2026

In 1883, E. Tidmarsh (the curator of the Botanical Gardens) wrote about the cycad specimens sent by our botanical gardens to Kew Gardens in London. The Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi, white-haired cycad, is South African tree no. 4 and is endemic to the Eastern Cape.

“Professor W. T. Thiselton Dyer, of Kew, writes specimens of Encephalurtos Frederici Guilielmi, sent from this institution some years back, are now among the ‘most magnificent objects in the
Palm House.’”

Today, Kew Gardens has 83 cycad species in its collection.

Read more about this cycad at:
https://pza.sanbi.org/encephalartos-friderici-guilielmi

The picture of the cycad below is courtesy of BotBln and was taken at Kirstenbosch.

09/06/2026

A lovely description of Bots from ‘The City of Grahamstown’ published in 1902.

Note references to the avenue of oaks along the carriageway, the Dragon Trees (Tree of Oratavo), the Norfolk Island Pine, and the old oak tree and stone seats at the Grey Street entrance to the gardens.

08/06/2026

The annual reports for the Makana Botanical Gardens date back to its early establishment and they are valuable in terms of the details of the establishment of the gardens, the connection to other botanic gardens, the challenges faced in establishing and managing the gardens, and the collection of botanical specimens.

The Report to the Committee of the Graham’s Town Botanic Garden for the year 1867 shows ‘Dracaena draco’ was introduced to the garden that year. The Dragon Tree, is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira and northwestern Africa.

Bots has a number of these trees (perhaps 8 or 9) and some large specimens are iconic features of the historic entrances to the Gardens. These trees may well be turning 160 years old next year!

31/05/2026

At our clean up yesterday we collected 4 bags of rubbish in and around the amphitheatre at Bots. Today’s clean-up yielded another 12 heavy bags of rubbish (mostly glass bottles).

Thank you to the amazing volunteers who came along to assist! The community around the Gardens is one of its greatest assets!

28/05/2026

Join us this weekend for a clean-up and meet other people who value our botanical gardens!

27/05/2026

The Grade 5s from Holy Cross School came to do a session to explore the gardens and identify trees using inaturalist this morning.

25/05/2026

Some of our tree labels have been printed. One or two areas of the Makana Botanical Gardens have been surveyed to identify species and this work will continue, but in the meanwhile we will begin labelling some trees.

As per the Dendrological Society of South Africa system, introduced trees will be labelled in yellow.