Fynbos LIFE - Locally Indigenous Flora Education

Fynbos LIFE - Locally Indigenous Flora Education Right here in Cape Town, we have ten of South Africa’s 21 Critically Endangered national vegetation types, three of which are endemic to the city.

Pioneering Cape Town's locally indigenous planting movement through fynbos restoration and education

Caitlin's Botanical Art Auction - RSVP & Catalogue - https://shorturl.at/e3QGE The Cape Flats alone supports more than 1460 different plant species, of which 203 are threatened with extinction and five are globally extinct in the wild. By restoring stepping stones of biodiversity within our fragme

nted urban spaces, we provide a potential solution to Cape Town’s conservation challenge. Locally indigenous gardens provide food and shelter for small animals, especially birds and insects, and enable their movement from garden to garden, encouraging colonisation, migration and interbreeding. Not only are these urban biorefugia ecological assets for conservation, but they are also aesthetically pleasing and offer us opportunities to observe, understand and conserve biodiversity. How can you create a LIFE garden? First, find the location of your garden on the City of Cape Town’s vegetation map (link provided below). Please don’t hesitate to ask us for assistance. This will help you establish the original vegetation type of your area. Then contact our Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery at [email protected] and we’ll help you find out which plants you’ll need to grow to support local biodiversity. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Cape_Town_Vegetation_Types_1_-_original_vegetation.jpg

Introducing Natasha 🌿Natasha has joined FynbosLIFE’s FUNDAfynbos team! Connecting children with nature at our various Ve...
07/09/2026

Introducing Natasha 🌿

Natasha has joined FynbosLIFE’s FUNDAfynbos team! Connecting children with nature at our various Veld Circles with educational sessions.

Schools visit us for two to four outdoor lessons, where children explore the Fynbos Biome, learn about local plants and animals, practise mindfulness, and discover how we can help create biodiverse urban environments. 🌱

A passion for teaching 🙏🏻

Natasha studied Art History before discovering her passion for teaching while spending a year teaching English in Korea.

She went on to complete her PGCE in Education and later trained in Montessori education.

Her greatest passion is creating meaningful learning experiences and getting children outdoors, where they can connect with and discover the natural world. 🌿

“I really enjoy my role. It’s a very special job.”

Term 4 School Programmes 🌼

We currently have availability for four schools to join our Term 4 programme.

Our outdoor lessons are CAPS-aligned, and we have some funding available to help make our programmes accessible to no-fee-paying schools.

For enquiries, please email [email protected] 🌿

🌿 𝐅𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 – 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 (POLYGONACEAE) 💜The prickly purplegorse is a common shrub with wind-dispersed seed...
28/08/2026

🌿 𝐅𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 – 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 (POLYGONACEAE) 💜

The prickly purplegorse is a common shrub with wind-dispersed seed. 🌬️ Although its flowers attract insect pollinators 🐝, it can also self-pollinate.

🌸 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞:: October–December

🌱 𝐈𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧: With its cheerful flowers, the prickly purplegorse deserves a place in more gardens. It is summer drought-tolerant once established and can be grown as a low hedge. ☀️

📍 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Rocky sandstone slopes and flats from the Bokkeveld Mountains southwards to the Cape Peninsula and east to Riversdale.

📷 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞: Maritza van Rensberg (iNaturalist.org)

🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬?When we think of fynbos, proteas, ericas, and restios are often the first plants that come to mind.But ...
18/08/2026

🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬?

When we think of fynbos, proteas, ericas, and restios are often the first plants that come to mind.

But fynbos is much more complicated than that.

The Fynbos Biome at the southwestern tip of Africa includes an extraordinary diversity of vegetation types and habitats, from fynbos and renosterveld to strandveld and wetlands. Many of the plants found here occur nowhere else on Earth.

Cape Town sits right in the middle of this remarkable botanical diversity.

So what actually counts as fynbos? Why is the Cape so botanically special? And why does conserving what remains matter?

🌱 Head over to HabiCHAT, the FynbosLIFE blog, to learn more: https://www.fynboslife.com/article/what-is-fynbos/

🌸 EXCITING NEWS! 🌸FynbosLIFE is excited to partner up with Print club for another Lino Printing Workshop🎨🌿This time we’r...
17/08/2026

🌸 EXCITING NEWS! 🌸

FynbosLIFE is excited to partner up with Print club for another Lino Printing Workshop🎨🌿

This time we’re gathering to welcome spring 🌱 that beautiful time of year when the landscape begins to awaken after winter. ✨

So, think FLOWERS! 🌼🌸🌺

But not just any flowers… we’ll be celebrating the incredible diversity of our locally indigenous plants and the beauty growing around us. 🌿

We’ll also have beautiful reference books available for inspiration of the richness of our local flora!

✨Snacks and equipment will be provided! ✨
*DONT FORGET YOUR ITEM OF CLOTHING!*

🕰️ 10h00-14h00 ( please arrive at 9h45 )

Message Skout to book:
+27 60 695 3691

Come spend a creative day connecting with nature, learning about fynbos and strandveld plants whilst creating your very own lino print inspired by the species we love.🌾🌻🌷

locallyindigenous

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 – 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 🌿Looking for a locally indigenous tree that will bring more wildlife i...
09/08/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 – 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 🌿

Looking for a locally indigenous tree that will bring more wildlife into your garden? 🐦🐝 Our retail nursery has 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 (𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦) for sale.

Their small flowers attract insect pollinators, while their fleshy fruits provide food for birds. As they mature, their dense foliage also provides valuable shelter and refuge, helping to create more habitat for wildlife in your garden. 💚

Milkwoods are especially well suited to coastal gardens, where they can cope with wind and salt-laden air once established. With time, they develop the beautifully gnarled forms that make mature milkwoods so distinctive.

So, as the weekend draws to a close, why not plant something that will keep supporting garden wildlife for years to come? 🌿🐦

Pop into the 𝐅𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐲 and take a milkwood home with you. 🌳

📍 57 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥, 𝘔𝘶𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘨
🕙 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺–𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺, 10 𝘢𝘮–4 𝘱𝘮

📷 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞: Abu Shawka (Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

𝐅𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 – 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 (AIZOACEAE) 🌼With orange-red colouring on the reverse of the petals and yellow ins...
07/08/2026

𝐅𝐲𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 – 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 (AIZOACEAE) 🌼

With orange-red colouring on the reverse of the petals and yellow inside, the bright blooms of this species attract a range of insect pollinators. 🐝🦋

🌸 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: October–January

🌱 𝐈𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧: Seeds can be germinated in autumn, and cuttings can be rooted from young material. Plant out in sandy soils in full sun ☀️ and water to establish. 💧

📍 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: From Piketberg to Tulbagh, southwards to Cape Town, where it grows on sandy flats and slopes.

📷 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞: Wendy Hitchcock (iNaturalist.org)

Hi, fynbos lovers! 🌿Join us on Saturday 29th of August for a fun and creative workshop where you’ll build your very own ...
06/08/2026

Hi, fynbos lovers! 🌿

Join us on Saturday 29th of August for a fun and creative workshop where you’ll build your very own Insectarium! 🪲🐝🐛🦋

Learn how these beautiful little habitats provide shelter for beneficial insects and support biodiversity in your own garden.

📩 To book your spot, please message Genie:
+27 76 123 8979

We can’t wait to create with you! 🌼

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 🌿Soft, silvery and wonderfully aromatic, 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 brings a little cos...
01/08/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 🌿

Soft, silvery and wonderfully aromatic, 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 brings a little cosy winter magic to the garden. After the rain, droplets cling to its finely divided leaves, making the whole shrub sparkle in the morning light. 💧✨

Brush against its foliage, and the leaves release their herbal scent, while its small flowers attract beneficial insect pollinators into your garden. 🐝

Later, fluffy white seed heads appear among the grey-green leaves, looking rather like tiny tufts of cotton wool. It may just be one of the cuddliest members of the Cape flora. 🤍

Wild rosemary is also edible. Add a few fragrant leaves to a tray of roasting vegetables for a deliciously local twist on a comforting winter meal. 🥔🥕🔥

This hardy locally indigenous shrub grows best in a sunny position with well-drained soil. Once established, it is a wonderfully waterwise choice for Cape Town gardens.

The Cape Flats Fynbos Nursery currently has plenty of wild rosemary plants available to buy.

Pop into the nursery, choose your favourite and take home a little bundle of silvery winter warmth. 🪴🏡

A big thank you to Sean from Topfell for donating wood chip mulch to the Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetland Veld Circle in ...
27/07/2026

A big thank you to Sean from Topfell for donating wood chip mulch to the Cape Lowland Freshwater Wetland Veld Circle in Hauptville Circle, Barbarossa🌿

The mulch has been used to refresh the paths and keep the site looking neat and well cared for. Wood chip mulch is a practical, sustainable option that reuses green waste while helping to suppress weeds and protect the soil surface. ♻️🌱

Sean has also delivered another load of mulch for the Peninsula Granite Fynbos Veld Circle in Firgrove Grootboschkloof, where work will begin next. 🍂

Support like this helps us care for our local Veld Circles. Thank you, Sean! 💚

🌸 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭.This illustration of 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤...
26/07/2026

🌸 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭.

This illustration of 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 was published in The Botanical Magazine in 1797. 🎨📖

At the time, the plant still grew in seasonal wetlands and peaty hollows on the Cape Flats. Today, 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 var. 𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴 is extinct. 🌿

The last known wild specimen was collected in 1907. Its habitat was gradually lost as wetlands were drained and the Cape Flats were transformed by urban and industrial development. No plants are known to survive in cultivation.

Historic botanical illustrations are often admired for their beauty, but they can also be important ecological records. In this case, the illustration shows us a plant that nobody alive today is likely to have seen growing in the wild. 🖼️

It is also a reminder of how much has already been lost from the lowlands of the Cape Floristic Region.

Many threatened Cape Flats plants now survive in only a handful of small, fragmented sites.

Protecting these remaining areas matters if we do not want more species to be known only from herbarium specimens, written descriptions and historic illustrations. 🌱

Image: 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴, Plate 366 from The Botanical Magazine, Volume 11, published in 1797. William Curtis. Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons and the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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57 Promenade Road
Muizenberg
7945

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Tuesday 10:00 - 16:00
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Sunday 10:00 - 16:00

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