If you can not travel to Namaqualand or the Tankwa Karoo or the West Coast or anywhere where there are currently lots of flowers to be seen and you have to stay at home in Stilbaai, you can experience the flowers right here! There are flowers everywhere and it seems that especially the Pauline Bohnen Nature Reserve hike is quite popular as a variety of flowers are now blooming there. Please remember that you can not pick flowers or remove any plants from the reserve.
In town, it is quite a sight to see the gardens and various ‘open’ areas that do look like Namaqualand!
We found a photo that was taken at the corner of Duiker and Perlemoen Avenue of the abundance of flowers. The photographer mentioned the trees that were recently donated to the Hessequa Municipality. About 3 000 trees were donated (yes, September is Arbor Month) and these trees will be planted in designated parks and open areas. The area in the photo is one of the open areas earmarked to receive some of these indigenous trees.
The photographer/writer said: “The water points are up, now for the planting. A few years from now we can get rid of the invasive minnetoka trees and enjoy an indigenous park!”

The Suid-Kaap Forum newspaper published an article about the donation of the trees. Read it HERE. “The municipality’s goal is to plant 100 000 indigenous and/or fruit trees of which they have 6 042 registered planted trees in the region. “It’s a large number, but it’s possible with the assistance of the community. Every tree brings us closer to protecting and conserving indigenous vegetation in the Hessequa region for future generations. The municipality therefore encourages citizens living in and around Hessequa to help them.” – Suid-Kaap Form

(Photo by @coastal_paleoscape via Instagram)

The open area at Perlemoen and Duiker Avenue in Stilbaai earmarked to receive indigenous trees (Photo by @coastal_paleoscape via Instagram)