The Camellias of Vergelegen

Chanel at NY's National Arts Club

One of my favorite flowers was also the one immortalized by Coco Chanel in fashion, the flower loved by La Traviata, and the one which empowered Charlotte's alter ego Camille to bloom in Dark Victory. The Camellia.

Our recent trip to the Cape Winelands happened to coincide with the peak viewing season for the pink, red and white blooms of Vergelegen, South Africa’s first, and Africa's only International Camellia Garden of Excellence.







International Gardens of Excellence have been judged by the International Camellia Society as featuring "a significant collection of camellias along with information about them.  Moreover, they are also kept to a high standard and are rewarding to visit." I agree!













Being a camellia enthusiast, I never miss a chance to visit camellia gardens at their peak and after researching "International Camellia Gardens of Excellence" on the internet, I was amazed to find that Vergelegen was not my first visit to an International Camellia Garden of Excellence. Who knew?

Out of the 40 that have been so honored, I had been to five others during their peak viewing season. The Gardens at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston during Charleston Garden Week, Huntington Botanic Gardens in Pasadena, CA, Trewithen Gardens in Cornwall,  the garden of Villa Anelli in Lake Maggiore, Italy and the  Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. Peak viewing time in the northern hemisphere is from March to April and in the southern hemisphere, July to August.









In addition to the camellia garden at Vergelegen, there are 16 other unique gardens there as well, including a splendid Octagonal Garden, and an impressive collection of trees including the oldest oak tree in South Africa, an ancient White Mulberry tree ...













... and the five magnificent camphor trees gracing the front of the Homestead ...
















... with a resident owl. Most excellent!