Once only a small niche interest in England, the popularity of “garden tourism” has grown into a hot new specialty theme for travellers.
For its Oct. 9 meeting, the North Island Rhododendron Society (NIRS) will take a look at plant life in a country that used to draw visitors mainly to view animals in the wild—South Africa.
Master Arborist Susan Murray’s two major passions—photography and plants—have combined to create a bank consisting of thousands of images of plants from around the world both in their native habitats and in cultivated gardens.
Murray’s presentation will span not only the diverse proteas and others key plant groups of South Africa’s Cape Floral kingdom but will also include some of the rare plants and oddities from the Namibian Desert.
Murray’s explorations in South Africa include not only formal gardens but also the rare plants threatened by the country’s growing economy, forest clearing and human settlement.
NIRS meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at the Comox United Church on Beach Street with doors opening at 7 p.m and the presentation starting at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in NIRS membership is welcome to attend.