Finally blossoms, sun and beautiful flowers.  Time to let your hair down, pack away the coats and enjoy Spring with us here at Picardi Place.  Make us one of your stops while viewing the beautiful flowers the Cape has to offer.

The Cape's seasonal wildflowers are accessible to everyone and any budget, of course.  For a few precious weeks each year the Western Cape comes alive with color, a wonderland of wildflowers. Fields and farms, wetlands and dunes are covered with magnificent color and delicious-smelling blooms from mid-August until end-September.

A few places to go and view some of the magnificence is

KAROO DESERT NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDENS

This spot is right on the doorstep here at Picardi Place.  In addition to be close to some of the most beautiful flowers in the Western Cape, we also offer accommodation, the perfect spot to kick of your shoes, relax and start the flower gazing.

POSTBERG AND WEST COAST NATIONAL PARK - Around 1 hour and 50 minutes drive from Cape Town

Entry fee During flower season, August – September 2018:
R76 (SA citizens and residents with ID)
R38 (children)
R110 (SADC nationals with valid passports)
R55 (SADC children with valid passports)
R170 (international adults; standard conservation fee)
R85 (international children; standard conservation fee)

KIRSTENBOSCH - Around 20 minutes from Cape Town

Entry fee R65 (adults)
R35 (South African students with valid student card)
R15 (children, 6 – 17 years)
Free (children, 0 – 6 years; BotSoc members on presentation of membership card)
Free on Tuesdays (South African senior citizens with valid ID, except on public holidays)

NAMAQUALAND - Around 6 hours from Cape Town

Entry fees Daily Conservation Fee: 1 April 2018 – 31 October 2018:
R41 (South African citizens and residents with ID)
R21 (South African children)
R81 (SADC nationals with valid passports)
R41 (SADC children with valid passports)
R81 (international visitors; standard conservation fee)
R41 (international children; standard conservation fee)

RAMSKOP NATURE RESERVE - Around 2 hours and 30 minutes from Cape Town

Entry fees R26 (adults)
R19 (pensioners)
R9 (children)

HAROLD PORTER BOTANICAL GARDEN - Around 1 hour and 30 minutes from Cape Town

Entry fees R25 (adults)
R15 (seniors and students with a valid student card)
R10 (children, 7 – 17 years)
Free (children, 0 – 6 and BotSoc members)

THE RENOSTERVELD RESERVE - Around 1 hour from Cape Town

CITRUSDAL - Around 2 hours from Cape Town

TIENIE VERSFELD WILDFLOWER RESERVE - Around 1 hours and 10 minutes from Cape Town

FERNKLOOF NATURE RESERVE - Around 3 hours and 50 minutes from Cape Town

COLUMBIA NATURE RESERVE - Around 2 hours from Cape Town

NIEUWOUDTVILLE AND HANTAM NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN - Around 3 hours and 50 minutes from Cape Town

Entry fees August – October 2018:
R20 (adults)
R15 (South African students with a valid student card)
R12 (children and senior citizens)
Free (BotSoc members)

Don’t delay, book your visit before the magic of Spring fades to just a colorful memory….

WATERBLOMMETJIES IN DIE BOLAND, WATERBLOMMETJIES IN DIE KAAP
MAAK DIE BREDIE NET SOOS IN DIE WYNLAND, EN SÊ JY'S BAIE LIEF VIR MY VOOR JY GAAN SLAAP

A very popular Afrikaans song sung by many great Afrikaans legends like Sonj a Heroldt and Anton Goosen. And the words can’t ring truer as this meal is a warm winter’s meal to be enjoyed between friends and family. Our lives have become so fast and instant gratification addictions are where we are losing some golden treasures, which just can't be done fast. Things like rusks baking in the oven overnight and then to be enjoyed with that first cup of coffee with the smell still hanging fresh in the kitchen, a homemade jersey made with love by granny, peaches and figs cooked in its sugary sauce to be bottled and slow cooked food, not just a quick meal but a gathering of loved ones spending the entire day and then enjoying a meal prepared and cooked with love.

This brings me back to the waterblommetjies – it is a little water flower called Cape pondweed or Cape Hawthorn, they flower during winter and spring in large areas of the water in the Western, Southern and Eastern Cape. They are adapted to grow in ponds which dry up in summer. The dormant tubers sprout again as soon as the pools fill in autumn. This used to be a well known local delicacy for the cold winter months, traditionally made with lamb or mutton, onions, and sorrel. A delicious stew (bredie) which needs to be slowly cooked and when done it is bound to leave your guests and family with warm hearts.

One of the popular guest farms in Rawsonville offers a very unique opportunity. It is a cooking course where one starts off the day cleaning the harvested plant, cooking the meal from scratch and then, of course, enjoying it around a big wooden table with your loved ones.

Picardi Place also offers overnight stays in one of their beautiful rooms or cottages so one can enjoy a full, adventurous day filled with great memories. This is indeed a unique opportunity and promises to leave one with a very satisfying day and of course very satisfied taste buds.