Owner: Soekershof; The Blog URL:http://soekershofwalkabout.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:28:42 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: News and developments in and around Soekershof; Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa.
Unusual, weird, maze and unique outdoor collection of over 2400 different and registered succulent plant species.
In South Africa!!! Site statistics:Click here
Best African Garden Blogs 2008-10-02 04:54:00 The international garden bloggers community Blotanical has chosen the best garden blogs about gardening in Africa. Number one is Egypt Farm and nrs. 2 and 3 are American blogs. Number 2, Cactus-guide, has always been one of our favorite succulent garden blogs.This blogsite is number 4 and number 5 is our nursery blog Soekershof; the 'scientific' backup. Two out of the top 5 is not too shabby but o Read more:African
, Blogs
, Garden
Landscaping with wire 2008-09-27 07:50:00 Messina Mussindo ("Joey") just started up with a new range of wire trees. The 'Acacia joey' can be found in several private collections around the world. Interesting however is also where his different 'genera' end up. The baobabs ('Adansonia Joey') are mostly found in German speaking countries and Australia plus North America and the flat-crowns ('Acacia Joey') in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Read more:Landscaping
Good for self-esteem 2008-09-19 04:45:00 Dear HermanThank you so much to you and your wife for the wonderful 2 hours we spent there on Wednesday. We can see what you were trying to impart to the students about stories, imagination and life, and of course about plants, and you both did it with such passion. We were all very impressed with what years of dedication and hard work have achieved. Please forward greetings, too, to Joey-the-ha
THE Boojum and THE Brand 2008-09-14 01:59:00 The Idria collumnaris (Boojum) originates from the Winter rainfall area (coastal Northwestern part) of Baja California in Mexico (500 km South of USA along the Pacific). The environment is simular to that of the major part of the Western Cape (except Cape Town and direct surrounds). Our seeds were sourced at Cactus Plaza in Holland and B+T in France and virtually all germinated!!!In June we plante Read more:Brand
SA Planthangers nominated for prestigious Dutch design award 2008-09-05 02:59:00 The Soekershof Planthangers are nominated
for the prestigious Dutch
Toon van Tuijl Design Award.We don't expect to win the award but the planthangers are now in the (international) picture.Until so far the planthangers are only sold in our nursery and via mailorder but in the near future we also expect to export them.Another new product is the laminated wooden seedbox with embedded cotyledon. We Read more:design
Quality of Life in Robertson 2008-09-01 02:11:00 The Robertson
Wine Valley attracts most of its visitors because of 'free wine tasting'.But there is more to it.The article is in Afrikaans and if you respond fast you can even win a cactus seedpack.And for the best accommodation in the area look into the useful link section of this website.
Read more:Quality
A succulent online shop in the making 2008-08-24 02:42:00 South Africans are not really online
buyers and an online shop in South Africa which targets the international market has some barriers to overcome. The most important one is that the international standard and most widely used online pay method PayPal is not allowed in South Africa thus disadvantaging South African businesses to retail in a globally growing market. Another disadvantage are the ex Read more:making
Dutch Television in South Africa 2008-08-21 02:56:00 This week a Dutch
TV-crew has been guests at Fraai Uitzicht nearby but their work was here at Soekershof.Numerous shots have been made in the gardens and maze and that all will be compiled in a program that will be broadcasted worldwide (satellite) in November of this year.Auke Jager and Karin van den Bogaert of BVN prepared themselves thoroughly before travelling to SouthAfrica
. Interviews with Read more:South Africa
, Television
A Danish impression 2008-08-15 00:58:00 Last year July a representive of the Copenhagen Botanical Garden visited us. On his private site he published quite a few pictures. It is his impression. And since we are overwhelmed with requests of more pictures of our gardens ........See this.Look also into the slide show for more detailed photo's. Photo: Winter in Robertson; flowering aloes catching the eye in the Soekershof gardens.
Read more:Danish
Lost but can you find it? 2008-08-11 03:56:00 Known for its (free) wine tasting but less known for its 'Quality of Life': Robertson in the Western Cape. A review.And a good wine goes along with Quality of Life.Discover the farmer who can tell you an intriguing story about an incident, long-long ago, in The Netherlands which influenced the South African history a few hundred years later. Discover the best places to stay in Robertson, the local
Going Green with Agave 2008-08-09 08:56:00 Just read an interesting story.If the provided figures are right it could be an idea for areas in South Africa with a simular environment. Parts of the (Little) Karoo for example. And one does not need much expertise to grow Agave. According to the article the mass cultivation of Agaves serves two purposes: production of ethanol and feedstock for animals. The yield of ethanol per hectare is far ab Read more:Going
, Going Green
, Green
THE Benchmark 2008-08-01 02:09:00 Every now and than a true gardener wants to sit in his/her garden and enjoy the fruits of labour. As our gardeners and (almost) all our customers/guests are extraordinary people they need furniture with an own signature. And it could also be handy if the furniture fits in the car or can be mail ordered. Well; here is the solution: locally grown, harvested and processed pine wood handcrafted by loc Read more:Benchmark
Diversity in a row 2008-07-11 09:59:00 It's easy to have acres full with the same plants and tell people that that is a succulent garden. And really; some people believe it.We prefer diversity in a garden and every path, every corner or from whatever angle visitors look; there are always surprises.From a gardening point of view it means an awful (and awesome) lot of work for every individual specie needs its own special care. We've got Read more:Diversity
Invitation for Capetonians 2008-07-08 02:58:00 Next week (Wednesday 16 July 2PM) we have a presentation at Rondevlei Nature Reserve near Cape Town and you are invited.This presentation is part of an Eco- and Nature Workshop organised by Cape Town Tourism.Eco- and Nature Tourism sounds 'dull' but it is not. Here in Robertson we proof that it is fun.Soekershof is one of the 18 tourism businesses in the Western Cape with such a presentation. The Read more:Invitation
Shooting Klaas Voogds 2008-07-03 06:35:00 It took a while but finally Rooms for Africa launched the video about the Klaas
Voogds Valley.See here to view an impression. The Klaas Voogds Valley does not only offer the visitors Soekershof but also two of the best restaurants, a game drive (indigenous game), wellness centre and a few extraordinary wine cellars. See for yourself. On the same page also a link to a shorter video of Robertson
Jol in Maze with incentive 2008-06-27 09:38:00 For the readers of iJol we organise special Jol in Maze events every first Sunday of the month. Plus a special Christmas Jol December 25.The first is the sixt of July; there after August 3; September 7; October 5; November 2 and December 7.The announcements are already made and for the readers/members of iJol who bring a print out of the announcement with him/her we have a special surprise or nam
We rock in Robertson 2008-06-26 09:26:00 Slowly the new rockery at the entrance is getting shape. John Neal (L) and Jonathan do it rock after rock.And yes; there are supliers and service providers who can organise. Our new sign came Just In Time (JIT) and was erected within a jiffy.We can dearly recommend Lotz Signs in Swellendam. The poles are 3 metres above the ground and the sign itself measures 150 cm long and 110 cm high.
Read more:Robertson
Quality of Life in Robertson 2008-06-23 03:25:00 In May last year we published in this blog a listing of all things to do in the Robertson
Wine Valley.Still this is one of the most viewed pages of this blog. The Robertson Wine Valley has more to offer than 'Lifestyle', we explained yesterday a group of 30 journalists from India. The group visit was organised by the Boland Districts Municipality. In our introduction of this wonderful valley we em Read more:Quality
Our cactus labyrinth and the labyrinth mother 2008-06-18 15:14:00 At the entrance of the Klaas Voogds Maze (largest and "most unusual" maze in the world) we created a classical 5-circuit labyrinth of home grown Echinocactus grussonii (Golden Barrel Cactus or 'Mothers in Law Cushion'): And here is the mother
of the labyrinth:
Brand new website up and running 2008-06-17 23:17:00 At last; after several announcements the new website
is online. Some of the photo's have to be replaced/exchanged/added/etc. and in the useful links section we forgot to mention Goedemoed Guesthouse (sorry Celeste) and the South African Gardeners Forum (sorry Dries) but during the next few weeks these ommissions will be corrected.The new website is part of our new 'branding communications'. In th Read more:Brand
, running
Xenophobic issue 2008-06-04 00:36:00 "I’m really sorry, but we have to postpone our educational. Problem, concerning the xenophobic issue
s at the moment, several of our agents have asked if we can rather run it later in the year – September/October...........".This quote is from an e-mail we received yesterday evening from one of the larger inbound tour operators in SA who had organised an educational for 12 decision making repre
A Desert Fish and The Tourism Queen of the Western Cape 2008-05-27 02:53:00 A day out of Robertson is always refreshing but yesterday was a special day.It was four years ago since we've last been in Barrydale (passing by a lot) and things have changed significantly over there. What a Vibe!!!We knew already the labyrinth of Frazer; Ronnies Sexshop and the Warmwaterberg, all 20 km towards Ladysmith. Inside Barrydale however there is Life nowadays. We went to the artists of Read more:Desert
, Queen
, Tourism
, Western
A farmer makes a plan but a 'Hotnot' ........ 2008-10-24 09:27:00 Since recently we have a very communicative staffmember; she loves metamorphoses; a bit philosophy and 'wisdom of the land'.Afrikaner people have the expression: "Een boer maak een plan" ("a farmermakes
a plan"). "But what they don't tell", says Nathalie, "is that the Hotnot has a plan".Photo (during works on French succulent Garden): Soekershof staff jolling French garden designer Eulalie Baude
Exclusive shopping in Robertson 2008-10-21 02:42:00 Soekershof Design and exclusively made by local crafts preople from less priviliged communities in the Robertson
Wine Valley. There is more than (free) wine (tasting) in Robertson; there is Soekershof!!!Just a selection of products as displayed in the Visitors Center. Prices vary from around R 30.00 for beaded (real glass beads) keyring and R 20.00 for a plant hanger to R 3500.00 for a set garden Read more:Exclusive
Mazes around the world 2008-10-14 00:02:00 South Africa can be proud! The country is mentioned in a positive way in a book about Mazes and Labyrinths. "Mazes around the world" is written by Mary D. Lankford (illustrations: Karen Dugan) and designated for educational purposes.And you can order the book here. The author is from Austin, Texas and our first contact dates back a few years. Two of the thirtytwo pages are dedicated to the Klaas
First South African cruise missile and more 2008-10-13 05:24:00 ('Tag' a celebrity in a blog and get the hits (1200+ in 20 hrs for 007). Our marketing is primary Internet related; combined with word of mouth and media exposure. It brings us more than 80 percent of the visitors (around 20 percent solely on account of Internet).In the near future there will be targeted media exposure in a wide variety of media; from gardening and inflight magazines to radio and Read more:African
, First
, South
Internet Movie Klaas Voogds 2008-10-12 04:43:00 Rooms for Africa has done some shooting around here and the result is There.Featuring two of the best restaurants in the Western Cape, a game reserve (with indigenous game) and, of course, one of SA's most unconventional attractions; Soekershof, Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa.It's all a brief impression and recommended is to visit the Klaas
Voogds Valley in person. You don't Read more:Internet
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