Letters

Dear Editor,

in January my wife and I were fortunate to make an all too short journey between Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa, including the northeast corner of Lesotho. The range of vegetation throughout was immense and exciting, but I write to recommend to visitors the Durban Botanical Garden. Whilst not huge, being based on the 50 acres purchased in the mid 1800s, here is a superb collection of plants, especially palms and cycads.
A booklet entitled The Palm Collection of the Durban Botanic Gardens (Ann Lamberk R.40) is a good introduction. The chapter on cultivation is very informative. One aspect noted is that the recent advice to plant our palms deeply is contradicted: "Palms do not like to be sunk deeply into the ground or have soil piled up around the stem". Perhaps other local cultivation parameters influence this advice?
One of the many palms to attract attention was the native Lala palm, Hyphaene coriacea (syn. H. natalensis), seen in the wild and in the Garden. It is said that they can withstand —5°C (23°F) temperatures.
Best Wishes, Rob Senior, The Old Rectory, Green Lane, Marazion, Cornwall TR17 OHQ