October in the Garden: Take a closer look

Botanical gardens are dynamic spaces where seasonal trends are embraced. October is a time when this is quite prevalent, as some plants are in full flower, while others are starting to enter their phase of summer dormancy. A browned shrub or a seemingly empty pot can easily be mistaken for neglect, but in reality is often a sign of the seasonal cycles of our plant collections.

This is particularly noticeable for Cape plant species. Adapted to grow and flower in the cooler, rainier winter months, they will naturally retreat into dormancy as the weather warms up and the rains retreat. For bulbous plants, for example, the visible parts of the plant may die back completely while the bulb remains underground until conditions are suitable for growth again. Our Cape bulb collections, including Oxalis, demonstrate just how closely many of our indigenous plants are tied to seasonal cycles.

So, if a part of the Garden looks less colourful when you visit, take a closer look. It may simply be between seasons. Dormancy is not the absence of growth, but an essential part of the plant’s life cycle and one of the adaptations that allows many plants to survive changing environmental conditions.

Garden Week in October provides an ideal opportunity to explore these seasonal changes. Instead of looking only for what is in flower, we invite you to take a closer look at the plants themselves. Notice new growth, fading flowers, different leaf forms and the places where plants may have retreated for the season.

Our botanical art collection so beautifully captures these transitions through observation and illustration, recording details of their form and structure that can easily be missed when we simply walk past them. Botanical art sits comfortably somewhere between science and art, and our collection offers a great opportunity to consider the plants in our living collections from a different perspective.

And while you are here, there is time to pause beyond the living collections too. The Botanical Café and Gift Shop form part of the Garden experience, and every Saturday, the weekly Market in the Garden brings local makers, food and visitors into the Garden – adding another layer to an already rich experience.

So, when you visit the Garden during Garden Week, and throughout the month, we challenge you to look a little more closely. The Garden is not only at its most interesting when it’s in full flower – sometimes, what is happening beneath the surface tells us just as much.