Explore the stunning camellia flowers at Somerset West's wine estate

Visitors from as far as Namibia gathered at Vergelegen Wine Estate on Friday August 1 and Saturday August 2 to celebrate the exquisite pink, white, and red blooms of camellias.

The wine estate received the award for Africa’s only International Camellia Garden of Excellence in 2010.

It is one of only two International Camellia Society gardens in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of 39 in the world.

The estate is home to a collection of more than 1 000 camellia shrubs, some of which are several metres high. These date back to the 1920s when Sir Lionel Phillips and Lady Florence Phillips owned the Somerset West estate.

Horticulturists Richard Arm and Chris Randlehoff facilitated the tours over the weekend, sharing the history of the camellias and offering tips on their cultivation.

Camellias can be viewed at this wine estate from April through September. The Sasanqua camellias, which are more heat-and drought-tolerant, are the first to bloom. Japonicas, which prefer cooler conditions and shade, bloom later.

“Everyone finds a camellia they love,” said Mr Arm.

“Some flowers are small and delicate, others just show off, like the large, flamboyant reticulatas.”

He attributed the health of the estate's camellias to the acidic soil, shade from surrounding trees, and plentiful water from the farm dams, which enables the team to keep the subsurface soil moist during hot summers.

The wine estate is open to the public daily from 8:30am to 5pm at a cost of R20 per person,  R10 for pensioners and scholars; free for pensioners on Mondays.