SANBI Head Office The SANBI Head Office is incorporated in the two buildings on Meintjies Kop in the centre of the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. Biodiversity Building This new building completed in 2004, houses the Biodiversity Programmes, Policy and Planning Directorate and the Working for Wetlands Programme. Herbarium The National Herbarium, housing over 1 million specimens, is situated in the middle of the Botanical Garden. Home of the Research Directorate of the SANBI, it is the centre of southern Africa's taxonomy and plant study.A Bookshop, dealing in scientific and popular SANBI publications, is also housed here, along with the Mary Gunn Library, which may be visited by appointment. The Bolusanthus speciosus avenue   This avenue is one of the glories of spring in the garden. Mr Jan Ehrens, the second curator of the Garden from 1952 to 1967, planted this avenue of tree wisterias ( Bolusanthus speciosus ) some years earlier, in 1946. The trees line a service road running parallel to Cussonia Avenue, east of the Garden entrance. These neat, gracious trees give a spectacular show in spring when they are covered in bunches of light purple flowers. Read more about Bolusanthus speciosa ...

Medicinal Garden

The Medicinal Garden was developed as such a theme garden around the delightfully colourful and interesting architecture and traditions of a local ethnic people, the nDebele. The garden is developed around a central hut which, according to nDebele tradition, represents the soul of the women of the house. The walls of the buildings have been painted in the traditional style by three talented nDebele ladies from the local community. Incorporated in the designs are stylized motifs of the SANBI (the strelitzia flower), the protea of the Botanical Society (a sponsor), and guinea-fowls, birds that are typical of this garden. The well labeled plantings represent plants commonly used by the traditional healers within the communities, and are grouped according to their general uses. Water features and ponds are an integral part of the design, and aid in the display of water-associated plants used by this group of people.

The Concert Stage area

The Concert Stage area dominates the main lawn near the Garden entrance and is large enough to accommodate up to 7000 people. Here visitors can enjoy the Garden Picnic Concerts, which run from May to September. A new design, depicting the natural surroundings in the Garden, has been painted on the back wall of the stage in 2004.
For more information on the Garden Picnic Concerts please see the What's On section.

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