Cooperation project between Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens and the Munich Botanical Garden

The cooperation project between the Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens in Lesotho and the Munich Botanical Garden began in 2005 with an exchange of gardeners between the two gardens, supported by the Loki Schmidt Foundation.

Jennifer Wainwright-Klein, a gardener from Munich, worked in the Katse Botanical Gardens for four weeks in January 2005, and in March/April of the same year, Bongani Ntloko, a gardener from Katse, worked in the Botanical Garden in Munich. The project's primary aim was to support the transfer of horticultural knowledge between the two Gardens.

In February 2007, the cooperation project was taken to a new level through a second visit by Munich gardeners to Katse during which an agreement was signed to exchange seeds. The Munich team for this second visit consisted of the gardeners Jennifer Wainwright-Klein and Andreas Stadlmayr, and one of the Garden's curators, Dr. Andreas Gröger. So far, the cooperation has brought the following results to both partners:

• Publication of a joint seed catalogue (Index Seminum 2006 and 2007)
• Labelling of the medicinal plant area in Katse undertaken by the Munich team
• Enlargement of the southern hemisphere alpine collection in Munich and on the Schachen alpine garden
• Assistance to the Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens in the planning and lay-out of newly planted areas
• Joint field excursions to broaden knowledge of plants in their natural habitats

Generous support, both financial and logistic, was given by the Foundation for International Horticulturist Exchange (Hamburg), Friends of the Munich Botanical Garden, and the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority.

Images

Propagation area of Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens


Medicinal plant section in Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens


Field excursion in the Maloti Mountains