April 2025
Age-old growing techniques celebrated at the region’s annual chrysanthemum festival.
Tucked between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek and surrounded by rolling vineyards, long-established estates and majestic mountains, the tiny village of Pniël in the Dwarsrivier Valley harbours a colourful secret: a floral tradition that dates back to the early 1900s. More specifically, a love for chrysanthemums unmatched anywhere else in Africa.
Here, local growers, often without any formal horticultural education, pass their knowledge onto new generations of growers – in a uniquely local celebration of heritage, patience, and breathtaking blooms.
And the blooms on display at Pniël’s annual chrysanthemum festival, held each year at the beginning of May, are truly spectacular. Visitors to the festival are treated to a spectrum of colour, from buttery yellows to deep rusts, cheerful apricots, bold burgundies and the softest of pinks.
Interestingly, some varieties even have two-tone petals, but in general, it’s a chrysanthemum’s typical vibrant burst of colour that makes them so popular – gracing gardens, pots and hanging baskets across the world.
Alongside an impressive colour palette, there are also hundreds of different species and cultivars of chrysanthemums. As Richard Williams, treasurer and co-founder of the National Chrysanthemum Society of South Africa (NCSSA) explains, growers in the Western Cape used to predominantly plant old English cultivars, while today, with growers bringing in new flower varieties all the time, there is now a mix of English, Japanese, Chinese and even New Zealand cultivars.
This means visitors to this year’s festival can expect to be dazzled by a spectacular array of chrysanthemums in various shapes and sizes, from dramatic “spider” types with their feathery petals to elegant “anemones” and classic English varieties. And make no mistake, things get competitive.
“Although growers in the Western Cape have created a supportive and tight-knit community, we do treat the hobby as a serious and skilled artform,” says Williams. “Growing a prize-winning chrysanthemum requires years of experience, trial and error, knowledge of soil mineral content – and an understanding of the weather and its effects on the flower.”
At the festival, growers compete in various categories, including large, large reflex, incurve, spiders and anemones, with each category having its own specifications.
Making sure your flowers remain fresh for the judging is also a science, says Williams, and requires a cocktail of alum, bleach and sugar to ensure the flowers look their best on judging and show days. Each flower needs to be cut at 60 cm, show the health of the plant leaves, and be presented in a glass bottle. For entrants it can be a nerve-wracking experience – while visitors enjoy the sight of 450+ different chrysanthemums in all their glory.
“We do feel the nerves on the day,” says Williams. “Growing these plants is a commitment, as it takes nine months to grow a chrysanthemum from a cutting, and they only flower after seven months. We are patient, particular and passionate about our craft!”
For gardening enthusiasts, the festival offers an opportunity to meet these maestros – and the chance to purchase some prize-winning blooms. Beyond the flowers themselves, you’ll enjoy a true taste of community spirit with homemade delicacies from local kitchens, handcrafted goods, and a warm welcome that’s distinctly Dwarsrivier.
“If you haven’t spent much time in the Dwarsrivier Valley, now’s your chance,” says Annemie Liebenberg, Visit Stellenbosch CEO. “Make a day of it by combining your visit with lunch at one of the nearby wine estates and discover why this hidden gem of a festival continues to captivate visitors year after year”.
Side Bar | Event Details:
- What: The Dwarsrivier Valley Chrysanthemum Festival
- When: Saturday, 3 May 2025, from 09:00 onwards
- Where: Pniel Congregational Church Hall, Dwarsrivier Valley
- Highlights: Judging and awards ceremony, stunning displays, flowers for purchase, food stalls and local treats