Once every few years in January or February, depending on the rainfall, the Sandhof lilies come into bloom. We were blessed this year to catch this fleeting flower show that only lasts a few days.
There are moments on Earth when conditions are perfectly aligned and everything is in sync for a rare and miraculous event to occur. When it does, against all odds, everyone pauses whatever they are doing and takes notice. The blooming of the Sandhof lilies is just such a wondrous time.
When there is sufficient rainfall - something that is never a given in the semi-arid land of Namibia - the Sandhof pan on the outskirts of Maltahöhe fills and thousands of lily bulbs stir underground after their long slumber, poking their heads from the soil, stretching and sending their verdant shoots into the day.
The ‘Crinum paludosum’ lilies (also known as ‘bushveld vlei lilies’) from the Amaryllidaceae family require 15-30 centimetres of water in the clay pan to complete their flamboyant lifecycle. Fast-growing, as if they are well aware that their watery home could fast dry out, it only takes five to seven days for the plants to grow and several more for the buds to appear and open, the flowers only lasting three to five days.
All eyes are on the pan at the beginning months of the year when thunderclouds gather dramatically in the sky and the first drops hit the thirsty earth. And the question on everyone’s lips is – will the Sandhof lilies bloom this year? Everyone in the vicinity watches the pan in anticipation and as soon as the first buds open, the word is out and spreads across Namibia like wildfire. Young and old start to make the pilgrimage to see the lilies from all corners of the country. Families and friends wade through the foliage posing for photos amid the flowers, children frolic among the blooms, couples embrace for those momentous photos. And people set up their folding chairs on the side of the pan, set to enjoy hours of sublime beauty. Everyone is aware that no backdrop in the world or any photo studio could ever match this exuberant display.
The Sandhof farm has been in the Morgan family for four generations. Every few years when the lilies carpet the pan that is approximately 750-hectares in size, their focus strays briefly from their sheep and Boer-goat stud to the flowers, and they generously open their farm gates to visitors. The profusion of pink and white flowers fills the massive pan with more flowers than the average person has ever seen in a lifetime – and, it simply takes your breath away.
In life, familiarity often makes us blasé, and spectacular moments like sunsets and sunrises often go unnoticed in our busy lives without receiving their due acknowledgement. That is until we enter the Sandhof farm and glimpse this short-lived display of Earth magnificence.
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