Cape Town - The charity open garden season has arrived, and 46 gardens will be open to the public to raise money for charities and communities from Wellington to Constantia, and from Helderberg to Elgin.
* Twenty gardens situated in the Elgin, Bot River and Vyeboom region will be open over two weekends in November (November 1 & 2 andNovember 8 and 9, between 10am and 5pm.
* The Constantia Valley Garden Club, in conjunction with The Constantiaberg Garden Club and Flourish Garden Club, will open five gardens (November 14 from 2pm to 5.30pm, and November 15 from 10am to 5pm) to raise funds for Abalimi Bezekhaya and Soil for Life.
* Helderberg Hospice’s Third Open Gardens Festival will take place over the weekend of November 15 and 16, and will include a range of gardens in the Somerset West area. Eleven gardens were opened to raise funds for the Helderberg Hospice last year, and a similar number is expected this year.
Franschhoek Festival:
One of the highlights of the charity season will be the launch of 10 open gardens in the Franschhoek Valley on Friday October 31 at 11am.
The open gardens of Franschhoek were originally established as a small, local fundraising event in the early 2000s, with four or five gardens opened on a single afternoon. By 2008, the charity fundraiser had expanded to 10 open gardens opened over a weekend.
In 2009, the Franschhoek Festival was launched, making the Town Hall lawns the epicentre of a weekend of champagne and tea gardens, live music, a plant sale and fresh produce stalls.
In 2010, the Franschhoek Garden Festival was placed under the wing of the ladies of the Lions Club of Franschhoek.
This year, the open gardens and plant sale will be managed by 150 volunteers and remains a community fundraising event . A highlight of this year’s event is the inaugural pot planting competition. Twenty pots will be planted up by gardeners from surrounding townships.
The pots will be displayed at the Plant Sale area and three prizes will be awarded for best combination of plants and colour.
Ten of the best:
This year, the village will open the gardens at La Brie, Kleinhof, Montpellier and Bergsig. New to the festival this year will be three town gardens, and the private rose garden at La Motte.
What will you find in the 10 open gardens in Franschhoek?
* Montpellier: Jacqueline Crewe-Brown’s garden uses indigenous plant material on a rocky, inhospitable soil, with a sloping mountain as a backdrop. Upper Waterfall, Franschhoek, 5km past Bridge House School.
* La Motte: Participating in the festival for the first time, Hanneli Rupert’s old-fashioned rose garden, planted in a classic and formal style, offers a gloriously romantic ambience among La Motte’s historic buildings. R45, just outside Franschhoek.
* Aliki Starke’s glorius garden has mixed flower beds, secret corners, a shady tree-lined entrance and blue and white ceramic water feature. Where is it? 7 Haumann Street, Franschhoek.
* Artemis House: Andrea Desmond-Smith’s wild, indigenous garden includes a labyrinth, ponds, sculptures and vibrant colour. Elements of surprise are everywhere. Superb kitchen garden. 37 Uitkyk Street, Franschhoek.
* Garden House: Annette Phillips’s pretty terraced Victorian garden includes a giant camphor tree. Terraces are filled with pink and white plantings. 29 De Wet Street, Franschhoek.
* Barbara and John Gardner’s garden is divided into rooms framed by arches, shrubs and flower-filled beds. Superb container plantings and hanging baskets. 2 Anne Marie Avenue, Franschhoek.
* Kleinhof: Jacques Botha’s garden includes a rose-covered arbour, herbaceous borders and a potager garden with a fountain. 33 van Wijk Street, Franschhoek.
* Carl and Sonia Atkinson’s garden includes a rose-covered wrought iron walkway, shady borders, a herb garden and water feature. 36 Cabrière Street, Franschhoek.
* Bergsig: Martina de Necker’s large farm garden includes colourful flower beds, majestic old trees, shady nooks and garden art. Green Valley Road, off Excelsior Road.
* La Brie: Jane Landau’s garden surrounds an historic Old Cape Dutch home built between 1689 and 1789. See wide shady borders, rose-covered archways, a potager garden and lily-covered lake. Tea and scones: R20. Robertsvlei Road.
* Plan a visit to see 10 glorious open gardens in Franschhoek. Open from 11am on Friday 31 October . Also November 1 and 2, 9am-5pm. Tickets (R100) and maps available in front of the Town Hall. Contact Franschhoek Info on 021 876 2861/3603 or [email protected]
Kay Montgomery, Weekend Argus