Kloof Conservancy prepares for Open Gardens

THE planning for the Kloof Conservancy Indigenous Open Gardens is well underway, and the organisation has secured some outstanding gardens for the show, which is set to take place on the weekend of March 25/26.

It will feature some new gardens as well as a crowd favourite – Tanya Visser’s garden in Assagay.

“We are delighted to be able to feature three new gardens at Stoneford Country Estate, including an extensive wetland area. The estate has been designed to offer the quintessential country experience with superior architecturally designed homes. While the gardens are all relatively new, the owners have invested heavily in creating exciting gardens that blend into the natural surrounds,” said Kloof Conservancy chairman Paolo Candotti.

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For those who are sceptical about indigenous planting and colour, Candotti mentioned that they have almost all the colours imaginable at one of the gardens, and a more traditional grassland and plectranthus garden is available to see at another garden.

The show will run from 09:00 to 16:00 each day, and the entry fee will be R30 per person per garden for three gardens and a single-entry fee of R75 to enter the Stoneford Estate and view the other three gardens.

“As usual, the show will include the presence of environmental NGOs and craftsmen and nurseries, as well as plant experts and the ever-popular Nature Facts Treasure Hunt for children. We will be updating our website with more details as we finalise the finer points of the show, but in the meantime, book the date,” said Candotti.

He said the Kloof Conservancy Indigenous Gardens Show has two primary objectives: To showcase indigenous gardens and to inspire all visitors/homeowners to plant more indigenous species.

“By doing so, we increase and protect the valuable biodiversity of the area. The second objective is to raise funds for Kloof Conservancy environmental projects which cover not only the Kloof area but neighbouring areas in the Upper Highway as well as Molweni.

“We have selected a late summer weekend as a change from recent years when we featured mainly winter gardens. As usual, we also hope to include other environmental organisations which have similar goals to ours so that we can maximise the impact we make,” he said.

The Highway Mail will feature more information about the gardens in the coming weeks.

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