Bringing back the beauty of the Johannesburg Botanical Garden’s roses

Even under the cloudy skies, it was a bloomingly beautiful sight when the collaborative efforts of the Gold Reef Rose Society and Ludwig’s Roses Egoli saw 160 donated roses get planted at Johannesburg Botanical Gardens.

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To plant, the Ludwig team brought a type of shrub rose, called Panarosas, at the gardens terrace six. These grow between 2 to 3m high, and 2 to 3m wide, with flowers on every cane. The work was done under the Let’s Make it Bloom Again project, which saw community members donate four pre-selected roses, plus a bag of planting mix. The Ludwig team, along with community members who stopped by to assist with the planting, were led by Ludwig’s Yvette Bezuidenhout, who eyeballed where the best spot within the flower bed would be to place the roses. She explained that roses take about two years to fully grow.

Also read: Garden Day sees trees and vegetable patch planted at Marang House

In 10 months, this project has seen the planting of 2 000 roses, but the hope is to get just as many, if not more, in months to come, seeing that, years ago, the gardens is said to have had close to 10 000 roses. For Bezuidenhout, it is the nostalgia of what the garden was that she hopes to see come back again. When wedding photos were taken at the venue, based on its sheer beauty. Coupled with this, is the need for it to be a space in Johannesburg where people visit often, as it showcases its natural charm.

You can contribute to the beauty of the gardens by donating roses bought at Ludwig’s Roses Egoli.

Details: Gold Reef Rose Society, Barbara 083 985 8632.

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