Durban - Spring is a colourful season of celebration in Pietermaritzburg, with the gates of private properties being opened to the public for the annual Stihl Open Gardens – and this year 48 gardens are on show.
The concept was originated 25 years or so ago by the late Lorraine Kettley to encourage people to garden and to improve their surroundings. The Kettleys’ house in the city centre, Rosehurst, has subsequently been turned into a restaurant with several shops, each occupying a room in the old house.
The garden is magnificent, a reminder of a gentler age, where topiaries abound and roses cascade over walls. It continues to form part of the Stihl Open Gardens every year and attracts visitors from throughout the country.
Further afield, another heritage garden has opened its gates once again – Benvie, the inspiration of the late John Geekie, who, after buying land in Karkloof, imported hundreds of trees from around the world for a beautiful garden that is dependent on the misty climate to ensure its survival.
A driveway with azaleas and rhododendrons more than 3m high greets you on arrival and azalea mollis are in full bloom throughout.
This is a garden renowned for its wide selection of birds, and it is worth your while spending a day there exploring, so pack a picnic basket and take binoculars.
Another garden worth a day visit is that of Endebeni Forest, in Lidgetton Valley, with its flowering cherries, dogwoods and a field of snowdrops to wander through.
The garden changes week by week and offers magnificent views over a nearby waterfall.
There are gardens galore that will open their gates this spring, from Pietermaritzburg, Hilton and the Midlands to those in the Underberg and southern Drakensberg region, to Kokstad and East Griqualand.
All offer gardening enthusiasts the opportunity to meet the gardeners, who are more than happy to share their knowledge with visitors.
The majority of gardens merely require a donation, but for some there are specific entry fees.
The open garden season runs from mid-September to mid-November.
Contact Gail at [email protected] for an e-mailed programme, or you will be able to get one at any of the garden centres from Hillcrest through to the Midlands.
The Mercury