Spring is in the air

The annual Garden World Spring Festival, taking place from 27 July to 2 September in Muldersdrift, is one of the highlights on the gardening calendar in Gauteng. Expect beautiful show gardens, workshops and talks to inspire any gardener.

The theme this year is “A sense of place”, and the designers of the 17 gardens on show are being challenged to create gardens with an emphasis on atmosphere and personal style. Several of last year’s gold-medal winners are participating, but Platteland is particularly excited about the winner of last year’s People’s Choice Award, Lizette Nieman from Strylitzia Landscaping, who returns with a magnificent food garden she calls “Food for thought” (illustrated above). Here, she combines year-round, winter and summer vegetables with annuals and perennials and fragrant roses – we can’t wait to see it in real life. Other highlights are gardens by Rand Water and Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden (SANBI), a high tea, a talk by Sandy Roberts from the Margaret Roberts Herbal Centre, and beauty sessions with Hannon Bothma of Glam Guru fame. (Hannon will only be beautifying people, not any of the gardens. – Eds.)