City’s true flower colours on show

THE annual Cape Town Flower Show brings together different entities of the gardening culture in an artistic display of the Cape’s flora, providing a platform for the local horticultural industry to promote itself.

Running until Sunday after starting yesterday, the show takes place in the centre of Cape Town at the newly refurbished Castle of Good Hope.

The show is the inaugural event for the refurbishing of the Castle, which commemorates its 350th anniversary this year.

The event has 23 show gardens, the innovative handwork of South Africa’s top landscapers. More than 100 exhibitors will be giving demonstrations on the best horticultural products.

Show director Karey Evett said the event showcases a wide range of material, including beautiful spaces, vertical gardens, urban landscaping and permaculture, garden decorating and outdoor living solutions.

It gives

Destined to be a prime event on festival calendar

a platform for gardening, planting trends and designs for outdoor living, and unites notions of beauty, sanctuary and sustainability, celebrating the local food, culture and community, she added.

Evett said her aim was to make the show the biggest and most prestigious flower and gardening exhibition in Africa, and continue its legacy of having one of the most unique floral kingdoms in the world.

Attendees have the opportunity of engaging in discussions with a team of experts about green issues and finding solutions to conservation matters, she added.

It also hosts daily workshops, informing the public on a myriad gardening-related subjects, including beekeeping, vegetable gardens and biodiversity, with numerous childfriendly demonstrations.

There will be cooking demonstrations for those looking for new ways to make food with vegetables from the garden.

Destined to become a prime event on Cape Town’s annual festival calendar, the goal is for the show to become an integral part of Cape Town positioning itself as a world-class destination, Evett said.

Entry for adults is R180 and R90 for children aged 10 to 17. Children under 10 years old enter free.

For seniors, a ticket costs R120 a person. Tickets can be purchased at Computicket and Shoprite/Checkers only.

The show will be open from 10am until 9pm.

LITTLE PARADISE: A leisurely stroll is called for around a variety of displays at the Castle of Good Hope – the best way to marvel in the different plants’ beauty. It is hoped the event will become South Africa’s leading flower show.

HOME TOUCH: A miniature Dutch-style garden on display at the Cape Town Flower Show. The event’s aim is to become a living legacy through which Cape Town can promote its natural beauty.