Cape Town - Ten magnificent gardens in Franschhoek will be open to the public next Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the 2015 Franschhoek Open Gardens.
Some old favourites return, with some breathtaking new gardens making their show debut.
What started as a small initiative to raise funds for a worthy cause has grown, over the past nine years, into an important event on the summer open garden scene. Cheryl Garrod, Fay Bently and Carol Dendy Young started the initiative with a handful of volunteers, a number which has swelled to over 120 helpers over the three show days.
All proceeds for the Franschhoek Open Gardens go to Fleur de Lis Home for the Aged. Organisers hope that this year’s event will boost the building fund to turn a wing at the home into a much-needed Alzheimer’s facility.
Gardens on show
There are five new gardens to view this year – Fransvliet, Le Domaine Charmant, Avenue Estate 14, The Stables and Grande Provence. The popular La Rive, closed last year due to construction, will again be open.
Visitors can enjoy wine tasting at Grande Provence, cake and tea at Fransvliet, and live music in four of the open gardens. Don’t miss the lively village market.
In 2014 show organisers introduced the successful “Garden in a Pot” competition, with outstanding displays produced by the entrants. This year another 20 enthusiastic gardeners will showcase their skills in container gardening and prizes will be awarded.
“We hope that visitors to the gardens will be uplifted by the beauty of nature and will enjoy and share the wonderful privilege it is to go behind the walls and fences that our gardeners have so generously ‘opened’ for us,” said Carol Dendy Young.
Elements of garden design
The bouquet of gardens selected for this year’s show are diverse in their plantings, design and size – from smaller cottage gardens to the vast vistas of the estate gardens. Open gardens like these provide garden enthusiasts with an opportunity to learn more about garden design, the use of colour, texture and space in an established garden.
In garden design various elements work together to turn a good garden into a great one. Form and structure can provide continuity in the garden or clearly define the various outdoor rooms.
Colour draws in the eye and is ever-changing with the seasons. Tall plants, climbers and other vertical structures provide another dimension in the garden, that of height. They can be used to create an eye-catching focal point, or provide an important function, like shade or privacy.
John and Carol Dendy Young’s garden at The Stables, a small cottage garden on show for the first time this year, is a perfect representation that even a small garden can be beautiful and manageable. A dynamic arch covered in a pink climbing rose “Blossom Magic” provides a splendid focal point when bursting with blooms.
In Joe and Trish Blyth’s Rehoboth garden you’ll find soft hues of white, green and silver. “Franschhoek can be very hot in the summer, so these colours bring a cool and relaxing touch to the home,” explained Trish.
At Cabriére Street, large pergolas covered with star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and Pandorea jasminoides “Lady Di” rise above the garden’s water feature. Karin du Plessis, designer of the garden, said: “The jasmine looks great even when not in flower. This is always an important consideration when choosing a climber for a focal point in the garden.”
At La Rive, a breathtaking garden with vibrant plantings, the use of arches and climbers create height and draw the eye upwards to the mountains.
How can you create vertical interest in your garden?
* Structures like arbours and pergolas provide privacy and shade in the garden and can be eye-catching when planted up with climbers.
l Combine two or three climbers for an impressive show. Choose species that flower in different seasons.
* Hardy climbers on a wooden trellis can make an effective windbreak in coastal gardens.
* Use climbers to block an unsightly view or soften the harsh lines of a garden wall.
* Use an archway to frame a view. Ensure that there is something interesting in the frame from both sides – a bench, ornament or colourful container.
* Frame a pathway with a rose-covered arch to create flow between two garden rooms.
* Tall hedges provide privacy and structure.
* A tree, carefully selected for its form and planted in the correct location, can be an exceptional showpiece in the garden, drawing the eye skywards.
* A tall garden statue, which compliments your home and garden design, can bring a touch of your own personality to the garden.
* An obelisk makes a wonderful frame for climbing vegetables.
Kay Montgomery, Weekend Argus