October 2006 - Stellenberg Gardens, Kennilworth, Cape Town

What beautiful weather, and what beautiful gardens!

Sandy Ovenstone was a wonderful host to show us around her gardens at Stellenberg.

The manor house dating from the 1800's is a picturesque backdrop to the beautifully tended gardens at Stellenberg.

The white garden alongside the house is a wonderful mix of romantic perennials, the vegetable patch boasts a companiable mix of herbs, vegetables, sweet peas and foxgloves - and the hedges!? Ohh - the hedges! The hedges are kept clipped as straight as a die! (And clipped every 3 weeks!!!)

There is a garden designed by David Hicks, a marsh garden area and a wonderful formal garden packed full of roses and perennial favourites. And that's not even mentioning the blue garden by the swimming pool or the vineyard arch walkway garden..!

What a wonderful legacy - all to be found in the suburbs of Cape Town!

Thank you Sandy!

Contact details: Stellenberg Garden Club - Lorette - stellenberggardens@ovenstones.co.za or 021-761 2948.

October 2006 - Cellars Hohenort, Constantia, Cape Town

A hotel and gardens - on a grand scale!

The complex is laid out over 3.5 hectares of land - and little walkways lead you to differnt sections - everything from private (hotel appartment) gardens, to the herb garden and vegetable patch!

The water features, the pansies, the begonia "walk", the (golf) bunker garden - all well tended and looked after.

The rose garden in front of the Hohenort house was brimming with roses! And, well, the woodland garden has more than a few walks and pathways to explore!

We finally settled to have lunch on the terrace - and from the restaurant you can have a birds' eye view over the gardens themselves.

What a day - and inspiration to us all!