Gardens of the Golden City

Beautiful gardens for a better world

Enquiries: Barbara 082 330 3767 or Margreet 072 400 1559

www.gardensofthegoldencity.co.za

Melcrest Wildlife Garden – 115 5th Avenue, Melville

Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 September

Situated on a rocky ridge, this small garden takes its shape from the rock formations. This is a wildlife garden, purposefully planted and maintained to provide habitat for pollinators and to encourage garden wildlife. Terraces with meandering rock paths allow visitors to get close to the plant and insect life. The back garden is mainly indigenous, herbal or edible, while the front garden includes nectar and pollen-rich exotic flowering plants. The garden includes a vegetable garden and is home to a few bee hives and some chickens. There are numerous stairs, please wear sensible shoes.

Directions: 5th Avenue is on a one-way street with access via 10th Street. Cross the Bridge on Carlow Road into Melville and travel past the Bamboo Centre. Turn left into 4th Avenue and left into 10th Street.
Times: 9:30 – 16:30
Tickets: R80 entry for both Melville Gardens, children under 12 free

• Plant sales
• Food and drink

115A, 1st Avenue, Melville – Jeanette McKeown

This compact, winding garden had good bones but after years of neglect it has finally been brought back to life. It’s now a haven for birds, bulbs and gnomes, making the most out of every little corner. It’s a garden to visit if you want to bring a lot of heart to your garden, no matter the size.

Directions: From Empire Road, proceed right into Menton Road. Travel North to the T-Junction and turn left into Landau Terrace. Proceed west and turn right into Hurley Road. At the traffic circle at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Hurley Road look for the white house at 115A, 1st Avenue.
Times: 9:30 – 16:30
Tickets: R80 entry for both Melville Gardens, children under 12 free

• Plant sales
• Wheelchair access
• Food and drink

A Blooming Affair Garden and Craft Market Day – Roedean School, Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown

Saturday 7 October

Roedean School has a truly magnificent garden of botanical interest, which intertwines with the school’s 120-year history. The Herbert Baker buildings are complemented by beds filled with a great variety of plants, indigenous and exotic, with roses aplenty. The Anne Lorentz Peace Garden is an indigenous water garden at the start of the Roedean koppie walk. This annual one-day event includes a craft market, food stalls, tea and ‘champagne’ gardens.

Times: 9:00 – 16:00
Entrance: R75 per person. Cashless event. Credit card, debit card and Zapper payments accepted.

• Plant sales
• Food and drink

Northwards 21 Rockridge Road, Parktown

Saturday 21 – Sunday 22 October

This historic Parktown Randlord mansion was built by the famed Herbert Baker and was once the home of the John Dale Lace and his flamboyant wife José who, it is said, used to ride around in Jo’burg in a carriage pulled by zebras. Neil Viljoen will give guided tours inside the house and tell you about the house and its people at 11:00 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. As one enters, there is a small koppie with indigenous plantings. The rest of the gardens were designed by Baker in a classic Italianate style modelled on Gertrude Jekyll’s ideas. The gardens are also remarkable for their fantastic view over the treed suburbs, when hundreds of jacaranda trees burst into bloom at this time of the year.

Directions: Enter through Wits Department of Education
Times: 9:30 – 16:30 Entrance: R50. Children under 12 free.
Tour by Neil Viljoen R40. No bookings required
Enquiries: Lynne 082 689 0930 or Pam 083 496 4746

• Limited access
• Food and drink

3 Chaplin Avenue, Randpark Ridge – Margie Visser

Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 October

A spacious garden with unexpected nooks, different levels and paths leading to a meditation maze. A garden filled with angels, birds and old-fashioned flowers offering a sense of nostalgic beauty and spiritual peace.

Directions: From Beyers Naudé Drive proceed north to the traffic light at Chaplin Avenue. Turn left into Chaplin, and through the boom at the end, turn left. At the first road turn left again and go around the block, back into Chaplin Avenue to access No 3 which is situated below the boom.
Times: 9:30 – 16:30
Entrance: R 80 for the two gardens, this one and the one following. Children under 12 years free.
Enquiries: Pam 083 496 4746 or Margreet 072 400 1559

• Art
• Wheelchair access
• Food and drink

20 Tureluur Avenue, Randpark Ridge – Karen Uitzinger

Like Margie, Karen’s garden is also lovingly tended with surprising corners featuring unusual succulents and art pieces, which she restores and creates herself. Pots of different heights, immaculate lawns and a backdrop of well-established trees create serenity and stillness in the city bustle.

Directions: From Beyers Naudé Drive proceed north to the traffic light at Chaplin Avenue. Turn left into Chaplin through the boom and turn right into Tureluur Avenue. No 20 is on the left-hand side.
Entrance: R 80 for the two gardens, this one and the one before. Children under 12 years free.
Enquiries: Pam 083 496 4746 or Margreet 072 400 1559

Burkleigh House – 327 Pine Avenue, Ferndale, Randburg

Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 November

This garden was cancelled last year, but luckily it will be open this year as it is a garden not to be missed. The beauty of formality is set against blossoming informality in this one-acre garden. There are shrubs aplenty, including roses, and it’s set amongst mature trees and lush lawns. In a corner is a delightful vegetable garden inhabited by bantam hens. A well designed, manicured garden.

Times: 9:30 – 16:30
Entrance: R50. Children under 12 are free.
No bookings required.
Enquiries: Jen Johnstone 082 404 0011 or Barbara 072 234 4120

The Sanctuary Garden – 51 Houghton Drive, Houghton

Sunday 15 October

POSTPONED

Please note this open garden has been postponed. Date to be announced at a later time.

The Sanctuary Gardens were created to stimulate healing and promote a sense of well-being. Designed by De La Harpe Landscapes, the brief was to renovate an old neglected garden and turn it into a peaceful and healing setting for two medical practices. The garden has a formal layout and the symmetrical features to create harmony. The planting is a mix of formal hedging and loose planting in the stone terraced beds, as well as a fusion of indigenous and exotic planting. Thoughtfully positioned benches create moments for reflection and on a warm day the garden is alive with birds, butterflies and bees. The incorporation of water features adds to the feeling of peace and wellness in this garden.

Times: 9:30 – 16:30 Entry: R50

• Wheelchair access
• Food and drink