Search for true SA garden beauty
29 July 2004
The search for "beautiful, truly South African gardens" is truly on with the extension of the Pam Golding Properties Gardens of Pride competition from the Western Cape to Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
The 2004 competition - held in association with Mortgage SA, under the auspices of the National Botanical Institute (NBI) - aims to encourage South Africans to grow indigenous plants in their gardens and to use "water-wise" gardening techniques, as well as to stimulate pride in and appreciation of the environment.
There are two categories for private homeowners based on size of property, namely less than and larger than 500 square metres.
Prizes of plants and gardening products to the value of R18 000 will be awarded per region, and regional winners (in each category) will compete for the national title, putting themselves in line to win a trip to the 2005 Chelsea Flower Show, inclusive of
flights, accommodation and entrance to the show.
The closing date for entries is 30 September, with regional and national prize giving scheduled for November.
Homeowners will be judged according to garden design and layout, compatibility of the garden with the home, varied use of plants and sustainability of the garden, as well as maintenance of the garden, pest control and the application of water-wise techniques.
In the Western Cape and Gauteng, the competition includes a category for schools who are participants in the NBI's Outreach Greening Programme, which seeks to encourage gardening with indigenous plants as well as practical environmental awareness.
"We find an increasing interest among consumers not only in attractive gardens as a tranquil haven or as a leisure interest, but also as a means of improving the value of their homes", says Pam Golding Properties CE Andrew Golding. "There's also growing use of indigenous plants, particularly in the light
of the need to conserve water."
NBI CE Brian Huntley says that while the diversity of climates and indigenous plants in South Africa's different regions will pose a challenge for the judges in arriving at two national overall winners, each region brings its own unique appeal to the competition, and seasonal and regional differences will be taken into account.
"We also notice growing interest in and use of indigenous plants in the various regions, as well as a positive trend among property developers towards using indigenous plants in new projects", says Huntley.
Information on indigenous plants and water-wise gardening is available through NBI's Kirstenbosch (Cape Town), Walter Sisulu (Roodepoort), Pretoria and Natal (Pietermaritzburg) National Botanical Gardens - as well as on the NBI's plant information website PlantZAfrica.com.
During August, entrants may use the competition entry form as a free ticket to
any one of these botanical gardens.
For more information, and entry forms, visit the Gardens of Pride 2004 page on the National Botanical Institute or Pam Golding Properties websites.
Entry forms are also available at four botanical gardens mentioned above, as well as Pam Golding Properties offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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