Cape Town - When that intrepid 18th-century traveller Lady Anne Barnard planned a journey into the Overberg, she was led to believe that “when she got to the other side of the Hottentot Kloof, a new country would open upon me, so fertile, so many houses!” and, to cap it all, “the face of nature so bespangled with flowers that I should be delighted with it!”
But after a gruelling ascent, the reward was to be a sight of rocks piled up like tombstones, a near impassable and dangerous river, and a deserted landscape of “hillock upon hillock” where the only sign of civilisation was a hovel with a gin-soaked landlord.
Clearly the teller of the tale, she grumbled, had never been “over bergh” himself.
For years branded as snake and hippopotamus country, no good for wheat or any kind of cultivation, it took a leap of faith in the early 20th century to see the possibilities of the Elgin valley. With its cool climate, its high rainfall, and its acid clay soils, it turned out to be perfect for fruit such as peaches, plums, apples and pears to feed a fruit-starved, wintry Europe.
Another leap of faith at the end of the century saw that the nature of the landscape might make it good for wine too. The hillocky valley floor so despairingly described by Lady Anne gives rise to a multitude of different sites with different microclimates, among them the most highly prized, the cool south-facing slope, where whites can slowly develop their complex flavours without interference.
Where fruit and vines flourish, so do gardens. The south-easters that sweep up from the coast frequently bring rain or drizzle in summer, while in winter the water gushing off the mountains fills the dams. Roses thrive in the clay, and even the sandy soils produce a long-lasting riot of colour. It’s fast becoming nursery territory too, with specialist maple, rose, rhododendron and perennial nurseries leading the way.
For the last decade or so the dedicated gardeners of Elgin, Vyeboom and Bot River have held open days to raise funds for charity. There are 21 of them this year, and their gardens are all very different.
The organiser of the event, Barbara Knox-Shaw, describes them. “There are tiny cottage gardens where every bit of space is precious, such as Heideland and Goedvertrouw; we also have large rambling country gardens, such as Lavenham, and Lorraine, an entirely organic garden with a waterfall in a dramatic setting.
“There are gardens attached to nurseries; these include Houw Hoek Outspan, where the garden began as a way of supplying the nursery and has taken on a colourful life of its own; Fairholme, with its 100m pergola and beautifully designed and maintained borders; Heaven Scent, an interesting working cutflower garden, and Keurbos, which reflects all the various passions of its gardener, including camellias, roses, maples, rhododendrons, and birds!
“Then there are the wine estates such as Belfield, where the vineyards and garden merge; Almenkerk with its very modern garden entirely in keeping with its interesting new architecture; Iona, famous for its cool vineyards that flourish where apples used to struggle; South Hill, a modern garden people with sculptures, and Beaumont, one of the oldest and most historic cellars in the Overberg.
“Another interesting garden is Wildekrans, where the garden creates a dramatic backdrop to a spectacular installation by the land artist Strijdom van der Merwe.
“The well-known Fresh Woods and Auldearn, a beautiful and dramatic garden high up on a hill, will also be open; also Palmiet River, a beautiful garden landscaped with stone terraces, and Boesmansrug, with its charming secret garden hidden from all eyes,” she says.
“And we have two new gardens this year: Kromme Rivier, the site of one of the oldest farms in the district, and Basterskloof in Bot River, where the owner began with a collection of indigenous trees from Kruger National Park.”
A new country, so fertile, so many gardens, bespangled with flowers … it may have taken two centuries, but Lady Anne Barnard’s informant wasn’t far wrong after all.
l Twenty one gardens will open under the Elgin Open Gardens scheme on November 2,3, 10 and 11. See www.elginopengardens.co.za Call 021 844 0154, or 078 021 2101. Seventeen wine estates will also be open as part of the Elegantly Elgin Open Wine Weekends. See www.elginwine.co.za Call 082 566 6877. For Elgin valley tourism, call 021 848 9838, or see www.elginvalley.co.za - Cape Times
VENUES
Almenkerk - landscaped winery garden 021 848 9844
Auldearn - plantswoman’s hilltop garden, indigenous & exotic 021 849 8762
Basterskloof - established country garden with indigenous trees 021 2002603
Beaumont Wines - free-flowing country garden of historic house 028 284 9194
Belfield - informal leafy garden open to the vineyards 082 575 1849
Boesmansrug - secret garden, rose garden, ancient oaks on historic estate
Fairholme - large multi-faceted garden with a 100m long border 082 550 8703
Fresh Woods - rambling romantic garden; roses, deutzias, rhododendrons, maples 078 021 2101
Goedvertrouw - charming cottage garden 028 284 9769
Heaven Scent - working cutflower garden, aesthetically designed 082 412 9352
Heideland - waterwise garden in an orchard 083 658 2213
Houw Hoek Outspan - colourful nurseryman’s garden 082 740 3590
Iona - newly designed garden of Herbert Baker homestead 079 904 7515
Keurbos - indigenous bird garden with heritage roses, vireya rhododendrons 083 458 3790
Kromme Rivier - large colourful park-like garden 082 434 6966
Lavenham - picturesque cottage garden 021 848 9060
Lorraine - organic garden in idyllic setting 021 849 8663
Oak Valley Flowers - greenhouse tours 076 784 8911
Palmiet River - older Elgin garden; mixed borders, terraces 082 418 9439
South Hill - contemporary landscaped indigenous garden 082 774 1101
Wildekrans Country House - rambling country garden of 1811 homestead 028 284 9827.