Gina Switala

June 7, 2022

Landscape Architecture, Botanical, Food Garden, Historic Sites, Indigenous, Inspiration

Bosjes

Gina Switala

June 7, 2022

Landscape Architecture, Botanical, Food Garden, Historic Sites, Indigenous, Inspiration

Bosjes is a truly amazing farm with immense beauty and we spent a lovely morning exploring the gardens and being inspired by the diversity and beauty of the South African landscape.

Bosjes is a privately owned family farm situated in the Breedekloof Valley and surrounded by the picturesque Waaihoek and Slanghoek mountains. It produces olives, wine, grapes, peaches and proteas. The farm has several attractions including Bosjes kombuis, a contemporary restaurant with deli, tea garden and children’s play area as well as luxury accommodation and a Spa.

The Chapel

The chapel is the focal point of the farm and is a dramatic yet serene icon. The white organic shape of the curving roof floats like a dove with its curving wings merging with the blue flowing hills in the far distance. There is an inscription in the pathway leading to the entrance of the chapel that reads “How precious, O God, is Your constant love! We find protection under the shadow of Your wings” from Psalm 36:7.

The Gardens

The layout and landscape was designed by award winning landscape architecture firms and truly creates an experience of feeling part of the landscape. Every view and pause area throughout the gardens has been carefully considered and the journey through the beautiful fynbos brings one close to nature, feeling immersed in the landscape. The site has been designed so that views of the surrounding mountains are always part of the experience. You are constantly aware of, and in connection with, the immediate and greater landscape of the valley.

A meandering walk up a small mound leads you to a look out point and seating area where you can appreciate the length of the site as well as the surrounding views. A water feature where you can walk through two banks of cascading water allows for an immersive and poetic experience of ‘walking through water’ or spiritual baptism.

The gardens consist of a predominantly locally indigenous and endemic plant palette although several plants have been included for their Biblical reference and these have sign boards providing the verse in the Bible where they are mentioned.

Plants with a Biblical reference are sign posted with relevant scripture

There are several garden rooms to explore so make sure you allow enough time to fully enjoy this farm!

The Botha’s Halte Primary School

The Bosjes Trust was conceived by the owners as a tool for social investment. It was established with a vision to create employment and secure a future for the children of the valley. One of the projects, together with the Department of Education, includes the redevelopment of an adjoining school that one can see when entering at the main gate. (https://bosjes.co.za/care/)

We had a wonderful time exploring the gardens and appreciating the beauty of a well designed landscape and our South African culture, heritage and fauna.

See Bosjes Website for more information: https://bosjes.co.za/gardens/

Note that no outside food or pets are allowed onto the grounds.

Gina Switala

May 31, 2022

Botanical, Inspiration

Adene's Flower Farm

Gina Switala

May 31, 2022

Botanical, Inspiration

I first discovered Adene’s Flower Farm through Instagram where her stunning pictures of gigantic flowers made me wonder if these could possibly be real. Since we love beautiful and inspiring places we naturally included Adene’s Flower Farm in our itinerary.

About the Farm

The Flower Farm is situated on a farm called Platvlei Fruit Farm which is a family farm that was purchased by the Nieuwoudts in 1937. Adene Nieuwoudt, the driving force behind the business and beautiful face of the Instagram account, started the flower farm in 2016 after working as a photographer in the wedding industry. The farm has grown considerably over the past few years and is now 5 hectares in size and includes over 200 different varieties of flowers.

The Products

The Flower Farm is dedicated to producing high quality, beautiful and long lasting fresh cut flowers and foliage. They sell their produce (also seeds and tubers) directly to the public, through their website and at markets including the Oranjezicht Market at the Cape Town Waterfront every Saturday and Sunday. This year they will be exporting their Dahlia tubers to Chile, Namibia and Zambia.

Visiting the Farm

The Farm is open to the public for visits from the middle of December to the first week of April on Saturdays and Sundays. A small fee is payable upon entering and includes a map and packet of seeds to take home. There is a coffee shop that serves drinks and light beverages and seating areas under the Oak trees. The tunnels hold a variety of different plants and name boards with a QR code can be found at most flowers. The QR code on these boards can be scanned to link to the website where you can find more information about the flower or add it to your wishlist.

Coffee shop with seating below the Oak Trees

We enjoyed ambling our way through the tunnels bursting with colour and beauty.

For a botanical experience that any flower lover will appreciate a visit to this flower farm in Wolseley in the Cape is highly recommended. Adene is inspirational in her approach of running a business while still making time for her family and I must say that seeing the joy that this brings her it makes me even more certain that #plantsmakepeoplehappy :)

www.adeneflowers.co.za

Instagram @adeneflowers

Gina Switala

February 27, 2021

Art, Landscape Architecture, Urban, Education

Everard Read Art Gallery on Keyes Art Mile, Rosebank

Gina Switala

February 27, 2021

Art, Landscape Architecture, Urban, Education

The Everard Read Art Gallery is located on what is know as the ‘Keyes Art Mile’ and is surrounded be several other art destinations. The Circa Art Gallery is directly over the road, the building an artwork in itself, while the Goodman Gallery and Gallery MOMO are both a few kilometres away.

While driving down the one way street of Keyes Avenue it is hard to miss the Green Wall Façade on the right hand side as part of St Teresa’s School. Here is a link to an article written about this Project by Johan Wentzel from Wildflower Nursery who assisted in selecting the plant species, all of which are endemic (only locally found) to the Highveld. All species are found in the Egoli Granite Grassland Vegetation Type and would have been likely to be found in the area before the urban intervention of city development.

My visit also reminded me of the last botanical art exhibition I went to at this gallery (In May 2018) and I rediscovered the notes I took at one of the evening lectures I attended by Reinier Tereblanche on Butterflies. What stood out for me was the interdependence of butterflies and plants and reminded me again how important it is to plant indigenous and create gardens with diversity. Did you know there are 660 species of Butterfly in South Africa, second only to the tropics. This lecture was actually where I first heard about Tswalu Foundation.

As I love all things botanical I was keen to view the current botanical art exhibition by Gillian Condy. I had the privilege of seeing Gillian Condy in action when I did a botanical art course at The Cavern with Elsa Pooley which they run annually (See Post about The Cavern Here). Gillian is a renown botanical artist and she was appointed Artists in Residence (AiR) at the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve and made eight trips to the reserve over 14 months to illustrate the plants.

The exhibition is a beautiful reflection of the natural flora of the Tswalu reserve and really highlights the beauty, intricacy and marvel you can find in nature. It also reminded me that the Pangolin is one of the animals on the endangered list that few people know about. I remember growing up someone brought one in to my Dad’s veterinary practice and he called us to specially come see it. I don’t think I appreciated at the time what a rare event it was to see this animal.

The first time my friend and I tried to visit the gallery there was a production on in Circa which is where the botanical art is on display so we explored the Brett Murray exhibition in the Everard Read building, followed by a delicious coffee and croissant at L’Atelier Bakery. The second time we visited I brought my two kids along (3 and 6 yrs) and to make it more exciting for them I drew up a scavenger hunt with photos so that they had things to find and discover (attached at the end if you want to take your kids). We explored the galleries followed by another visit to L’Atelier Bakery for their amazing pastries. I will need to find another excuse to visit again!

I was very moved by the exhibition by John Meyer of iconic moments in Nelson Mandela’s life and think that those paintings are an incredible reminder of what an amazing leader he was and what he did for our country. I highly recommend you visit Circa over the next while, not only to see the beautiful botanical artworks but also the stunning images of Nelson Mandela by John Meyer.

https://lifeofmandela.com/about-the-collection/

Sprout Conference 2019

Gina Switala

June 28, 2019

Art, Conference, Inspiration

In the first week of June Carien Momsen from Pureline Interior Design joined me for the #SproutConference2019 to Cape Town. It was a lightning trip packed to the brim with experiences that included art, culture, beautiful landscapes, delicious food and even time with good friends.

Our first site visit was the breathtaking Dylan Lewis Sculpture garden in Stellenbosch. A truly memorable experience that really showcases how the landscape can be a sculptural element in itself. Dylan Lewis laid the paths out over many years with great attention to detail and the recommended visitors walk allows one to appreciate the sculptures in a dynamic way from many perfectly planned angles. The planting is focused on indigenous plants, particularly fynbos, of which a large selection of unusual varieties have been sourced from Kirstenbosch. The landscape and amazing planting combinations really were a highlight of this trip!

Sculptures, water, mountains - a language of beauty and nature

Loved the lime green and striking red colours of these Chasmanthe

Our celebratory lunch was held at Tokara’s restaurant where wine and fine dining was a feast for the senses. We also enjoyed the Art on display including the enormous and intricately woven tapestry (two sections, each 2.2 high x 3.5m wide) by Sayed Mahmoud from Egypt. A different type of tapestry was the woven pathways of the gardens at Babylonstoren which we explored even though it started to rain!

Our second day of exploration and inspiration started with a visit to Truth Roastery and 117Kloof for coffee and croissants as well as the Company Gardens - always a treat to visit. I love watching how people interact with this space and the different activities that take place here. The entrance to the Gardens is dominated by a massive timber Arch installed as part of the Design Indaba 2018 to honour Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Our next stop was the impressive urban precinct known at the Silos at the V&A Waterfront, particularly the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Modern Contemporary Art) Art Gallery. The building feels like an artwork and has been crafted out of forty-two concrete columns, each 33 metres tall with a diameter of 5.5 metres. It was designed by London’s Heatherwick Studios and the central atrium space, polished concrete surfaces and layout of the building generates an awe-inspiring reaction.

Following our experience of the museum we had a quick delicious lunch at the restaurant on the top floor with a beautiful view over the harbour and then spent some time exploring the V&A Waterfront.

Our final site visit was the Norval Foundation in Tokai where we again saw beautiful artwork inside and outside the building. The sculpture park has beautiful indigenous planting combinations and although it was raining at this stage we still enjoyed our time here. We had a quick coffee break at Skotnes Restaurant before heading to the airport for our flight back to Johannesburg.

A huge thank you again to my amazing, incredible Executive PA for arranging this conference! It was a wonderful experience that filled us with inspiration for the year, hopefully until #SproutConference2020 :)

View of the Wetland running adjacent the Norval Foundation

Gina Switala

October 21, 2016

Parks & Playgrounds

De Hoop Nature Reserve

Gina Switala

October 21, 2016

Parks & Playgrounds

Earlier this year I visited beautiful De Hoop Nature Reserve. An information booklet can be bought at reception which details the activities, history, geography and wildlife found in the reserve. The Interpretive Marine Walk is a guided tour during low tide to discover the life of sea creatures in the intertidal zone and is highly recommended (see images below).

De Hoop Nature Reserve is home to more than 260 bird species as well as mammals such as the bontebok, Cape Zebra, smaller predators and various bat species. The De Hoop Vlei is a Ramsar site of international importance where aquatic birds and other organisms breed and feed without disturbance. The De Hoop Marine Reserve is also one of the world's most important calving grounds for the Southern Right Whale.

There is a wide range of eco-tourist activities available from bird-watching, game-viewing and hiking to photography and mountain-biking.