This spring, from 31 October to 9 November, Stellenbosch will transform into a showcase of garden-inspired creativity during the annual Garden Town celebration. From Open Gardens to floral art workshops, KARLA DE BOD highlights what to expect.
ORIGINALLY ENVISAGED as a tribute to the region’s horticultural legacy, Garden Town has matured into something far greater, reflects Annemie Liebenberg, chief executive officer of Visit Stellenbosch.
“To begin with, the goal was to create a platform that not only draws visitors, but also deepens appreciation for the rich natural, cultural and creative fabric of Stellenbosch,” she explains. “Today, that vision has matured into a compelling expression of Stellenbosch as a year-round, multi-day destination that offers an extraordinary variety of experiences, from horticulture and heritage to cuisine, design and art.”
Now a refined movement rooted in sustainability, storytelling and sensory wonder, Garden Town attracts local, national and international visitors.
CREATIVE COLLABORATION
The theme of this year’s Garden Town centres on unity found in creativity and collaboration. From curated show gardens to multidisciplinary events, this year landscape artists unite with chefs, florists with musicians, and designers with heritage custodians.
“The 2025 theme underscores our belief that creativity thrives in the community,” says Annemie. “This spirit of creative cross-pollination transforms the programme into something deeply experiential, while reinforcing Stellenbosch as a destination where innovation is grounded in tradition.”
The result? A botanical journey that spans manicured estates, historic homesteads, community gardens and contemporary urban oases. Each experience offers a glimpse into the soul of Stellenbosch and the passion of its people, she says.
OPEN GARDENS
The line-up of Open Gardens invites the public to explore well- known, larger gardens that showcase diverse landscapes.
BABYLONSTOREN
Recently awarded the 2024 Best of Wine Tourism Award for Architecture and Landscape, Babylonstoren remains a standout on the Garden Town programme. Visitors can explore one of the best-preserved historic farmyards in the Cape, where 17th-century Cape Dutch architecture is thoughtfully merged with contemporary design, says Marisa Beyers, head of media and communications at Babylonstoren.
“In spring, Babylonstoren celebrates the season of abundance with a garden that comes alive in both colour and scent. It’s also a time of growth in the orchards and vineyards, where the arrival of warmer weather signals a new season.”
Babylonstoren encourages guests to slow down, notice the small details and appreciate the garden’s ever-changing beauty, she says. “Whether it’s tasting something freshly picked from the garden or learning about an indigenous plant, the experience is meant to be both grounding and inspiring.”
Highlights include the prickly pear maze and the Puff Adder walkway, which hosts seasonal exhibitions. “Whether you’re on an official garden tour or not, the farm and garden offer ample opportunity to experience farm life in the Cape Winelands,” says Marisa. “Each corner reveals something new, making every visit a discovery.”
Highlights include the prickly pear maze and the Puff Adder walkway, which hosts seasonal exhibitions. “Whether you’re on an official garden tour or not, the farm and garden offer ample opportunity to experience farm life in the Cape Winelands,” says Marisa. “Each corner reveals something new, making every visit a discovery.”
DYLAN LEWIS SCULPTURE GARDEN
With more than 60 sculptures and 4km of paths, the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden is another must-visit Open Garden. Here, sculptures blur the boundaries between human, animal and elemental form, inviting viewers into a kind of psychological excavation, explains Gabby Vurgarellis, marketing manager at the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden.
“The garden was conceived as a space where the boundary between the wild and the cultivated dissolves, both externally and internally. The sculptures emerge organically from the landscape, positioned to resonate with the surrounding mountains, indigenous flora and changing light,” she says.
“The pathways through fynbos and thicket take visitors on a journey that mirrors inner exploration – revealing, confronting and ultimately integrating the ‘wilderness within’.”
The garden’s walking route is carefully designed to ensure that guests experience the garden’s full emotional and artistic impact. Over the years, Dylan Lewis has shaped these paths with meticulous attention to detail, thoughtfully considering every bend, elevation and contour of the land, adds Gabby.
“The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden has developed in a quiet, intuitive way. Not through rapid change or expansion, but through careful observation and thoughtful response to the land. The garden doesn’t follow conventional formats, but instead invites a slower, more personal experience.”
PRIVATE GARDENS
Garden Town’s line-up of Private Gardens offers an intimate glimpse into hidden horticultural gems that are often inaccessible to the public.
TOKARA
Apart from award-winning wines, Tokara boasts various landscapes adorned with artistic elements that create an immersive visitor experience. The Adamastor Moss Garden, cork oak forest and vegetable garden all keep eco-consciousness in mind.
Blending indigenous mosses, fynbos and hand-chiselled Paarl granite into a South African take on a Japanese-inspired landscape, the moss garden is a rare and contemplative space. But that’s not how it began.
“The moss garden was a tennis court we didn’t use and it bothered me for a long time,” says Anne-Marie Ferreira, co-owner of Tokara. “So when I met moss garden expert Gert van Tonder and he suggested creating a moss garden instead, I immediately knew that was what I wanted. Gert’s skill and knowledge is a source of wonder and to have seen it all taking shape over time gives me great joy.”
Strolling through Tokara’s gardens is more of an experience than a visit to a manicured garden, says Anne-Marie. Visitors are encouraged to walk around the estate for as long as they can, soaking up the panoramic view of the Simonsberg while surrounded by sculptures and natural spaces.
GOUWS SCULPTURE GARDEN
In 2010, the Gouws Sculpture Garden – once a 6 000m* featureless strawberry farm – was transformed into a town garden filled with visible and hidden treasures. Landscaper Henk Scholtz was tasked with creating something magical.
Contrasting straight lines and circular shapes within a formal layout had become Henk’s trademark and he transformed the garden into an inspiring landscape.
Planted with a focus on water-wise indigenous plants, the garden is designed with a circular motif that transforms awkward shapes into eye-pleasing features, creating a sense of order.
Alongside sculptures and pathways, visitors are led through indigenous grasses and succulents, ending in a serene fever tree forest.
The garden invites visitors to experience tranquillity as they meander through, appreciating its different textures and layers as a natural extension of the house.
WALKABOUTS AND WORKSHOPS
By hosting walkabout tours and art workshops, Garden Town creates a sense of interconnectedness, resulting in a festival that not only celebrates the aesthetic, but fuels the local economy, inspires shared ownership and sets a blueprint for creative collaboration in tourism development, says Annemie. “The partnerships forged here continue to grow long after the final garden gate closes.”
WELTEVREDEN 1692
The Garden Town programme at Weltevreden 1692 includes everything from birding to sculpture walks, offering sensory experiences that are rooted in family, art and nature, says Imke Oosthuizen, marketing director at Weltevreden Estate. “Over the years, we’ve found that the things our family loves have organically become part of Weltevreden’s appeal while adding a meaningful contribution to the local tourism landscape.”
Weltevreden reflects the quiet legacy of Imke’s parents. Her father, André, introduced the estate’s sculpture collection, home to the largest permanent collection of Ruhan Janse van Vuuren’s works; her mother, Berdine, brought birding to its grounds.
Imke encourages visitors to enjoy a tasting that pairs perfectly with the season, suggesting a crisp Bertha Wines Sauvignon Blanc under the trees.
“At Weltevreden, guests can wander through sculpture-lined paths, pause for birdsong under old oaks or trace the scent of herbs on the breeze,” says Imke. “It’s a space where the wild and the cultivated meet, inviting stillness and reflection.”
Look out for the birding tour with Jacques Gilliomeeon 1 November.
ART WORKSHOPS
Hosting art workshops in town, both Hermien van der Merwe and Marianne Burger explore botanical themes in natural settings.
Known for her vibrant botanical themes, Hermien’s workshop uses natural plant materials gathered from gardens and nearby public areas, allowing participants to directly connect with their environment. “Garden Town’s blend of public space and artistic expression is beautifully reflected in this workshop,” she says. “The gelli-plate technique is playful and easy to use, allowing nature to guide the creative process. It’s a joyful way to transform the beauty around us into striking artworks.”
Marianne’s art reflects the natural environment and the birds in it. Her workshop on Patrysvlei farm invites participants to create botanical-themed artworks, in a medium of their choice, in a peaceful garden studio. “The children often ask to visit the dam at the end of their lesson,” says Marianne. “Patrysvlei is a stone’s throw from town and yet it has a wonderful rural atmosphere.”
GARDEN SHOW AND MARKET
This year, Stellenbosch Town Hall will again become the heartbeat of Garden Town as it hosts the signature Garden Show and Market.
“Additions to the Garden Show and Market include designer show gardens created in collaboration with leading landscape architects, botanical tastings with local chefs and immersive nature walks through heritage precincts and neighbouring winelands,” says Annemie.
Garden designer Cobus Smit will be creating botanical displays and installations in Stellenbosch Town Hall’s indoor setting, translating the feeling of a garden into architecture. Guests can look forward to a mix of new exhibitors and well-known, trusted names from the green industry.
This year, the installations’ focus is on gardening in small spaces. “People no longer have massive yards for gardening, but they still want that garden feeling in whatever space they have,” says Cobus. “In that space, they want to be able to entertain, and often also want something they can harvest. And, if at all possible, there should definitely be a place to braai. This is South Africa, after all.”
All these elements will be incorporated into Garden Town’s show gardens, with the main focus on spaces where traditional planting isn’t possible: on a balcony, a deck, a paved area or in a very small garden with limited soil, such as at a townhouse.
Artist Nicole van Rooyen will also be displaying her work at the Garden Show and Market. “Garden Town strikes a perfect balance in creating a vibrant community centred on the love we share for gardens,” she says, adding that gardens are admired not only for their beauty and ability to enrich our living spaces with nature, but also for their grounding effect. “They offer a hands-on, restorative experience that nurtures both body and soul.”
INTEGRATING HORTICULTURE WITH COMMUNITY
As South Africa’s only garden lifestyle event that integrates horticulture with heritage, design, cuisine and community, Garden Town is an experience as intellectually engaging as it is visually arresting, says Annemie. That’s why it has become rooted in the hearts of the local community.
By involving residents, small businesses, creatives and schools in the planning and delivery of Garden Town, the team at Visit Stellenbosch has cultivated a collective pride and sense of place that is as vital as any visitor metric.
“We believe that when nature, culture and community come together, destinations don’t just flourish; they become unforgettable,” says Annemie. “Looking ahead, we aim to deepen this impact, ensuring that Garden Town continues to inspire and include, and grow opportunities across all corners of Stellenbosch.”
PROGRAMME AND MAP
Click here for the full programme of Garden Town 2025
Click here for the map of Garden Town 2025