Grahamstown Flower Festival (Green Fest)
29 to 30 October 2011 (South Africa)
The Grahamstown Flower Festival celebrates the beauty of biodiversity and is a showcase for sustainable practices. The event has become an annual feature of activities in the Makana Botanical Gardens. A wide variety of stalls offer visitors an opportunity to buy plants, garden furniture and ornaments, and 'green' equipment such as rainwater harvesting tanks and worm-farms. It is also a forum for networking with professionals and learning about garden design, vermiculture, permaculture and many other sustainable technologies. The workshop programme offers hands-on opportunities to learn about diverse horticultural topics such as permaculture, vermiculture, organic vegetable growing, orchid growing, floral art and garden design. Children’s workshops have been introduced, providing the gardeners of the future with planting skills. The annual Botanical Society indigenous plant sale takes place on both days of the festival.
GADRA Advice - Township Garden winner
The flower competition is held in the Rhodes University Environmental Learning Research Centre, culminating in a prize-giving event on the Saturday afternoon. There is also a garden competition sponsored by the Grahamstown office of Pam Golding Properties. Visitors can enjoy a variety of refreshments and entertainment - ideal for families and children - including a live jazz band, jumping castles and donkey cart rides. Entrance into the Botanical Gardens on the weekend of the festival is from Lucas Avenue only.
The event grew out of the The Albany Horticultural and Lilium Society’s annual Spring Flower Show. It is run by a talented organising committee comprising the AHLS committee and representatives of the Grahamstown Garden & Home Club, the Albany branch of the Botanical Society, Daphne Timm of Pam Golding Properties, Jenny Bowker of Spekboom Nursery, and well-known local PR person, Cathy Braans. Staff of the Umthathi Training Project are involved in co-ordinating the township entries of the garden competition. The organisers make great efforts to develop a programme of events that will appeal to all.
Display with Protea cynaroides
More info: Sharon Richner +27-46-622.7720, +27-72-244.3863 / s.richner(at)ru.ac.za / info(at)grahamstownflowerfestival.co.za / http://www.grahamstownflowerfestival.co.za/
