GO GREEN AT BABYLONSTOREN

Posted by Lorenzo Samuels on 27 June 2018 10:25 AM CAT

Head for the magnificent Babylonstoren and take part in some educational workshops this July.  Topics for eager green fingers include indigenous edible plants, beneficial weeds, aloes and pruning.

They also regularly invite guests who are experts in their fields to host these workshops in collaboration with their gardening team. Theirr workshops tend to be small, with no more than 20 people per group.

They’re also quite hands-on so you will get to try out the skills, technique or discipline that they’re learning about. All their workshops include a walk through the garden and as such it’s usually a full-day affair.

Read more about the four workshops they offer during the month of July.

Food Plants Workshop

4 July 2018

10:00–16:00

For thousands of years, the indigenous peoples of southern Africa survived in the veld. Throughout the seasons they were skilled in recognising and using the various parts of wild plants – bulbs, shoots, flowers and fruit – as food.

Botanist Ernst van Jaarsveld shares his wealth of experience of South Africa’s indigenous plants while we walk through the garden, picking and tasting food plants in season. Learn how to recognise edible veld plants as well as how to propagate and plant them.

Get ready to tuck your hands in the soil and plant your own edible plants to take home.

Lunch will be served at the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price. For hotel guests, the workshop is included in your stay.

Tickets: https://www.babylonstoren.com/experience/workshop/veldkos-workshop

Beneficial Weeds Workshop

11 July 2018

10:00–16:00

Explore the world of the troublesome plants with us. Weeds grow in areas where we have not planted them, thriving where the earth’s natural “skin” has been disturbed or damaged. They are pioneers that path the way for other plants to come, and thus essential in healing the land.

From a human point of view we see them as troublesome, but there are practical ways we can reduce or avoid their onslaught. The Afrikaans proverb “onbekend maak onbemind” (meaning “unknown, unloved”) comes to mind. Get to know and love your weeds so as to better understand these very useful plants and their function in the garden, as well as how to manage their growth.

Lunch will be served at the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price. For hotel guests, the workshop is included in your stay.

Tickets: https://www.babylonstoren.com/experience/workshop/beneficial-weeds

Aloe Workshop

18 July 2018

10:00–16:00

Come spend the day with Ernst van Jaarsveld, succulent expert and author of Tree Aloes of Africa. These are true African icons, brightening up our winters with their flashy red candles. They range in size from grass aloes a few centimetres tall to the large tree aloe that can reach 20 m.

Walk with Ernst through the garden and view Babylonstoren’s aloe collection. Ernst shares his growing tips and will help you make the best pick for your garden. Pests and diseases will be reviewed, as well as propagation methods from seed and cuttings.

Lunch will be served at the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price. For hotel guests, the workshop is included in your stay.

Tickets: https://www.babylonstoren.com/experience/workshop/beneficial-weeds

Pruning for Beginners

25 July 2018

10:00–16:00

Be inspired by the different forms and patterns of our espaliered fruit trees – apples, pears, quince and nectarines grown in the Babylonstoren garden. Winter is the best time to admire these structures in their dormant simplicity, also to plant and prune for summer fruits.

Pruning pro Anton Roux helps us to plan before planting and will also give tips on selecting the best trees for espaliering. Secateurs in hand, he’ll guide us through the different stages of shaping an espaliered tree from year one. Get to know the different fruiting types and growth forms to implement for your own trees, and leave as a pruning pro!

Lunch will be served at the Greenhouse Restaurant and is included in the price. For hotel guests, the workshop is included in your stay.

Tickets: https://www.babylonstoren.com/experience/workshop/pruning-for-beginners