This year’s Marina Open Gardens was so popular that the hosts lost count of the number of people visiting their homes. Seven gardens featured in the event ‒ two in Uitsig, four in Park Island and one in Eastlake Island. On their travels, visitors also took in the community garden on the corner of Eastlake Drive and Baalen Close in Uitsig Peninsula. The gardens were open between 10am and 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm. Each host reported at least 30 visitors in the morning with more arriving in the afternoon.
In addition, the organisers raised R480 by selling 48 maps at R10 each. With two people sharing a single map, we reckon the final attendance figure must have been around 100. The money raised will go towards the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind.
According to Valerie Benson, who organised the event with support from the MDGA: “While it is so lovely to see everyone else’s garden and collect ideas for your own space, the real beauty of Open Gardens is that it connects neighbours with one another and enhances our sense of community. We now know that our neighbour in Park Island has designed an amazing outside area with a sunken fire pit and a vegetable garden at the back, while our neighbour in Uitsig lovingly nurtures seedlings and sells amazing plants. Until now, not even the people living right next door knew that! It was a very successful day and we plan to continue the tradition in 2022.”
If you’d like to be part of next year’s Open Gardens, please contact Valerie on 082 475 6187.
Meanwhile, we’d like to say a big thanks you to everyone involved.
