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R/£ City's music lovers take to the gardens
December 11, 2009 Edition 1
Bianca Coleman
REGULAR visitors to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden probably have their favourite spots but with 528 hectares - the largest of nine botanical gardens in South Africa - of developed gardens and nature reserve there is always bound to be some corner yet to be explored.
Internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world, Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to conserve and promote the indigenous flora of southern Africa after it was left to the nation by its last private owner, Cecil John Rhodes, who had the foresight to buy the land in 1895 to protect the eastern slopes of Table Mountain from urban development, bless him.
I always make a beeline for The Dell and Colonel Bird's bath, a tranquil place where you can sip crystal-clear spring water which bubbles up from the belly of the mountain at something like 17 litres a minute. It's the oldest section of the garden, and the bird-shaped bath was built 1811 by Colonel Christopher Bird, Deputy Colonial Secretary of the Cape. It's cool and shady in The Dell, with a little waterfall gushing over a cave from which you'd expect Gollum to emerge at any moment, and a rock path through the stream.
If you can tear yourself away, there are several themed gardens to explore, like the cycad amphitheatre, a protea garden, a fynbos garden and a garden of useful plants. There is even a sculpture garden, with amazing sandstone and soapstone statues to capture your attention and imagination. I'm rather fond of the Garden Of Weeds.
The developed gardens are breathtakingly gorgeous for relaxing strolls, picnics on the rolling lawns where you can share your sarmies with the geese and guinea fowl, or just to sit on one of the many strategically placed benches and inhale the lush beauty of your surroundings. For the more active among us, I am told there are hikes up into the mountain, which I am sure are also very pretty.
On your way in or out, stop in at the Glass House, a conservatory which displays plants that cannot be grown outdoors, including fynbos, bulbs and ferns, all surrounding a baobab, or upside-down tree.
There is a tea room and the self-service Silvertree Deli for refreshments, and it is very civilised to enjoy a cup of tea accompanied by a scone with strawberry jam and cream - all for the very reasonable price of R15. The Silvertree Restaurant is open for dinner as well.
While the garden is a joy for its most obvious reasons, it's also the setting for one of the most popular pastimes in Cape Town - the weekly Summer Sunset concerts which happen every Sunday from late November until early April. Thousands of music fans flock to the lawns every weekend, clutching blankets and picnic baskets, and staking claim to their little patch of grass to enjoy an eclectic line-up of musicians and artists as diverse as the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra and Goldfish. Concerts start at 5.30pm and gates to the concert area open at 3.30pm, although there's nothing to stop you spending the entire day in the garden. Ticket prices range from R65 to R95, depending on who's playing.
This Sunday, the Johnny Cooper Orchestra pays tribute to the famous bands and vocalists of the 1940s swing era, including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and many more, as well as some seasonal favourites to get you "in the mood". The orchestra is the recipient of the prestigious Big Band Hall of Fame award (USA) that honours them for perpetuating, promoting and performing the sounds of the Big Band Era with integrity.
Not part of the Summer Sunset series but a festive highlight nonetheless, next week from Wednesday to Sunday there will be Carols By Candlelight, very traditional evenings accompanied by the Cape Town Concert Brass Band and the Cape Town Male Voice Choir, organised by the Rotary Club of Kirstenbosch. Gates open at 5pm and the carols begin at 8pm.
The entrance fee on December 17 is R40 for adults and R20 for children, and the rest of the week it's R50 for adults and R30 for children. The entrance fee includes a candle and song-sheet.Tickets are available only at Pick n Pay stores in the Western Cape.
Winner of the MK Award 2009 for Best Newcomer, Ashtray Electric will be performing alongside Pretty Blue Guns on December 27 and Flat Stanley headline the 94.5 KFM New Year's Eve Concert on, well, New Year's Eve. Also on the bill for this night are DJ Denver Appollus, South African Music Award nominee Chad Saaiman, jazz veterans Loading Zone and multi-award-winning R&B star Loyiso Bala.
Booking for this concert is essential and booking will close once 5 000 tickets have been sold. Tickets are R220 - book online at www.webtickets.co.za or the Kirstenbosch ticket office. Gates open at 7pm and the show will go on whatever the weather.
In the new year music lovers can look forward to A Fistful of Diamonds! with Josie Field, Farryl Purkiss and Dan Patlansky (January 3); Kirstenbosch favourites Freshlyground on January 10; Zebra and Giraffe (January 17), also back by popular demand; and Afrikaans rockers Fokofpolisiekar on January 24.
For the full line-up of concerts which run until April 4, go to www.sanbi.org. For bookings and more information call 021 761 2866/799 8782 or book online: www.webtickets.co.za. The garden is open every day of the year from 8am till 6pm (April-August) and 7pm (September-March).
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