BotSoc Winter Gardens
Renishaw Hills attracts crowds to this year’s BotSoc Winter Gardens
The warm winter weather set the backdrop for the beautiful indigenous gardens of Renishaw Hills which attracted several hundred visitors to the South Coast mature lifestyle village over the weekend (13 and 14 July). Chosen as this year’s Botanical Society of South Africa’s (BotSoc) Winter Gardens’ venue, Renishaw Hills has been developed on the ethos of sustainable practices, with leading landscaper – Elsa Pooley – and her team tasked with establishing the indigenous gardens.
Commenting on the event, Anno Torr of BotSoc, said: “We were delighted by this year’s attendance at the Winter Gardens. Renishaw Hills is such a magnificent example of how attractive our indigenous vegetation really is and I’m sure a number of visitors have been inspired by the plant selection and garden designs created by Elsa and her team.”
The range of indigenous plants used throughout Renishaw Hills is quite large and varied which provided guests with great displays, including different textured and coloured foliage. Being aloe season, the winter gardens were particularly vibrant, attracting more than butterflies, birds and other indigenous animals. As an added benefit, images taken by three Renishaw Hills’ residents were showcased in a rolling slideshow at the Community Centre, featuring close-ups of 94 resident butterfly species as well as several indigenous birds.
Phil Barker, Managing Director of Renishaw Property Developments, developers of Renishaw Hills, thanked BotSoc for choosing Renishaw Hills as this year’s venue, adding: “We were incredibly lucky that the predicted rain held off and visitors got the opportunity to relax and enjoy the incredible indigenous gardens within Renishaw Hills.” For more information about the estate, visit www.renishawhills.co.za