Stanford in Bloom, which is the town’s Spring festival, began on a high note with the opening of the Chelsea flowers, which is its showcase.
Although this recreation of the floral display that won gold at the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London forms the crowning glory of the festival, which runs from 10 to 24 September, there are tons more to see, do and explore in the beautiful village, with scarecrows lining the main road to welcome visitors.
A cool, cloudy and misty morning marked the official unveiling of the Chelsea flowers, as if to bring a touch of the “English pea soup” of Royal Chelsea to the Overstrand’s fynbos heartland.
“For flowers it is just wonderful,” said Leon Kluge, the renowned landscape artist involved in creating the gold-award winning display in London, “and a lot of the plants we take to London come from right here.”
He gave a huge shout-out to artist-gardener Tristan Woudberg, botanical artist Jenny Malcolm, the ever-handy Vincent Ricardo and all the volunteers as well as the owner of Grootbos Nature Reserve Michael Lutzeyer and his team from the Grootbos Foundation.
Before the official ribbon cutting by special guest John Maytham of Cape Talk Radio Western Cape Minister of Local Government Anton Bredell thanked the sponsors for making the event a reality and the Stanford community for embracing it so enthusiastically.
“The Cape Floral Kingdom may be the smallest of the world’s floral kingdoms, but it is the most botanically rich, and we must therefore protect it,” he said. “If we put the environment at the centre of our economy, rather than the other way round, we can better protect our biodiversity and create sustainable jobs. It’s risky to lead with the economy, but when we lead with nature everyone benefits.”
Overstrand Deputy Mayor Elnora Gillion confirmed that despite a temporary road closure yesterday all roads to the Overstrand were open, and Stanford is ready to welcome visitors to experience this world-class floral exhibition.
Adding to the splendour of the occasion Siphokazi Jonas, a critically acclaimed South African poet, performed a poem inspired by the natural and cultural roots of the occasion.
Stanford in Bloom, a village-wide celebration of Spring and conservation-driven green tourism, will also feature a unique collection of botanical artworks from the Grootbos Florilegium. It also features a special series of talks related to the choice of Chelsea flowers, particularly for the 2025 flower Show, and the work of the Grootbos Foundation, the non-profit organisation that will receive proceeds from the fynbos display. Speakers include Kluge, Woutberg, Tanya Visser of The Gardener magazine as well as the talented botanical artist Vicki Thomas and Floral Development Manager of the RHS Flower Show, Helen Boem.
Live music on the green will have visitors tapping their feet and dancing to the sound of South African legend Koos Kombuis (20 September), pianist, producer and composer Rocco de Villiers, and the Luna Paige Trio (12 September). For a sit-down affair The Winelands Philharmonic presents The Grand Garden Gala at the Dutch Reformed church (13 September).
Various musicians will also perform live at the festival market over the two-week event. Explore what the region has to offer at the central tented village on the Village Green, featuring a Stanford Wine Route Bar, gift and boutique stalls, a food court and more. There will also be a pop-up plant nursery, hands-on gardening and creative workshops, music performances, concerts, art exhibitions and other activities held throughout the town during the two-week celebration.
There are also a wide range of activities to keep the little ones entertained, including a range of flower-inspired activities from flower-crown making to stamping with flowers. Eduden School offers activities supervised by teachers and Eduden parents as well as the use of the playground at the school for only R100 per child per session.
Another highlight of the Stanford in Bloom celebration is the special evening market from 18:00 to 20:00 on Friday 19 September on the Village Green. At the market you can kick off your shoes, relax, explore and shop for food, wine, beer, bread, baked goodies, gifts, books, plants and much more while enjoying music by local artists.
Tickets are available via Webtickets or from Pick n Pay. Visit the Stanford in Bloom Facebook page or www.stanfordinbloom.co.za for more info and a detailed programme.
