Waltham Place and a few flowers from my own garden.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is useful for

doctrine, (what we believe)

for reproof, ( what you have done wrong)

for correction ( how to put it right)

for instruction in righteousness (how to live a life with Christ)

2 Timothy 3 : 16

Roy was looking for our last cycle route when he saw Waltham Place on the map. It is a farm and garden where the owners are committed to not using fertiliser or chemical pesticides and the gardeners do guided tours for the paying public on certain days. Today with a group of other interested people we were shown the gardens and were able to ask questions.

Our lady gardener has been working in the area specialising in ornamental plants for 18 years. Her enthusiasm for natural gardening as exemplified by Henk Gerritsen, a Dutch gardener, was evident as she showed us her planting. We also found out that the owner had a similar estate in South Africa. When I asked their name I was surprised to hear a name my father used, Oppenheimer. (Remember my Dad worked for a while as a nurse in the gold mining hospitals taking care of men hurt while doing their work. This family name is very much connected to the gold mining industry.) Strilli Oppenheimer is the lady of this house and a keen gardner, their family have had Waltham Place since 1910, and they also own an estate in Brenthurst Johannesburg where she spends much of her time.

Amongst our group there was a lady visiting who works for the estate in Brenthurst and she couldn’t help tell us that the same style was in both gardens , the one here and in SA. The influence of Gerritsen. Both display “a thorough understanding of maintaining wildness.”

Here are some things that Henk Gerritsen said:

Damage to plants caused by insects or fungi usually has natural causes and is a fact of life that has to be accepted in a natural garden.

I allow all the plants in my garden to run their complete cycle, cleaning up only in early spring, which pleases the birds and insects.

The decay, collapse and death of the garden are as fascinating as the awakening of spring or the seas of flowers in summer.

H. Gerritsen 1848-2008