Marijke Honig, Botanist and Garden Landscaper, Cape Town, SA: 'Stress as an Asset' 9 June 2021

In the Western Cape of South Africa too, weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme. Marijke will talk about how local gardeners will need to adapt their approaches to create resilient landscapes and gardens that can survive and can bounce back after severe climatic events. They will need to unlearn old habits (feeding, watering, pruning, digging) that force static states in a garden to align themselves to natural ecosystems within gardens where the role of stress is viewed as a plus. What we see as beauty in gardens and what we value about gardens is re-examined. If our gardens can survive on rainfall only, support greater biodiversity and are ecologically functional, that is something to strive for.

[nationalheritagenaturepark]

Breath of fresh air... well done Marijke

[mandyrohland]

Wonderful... Thank you Marijke. Beautifully presented. I feel wonderfully inspired.