What Babylonstoren's Garden Knows That Its Visitors Don't

Babylonstoren's garden was designed before the estate itself opened to guests, an eight-acre grid of vegetable beds, orchards, and water channels on land that has been farmed since 1692. Every plant in it is either edible or medicinal, a rule strict enough to shape what gets planted and what never makes it in. Gundula Deutschländer runs it now, and answered our questions about what was decided at the very start, and what the garden has gone on to decide for itself since. Master gardener, Gundula Deutchländer, stretching out on the chamomile lawn The garden was planted before the estate opened. How much of what’s here now was decided in those first years, and how much has the garden decided for itself since? Much of the garden's structure was decided at the beginning. French garden architect Patrice Taravella designed its geometric framework in 2007, and the paths, pergolas, and water channels were established before most of the formal garden was planted in 2009. A garden built on the history of the Cape has guided its development from the start. But a garden is never static. The planting has continued to evolve with the seasons, the Cape climate, and what has simply flourished here. The clivias beneath the old wild olives, for instance, have spread past every expectation. We provide the structure. Nature continually has a say. Babylonstoren gardener harvesting vegetables Every plant here is edible or medicinal. What's the hardest thing you've had to leave out because it didn’t meet that rule? Beauty isn't excluded by that principle. Many useful plants are also extraordinarily beautiful, so I can't think of one we've reluctantly left out. Instead, working within the theme pushes us toward more creativity, and prompts us to look closely at a plant's purpose, history, or traditional use before it goes in at all. Turnip harvest What does the kitchen ask for that the garden can't give it? The garden supplies the kitchens with seasonal fruit, vegetables, and herbs year-round, but it can't always provide the quantities or varieties required. We supplement its harvest from the wider farm's orchards, and where necessary, source from trusted local farmers, producers, and…