open gardens

OPEN
GARDENS

expert talks

EXPERT TALKS

conservation

CONSERVATION

waterwise

WATERWISE

arts

HORTICULTURE

arts

ARTS

arts

COMMUNITY

arts

GARDEN CLUB

whymagic

WHY MAGIC?

A village conjured from a rain shadow...

BOOK NOW!
Find free features. Festival Pass offers much more...

VIRTUAL GARDEN
FESTIVAL

JOIN IN!

expert talks

EXPERT TALKS

open gardens

OPEN
GARDENS

tickets

BOOK NOW!
Find free features. Festival Pass offers much more...

quicket

VIRTUAL GARDEN
FESTIVAL

JOIN IN!

conservation

CONSERVATION

waterwise

WATERWISE

horticulture

HORTICULTURE

arts

ARTS

whymagic

WHY MAGIC?

A village conjured from a rain shadow...

community

COMMUNITY

garden club

GARDEN
CLUB

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Join in a celebration of Nature, as our first virtual McGregor Magic Festival.
‍You are invited to enjoy South Africa’s Western Cape in a seasonal splash of colour, online, guided with expert commentary.
‍There is lots to browse of free talks & projects, plus snippets to entice you to book a Festival pass for all features to be shown from South Africa’s Heritage weekend. So, make it a learning experience...
‍
ALL ACCESS PASS

open gardens

VIRTUAL OPEN GARDENS

Join us for virtual tours of the most outstanding gardens in McGregor, with commentary by the world-famous landscape designer, Leon Kluge. Click image for more. Virtual tours from 25th September.

Windblown

Leon Kluge's Gift
International designer bestows McGregor with his concept, inspired by wind pollination. With Community participation, this garden is being developed, so appreciate it’s sculptural form, ready for next Spring’s seeds sown…

Architect’s
Garden

Beautifully landscaped by architect owner, Bruce with clever lines to emphasise mainly indigenous water-wise planting. The neighbouring leiwater dam feeds water features

festival pass entry

Reservoir Garden

Conversion of a structure from the leiwater ‘legacy’, into a sunken, landscaped indigenous garden. Construction of the house, with a wrapped verandah, frames the heritage feature.

festival pass tour

Long View

Three integrated gardens; flower colours around an Angel sculpture offer hope for those who have lost a child; the adjacent ‘Tree of Life’ symbolises sacred geometry; & visit a courtyard garden

festival pass tour

Temenos Retreat

A magnificent shaded garden offers surprises in its leafy corners. Temenos was created as a sacred space, where all creatures & all people are welcomed - as reflected in many shrines to discover.

festival pass tour

Rock Garden

What do you do when all you have is rocks? A new garden, excavated to feature a natural rock-pool cascade, a rock braai & raised rock beds with zoned planting. Bokkeveldt Shales are on display -oh & some plants!

watch trailer festival pass entry

Landscaped
Garden

Hidden behind a Victorian house is an established verdant treat. It boasts deep succulent beds, springtime bulbs, lawn and enviable shade from mature trees.

festival pass entry

51 Food Garden

Welcome foodies & gardeners to a bountiful kitchen garden. An abundance of herbs & fresh produce are enjoyed as tasty bistro dishes.

festival pass tour

MIRA Garden

A successfully shared space surrounded by private gardens, with indigenous planting & some food gardening.

festival pass tour

Medicinal garden & wild finds

Traditional Healer Robert Yule (Mvula) shares a variety of medicinal plants in 2 parts. Plants in the garden and plants from the veld.

Medicinal garden & wild finds

Traditional Healer Robert Yule (Mvula) shares a variety of medicinal plants in 2 parts. Plants in the garden and plants from the veld.

EXPERT TALKS

EXPERT TALKS

An exciting programme about plants! Learning from horticultural specialists & other experts, this covers garden ‘know-how'; conservation of wild indigenous flora; & information about being water-wise... Experts share their knowledge. Click images for details.

Sustainable Gardening

An interview with SA’s garden guru on a subject close to his heart. Key questions to being a ‘kind’ gardener.

festival pass entry

The lure & lore of Labyrinths

by Vivien Claire
A long history from Neolithic rock spirals right up to McGregor garden labyrinths, this presentation describes fresh ways of using the ancient labyrinth as a resource for rites of passage, inner healing and quiet reflection.

South Africa's Succulents

by Werner Voigt
The current Curator of Kirstenbosch informs us about vegetation close to his heart, an expert, once Curator of SANBI’s Karoo Desert Garden.

Bee Magic

by John & Miranda Moodie
Questions & Answers as an introduction to Beekeeping, offering years of expertise in a poetic context.

festival pass entry

Science & Mother Earth’s larder

by Prof Raymond Auerbach & local smallholdings
A video series looks at ‘Mandela Trials’ of organic farming & how principles are put into practice.

watch now McGregor Practices

Permaculture: an introduction

by Lyle Moseley
How we can design our gardens and homes, so that they provide for both us and the ecosystems we inhabit.

People need trees & trees need people

by Altus de Wet
An experienced arborist from Cape Town looks at both the benefits & management of trees, especially when considering a semi-arid climate.

Keith Kirsten

An interview with SA’s garden guru on a subject close to his heart. Key questions to being a ‘kind’ gardener.

Bee Magic

by John & Miranda Moodie
Questions & Answers as an introduction to Beekeeping, offering years of expertise in a poetic context

The lure & lore of Labyrinths

by Vivian Stacey
Labyrinths have a long history, right up to McGregor garden labyrinths. This presentation describes fresh ways of using the ancient labyrinth as a resource for rites of passage, inner healing and quiet reflection.

Sustainable Gardening

An interview with SA’s garden guru on a subject close to his heart. Key questions to being a ‘kind’ gardener.

festival pass entry

The lure & lore of Labyrinths

by Vivien Claire
A long history from Neolithic rock spirals right up to McGregor garden labyrinths, this presentation describes fresh ways of using the ancient labyrinth as a resource for rites of passage, inner healing and quiet reflection.

South Africa's Succulents

by Werner Voigt
The current Curator of Kirstenbosch informs us about vegetation close to his heart, an expert, once Curator of SANBI’s Karoo Desert Garden.

Bee Magic

by John & Miranda Moodie
Questions & Answers as an introduction to Beekeeping, offering years of expertise in a poetic context.

festival pass entry

Science & Mother Earth’s larder

by Prof Raymond Auerbach & local smallholdings
A video series looks at ‘Mandela Trials’ of organic farming & how principles are put into practice.

watch now McGregor Practices

Permaculture: an introduction

by Lyle Moseley
How we can design our gardens and homes, so that they provide for both us and the ecosystems we inhabit.

People need trees & trees need people

by Altus de Wet
An experienced arborist from Cape Town looks at both the benefits & management of trees, especially when considering a semi-arid climate.

A ‘Bio-Blitz’ of the McGregor area

by Rupert Koopman
In partnership with CREW (Custodians of Rare & Endangered Wildlife) in Vrolijkheid reserve & surrounds, the Botanical Society of SA search for elusive, seasonal botanical specimens

watch trailer festival pass entry

A Walk on the Wild Side

by Leon Kluge
SA’s leading designer introduces special plants in specific places from the McGregor environs. -an unusual transition from Succulent Karoo through to Fynbos vegetation.

watch trailer festival pass entry

A ‘Bio-Blitz’ of the McGregor area

by Rupert Koopman
In partnership with CREW (Custodians of Rare & Endangered Wildlife) in Vrolijkheid reserve & surrounds, the Botanical Society of SA search for elusive, seasonal botanical specimens.

watch trailer festival pass entry

Protecting wild Cape species

with Victoria Wilman
SANBI, working with the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership project for Kew, protects wild Cape species to avoid their extinction. The aim is to collect and conserve seeds from 25% of the world’s orthodox plant species by 2020, so this feature updates us on Global seed conservation.

A Walk on the Wild Side

by Leon Kluge
SA’s leading designer introduces special plants in specific places from the McGregor environs. -an unusual transition from Succulent Karoo through to Fynbos vegetation.

watch trailer festival pass entry

EXPERT
TALKS

A ‘Bio-Blitz’ report of arid ecosystems

by Rupert Koopman
Working with CREW (Custodians of Rare & Endangered Wildlife) in Cape Nature reserves, the Botanical Society of SA search for elusive, seasonal botanical specimens

Protecting wild Cape species

with Victoria Wilman
SANBI, working with the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership project for Kew, protects wild Cape species to avoid their extinction. The aim is to collect and conserve seeds from 25% of the world’s orthodox plant species by 2020, so this feature updates us on Global seed conservation.

Our Leiwater Legacy

by Myrna Robins

McGregor Heritage Society peeks into the past to celebrate the present: Fact, legend and myth flow intertwined with this river of life.

Global and local pressures on natural water supplies

Andy Robertson
Using the microcosm of McGregor, a panel discusses pressures on natural water supplies and ways of addressing these, with Dr Kevin Winter (UCT); Guy Palmer, (formerly Cape Nature); & Andy Robertson (formerly Scottish Chief Agricultural Officer)

watch trailer watch now

Global and local pressures on natural water supplies

Andy Robertson
A panel uses the microcosm of McGregor to discuss pressures on natural water supplies and ways of addressing these; with Dr Kevin Winter (UCT) & Guy Palmer, (formerly Cape Nature)

watch trailer watch now

WHY MAGIC?

McGregor should not exist as a pretty village, green with gardens, as it lies in a rain shadow between two mountain ranges. It was thanks to engineers of the 1800’s, who directed mountain springs along Leiwater channels into a grid system, that it became possible for the semi-desert to be cultivated. Hey Presto! That legacy enabled development into a settlement of smallholdings, populated with quaint thatched cottages today. Vibrant springtime splendour is now shown in cyber-space too!…
View our gallery below.

Learning from experts is usually arranged in monthly meetings for our McGregor Magic members. Topics range from garden guidance - suited to local ecosystems, plant & product information, or even global issues! Come to share your enthusiasm & knowledge with us…

Indigenous Medicinal Plants

by Robert Yule
A trained healer introduces the metaphysical & medicinal use of plants known by our ancestors & used in health practices today.

Dinner from the Garden

by Prof. Julian May
University of Western Cape’s Centre of Excellence in Food Security, Prof. May shared his knowledge in a presentation which links Natural Sciences, Social sciences & Humanities.

Pruning Roses

by George Conradie
Local specialists, Ashton Rose Nursery, gave a practical demonstration in our ‘valley of wine & roses’

We are committed to finding different ways to support our wider community. A garden is not just about a pretty space, but can be a catalyst for food to improve diet, a healthy lifestyle & appreciating the environment in which we live. Vibrant springtime splendour is now shown in cyber-space too!…

Kirchhoffs Grow-Off Competition

Encouraging home Food Gardens, supported by seeds, compost & prizes generously donated by Kirchhoffs. A competition linked to training is met with great enthusiasm.

Show-Off

Community gardeners ‘on show’ as part of Open Gardens, judged to receive the Ann Bedford cup, among other prizes acknowledge her 10 year management of a local event.

Food Gardens

Facilitating generous donations, 200 fruit trees & 8000 seedlings are managed with Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve, from Athenee Action Humanitaire for Food Gardens.

Gardener Draw

Pretty village gardens need gardeners, so appreciative owners submitted candidates for a prize draw. Lasher kindly sponsored a wheelbarrow, among many garden tool prizes.

Training Garden

As a Mandela Day initiative, SANBI Karoo Desert Botanical Garden committed resource & selected indigenous plants to a Training Garden at The Breede Centre.

Procession

Creative activities involving making flower crowns, seed bombs to plant, storytelling & music, all help local children to connect with plants. Kind support given by Kirchhoffs.

The beauty of botany inspires performers, painters, ‘pass de deux’ & potters… for you to appreciate.

Painting the beauty of Botany

by Geoff Visser
This specialist art form is brought to life as Geoff demonstrates his work. He illustrates how detail is captured for technical, botanical reference.

Art in the Garden

A creative collection from various artists, of Garden Installations inspired by Nature. Delight in the diversity of ideas & interpretations outdoors... to encourage the garden as a gallery!

A Garland Ballet

by First Step Ballet
A local dance school delights with ballet specially choreographed by teacher, Mary Corpe Silver.

A thank you to our kind sponsors and donors
‍

CONTACT
US

+27 (0)82 636 6376

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Copyright 2020. McGregor Magic. NPO 242-532.