Gardens in every shape, form and size have the potential to bring us together, which is why Pietman Diener, friend of Garden Day 2024 and head gardener at Stellenbosch’s Rustenberg Wine Estate is calling on all plant people to put on a flower crown and join the Garden Day movement by hosting a Garden Day party in their gardens or green spaces on Sunday 20 October for this year’s Garden Day. Anything (and everything!) goes, from a lavish lunch on the lawn, to platters on the patio with your pot plants or tea for two under your favourite tree.
“Garden Day is a celebration for garden enthusiasts and plant lovers. It’s perfect for those who enjoy inviting others into their gardens and green spaces, as well as for anyone who loves entertaining and spending time with family and friends,” says Diener. “So draw up your guestlist, invite your besties and channel your inner hostess for a celebration in the garden!”
Flower Crowns, Fruit and Foliage: Friends of Garden Day Celebrate In Style!
Gardening shakes us up and calms us down. It grows patience, encourages us to fully observe and each time one plants something, it feels like a pronouncement of faith in the future. Gardens connect us to the natural world and inspire us to care for the ground and the lives that grow from it. No one knows this better than Diener who agrees that our environment is critical to our wellbeing.
Diener is all about the life-long joy plants and gardens bring to our lives. He openly admits to his home garden being a happy jumble. ‘At home I’m not a neat gardener, I love a frothy mix,’ he laughs, ‘it’s not about it looking perfect.’
Pietman intends to celebrate Garden Day in his garden at home with the special people in his life. ‘Garden Day is an extension of my love of gardening and life is too short not to do what you love,’ he says. ‘On Garden Day we will eat from the garden!’ he says. After a bumper quince crop, that includes syrupy homemade preserves as well as homegrown, fresh garden salad, asparagus, beans… and flowers. ‘Flowers from the garden are very important in our house – and to share with our family and friends,’ he says.
Ready, Steady … Go (or should we say grow!)
Your garden gathering could be anything from a sumptuous lunch or garden tea party to a picnic – or simply relaxing, feet up, under your favourite garden tree. Most importantly, don’t forget to wear a flower crown!
From posters to customisable invitations and guidelines to make your own flower crown, there are plenty of materials to help you prepare for a celebration, create your own invitations and support posts using our customisable templates! It couldn’t be easier. Visit www.gardenday.co.za and hit the Toolkit tab.
So mark your calendar for Sunday 20 October 2024 and join us in celebrating our gardens and green spaces with your own garden gathering!
10 Ways To Celebrate On Garden Day
- Invite the neighbours for a garden picnic party.
- Have tea under a tree.
- Convert your garden into an open-air cinema – set up a projector and a screen against a blank wall or a white sheet.
- Do lunch in the veggie garden.
- Throw a tea party with your besties.
- Serve cake at your closest community garden.
- Braai on the lawn.
- Share platters on the patio.
- Party with your house plants.
- Host the Garden Day Olympics. Turn your garden into a playful arena for a day of friendly competition and outdoor fun with the kids.
