Page 8 - Landscape SA 99

FEATURE

GREENING THE

FUTURE:

VERGELEGEN WINE ESTATE’S

ARBORETUM

Vergelegen, the 321-year-old Somerset West wine estate
renowned for its 18 magnificent gardens, has unveiled
plans for a 54 hectare botanical garden devoted to trees.

he arboretum will be created in a explore the creation of an arboretum in
phased approach over ten years, the north-east section of the property,
Tduring which time about 7500 trees with visitor access from the hospitality
will be planted to create a peaceful green areas – the restaurants and wine tasting
sanctuary. A 3,5 km walkway surrounds centre.
the arboretum, allowing visitors access A Ginkgo tree sapling, grown from the
seeds of a 300-year-old tree, marks the
to various sections. Guests are already “After conducting research on various start of the arboretum. It is protected by
strolling around the vast area, which will international gardens such as the Royal simple wooden sculptures.
offer a variety of footpaths and walking Botanic Gardens in Kew and the Yorkshire
trails. Arboretum, we approached landscape
architects to develop a concept. This English and French origin. These will
The site was previously open ground evolved into our current plan.” reflect the layered history of the estate,
and also home to an orchard, where fruit which is a provincial heritage site. The
trees had reached the end of their fruit- Trees reflect estate history estate is considered a showpiece of South
bearing lifespan. Instead of re-planting, African heritage and gardens, wine and
the decision was taken to create the Three 45-meter-wide vistas in the form of hospitality, and the natural environment.
arboretum, which has beautiful views of a triangle form the core of the arboretum.
the Hottentots Holland and Helderberg The combined length of the vistas is 2,5km A wide range of trees including Rosids
Mountains. The arboretum will form a and each vista is lined with double row (Cape Ash, White Stinkwood and Oaks),
transition between the cultivated and plantings of Liquidambar, Yellowwood Asterids (Assegaai, Cape Holly and
natural landscapes. and Swamp Cypress trees. Rhododendrons), Magnolids (Tulip tree,
Ginkgo and various Magnolia trees) and
Leslie Naidoo, Vergelegen’s Commercial The vistas are intersected at intervals Conifers (Juniper, Deodara and Cypress)
and Risk Manager, says: “in 2016, featuring four large semi-circles planted species will be planted together in groups
Vergelegen’s management decided to with avenues of trees of Dutch, Asian, to create a ‘treescape’.

A vista in the direction of the Lourens River on the border of the property.
The river corridor is declared a Protected Natural Environment.

Concept plan for the Vergelegen arboretum

6 Landscape SA • Issue 99 2021