Gardening with Babylonstoren has turned over a new leaf

March 27th, 2018

If you’re an avid gardener you will know about our community-driven gardening app, Gardening with Babylonstoren. Well, the app is turning over a new leaf and is now moving to Candide, a brand new app with a new look, and most importantly, lots of new features.

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Growing Pears in a Bottle

March 20th, 2018

It’s one of those conversation starters: how did the pear get into the bottle? The answer: with an age-old French technique, and a lot of patience.

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In Search of Jan van Riebeeck’s Apple

January 30th, 2018

Just above the cultivated Kirstenbosch Gardens, amongst the lush indigenous forestry on the Southeast slopes of Table Mountain, grows an ancient wine apple tree.

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Get blooming ready for Garden Day 2017!

October 4th, 2017

Time is ticking to get your garden ready for Garden Day festivities. With the success of last year’s first-ever Garden Day we are sure 2017 will be blooming even bigger. Remember Garden Day is a day to put down your secateurs and simply enjoy your garden, no matter its size or shape.

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Africa’s bittersweet beauties: An aloe display in the Puff Adder

August 8th, 2017

New visitors will be delighted to discover that the Puff Adder path currently holds an exhibition of the aloes we lovingly preserve on the Babylonstoren farm. Sourced from far and wide across South Africa, our collection of aloes includes each of the 11 genera currently documented.

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Respect the Spekboom!

July 31st, 2017

Portulacaria afra, commonly known as spekboom, is a drought-resistant, indigenous succulent native to our country. Although mainly an inhabitant of the Little Karoo and Eastern Cape, it also grows in dry river valleys in the east and up to the Limpopo, and on the slopes of the Soutpansberg.

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Forage in your Backyard – Weeds to Eat

July 6th, 2017

The nights are cooling with the approach of autumn. Almost unnoticed, the surings open up their umbrella leaves, expecting the annual rain to fall eventually.

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How do you like them apples?

May 9th, 2017

Winter Pearmain, a delicious apple variety, is an ancient fruit grown here in our garden under the watchful eye of Oom Anton Roux. For many years he ran his own nursery, where he propagated and grew varieties of old-fashioned gems.

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Bugs: The good, the bad & the ugly

April 11th, 2017


Some bugs are good for our gardens, some bad, says resident bug expert Arné Stander.



Some six-legged creatures are vital when ...

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Nature’s Apothecary – The Healing Garden

March 22nd, 2017

New to our garden here at Babylonstoren is the medicinal planting that includes species said or proven to cure an array of ailments. Some have been chosen for their beauty, others for historical interest, aroma or remedial qualities.

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