A Second Chance

The historic Johnman garden in Stellenbosch has been restored to its former glory; look what’s been done and be inspired to revive overgrown areas in your own garden.

- Marie Esterhuyse

In Herte Street in the heart of old Stellenbosch lies a garden bigger and more beautiful than you could imagine.

And it’s largely thanks to the legacy left behind by Dorothy Johnman who, upon her death in 1995, bequeathed her house and garden to be preserved for posterity.

The restoration of the garden began about five years ago. In the early days, properties in the central part of Stellenbosch boasted huge gardens. Unfortunately, most of them had to make way for developments but the Johnman garden is one of the few that still exists. Its preservation is thus vital, as it tells the story of this historic part of Stellenbosch.

Local landscaper Pietman Diener was involved in the restoration of the garden from the get-go, while Paula Raubenheimer, who lives on the property, takes care of the day-to-day maintenance, ably assisted by two workers.

“The garden was overgrown and sorely neglected,” says Pietman. “There were numerous self-sown trees, the fruit trees were old and many of the roses for which the garden was known, had disappeared over the years.

“We decided to restore the garden to its former glory – and because of the home’s Victorian architecture, we initially looked at gardens from this era to see what needed to be done. In the end, however, we didn’t strictly adhere to that time period but rather transformed the garden into a green paradise, as Dorothy was a true plant and flower enthusiast.”

Pietman and his team retained most of the original trees, cutting them back to expose the framework of the garden. The self-sown trees were felled to let in more light.