From One Generation To The Next

The Van Loveren gardens are a testimony to the Retief family’s passion and dedication over the decades.

- Marie Esterhuyse

Nico and Shan Retief, their son Bussell and his wife Anne-Marie all live side by side on theVan Loveren family farm, where their two gardens are as good as one.

“Our garden and Bussell’s garden blend into one,” says Shan. “Ours was already 65 years old when I moved here.

“My mom-in-law Jean started her garden in 1939 after she married my father-in-law Hennie. About five years before she passed away in December 2002, my sister-in-law Penny and I took over the garden. After her death, Nico and I moved into the main house and planted a Cape chestnut in memory of Jean and Hennie because that’s what we do here – we plant trees to commemorate people and important occasions,” she says.

Although the garden has been passed down from generation to generation, each one developing and beautifying it during their time, it retains its original identity. “Each new generation may try to improve it but no one wants to change it,” says Shan. “It has a slightly updated look but we want the garden to be true to what it was in the early years when Jean created it.”

There is plenty of shade in the garden, due to the many large trees, with the hydrangeas beneath them a sight to behold in December. There are also fuchsias, tree ferns, clivias, camellias and the aptly named bloodleaf with its red foliage.