Hurry, Up In Hogsback

Take a slow walk through a garden named Hurry.

- Anna Celliers and Roz Jordan

Many South African gardens rival the beauty of the most revered gardens around the world. The Hurry garden in Hogsback reminds us of exotic plants once loved (and maybe lost), and also of thge history in which we are rooted.

Roz and Paul Jordan, the owners of Hurry, say that their garden was originally created by John Nichols roughly 50 years ago. At the time the property was just a wattle and pine plantation, which John dug out over many years and replaced with beautiful meandering paths through swathes of spring-flowering shrubs, and misty woodland scenes created with trees from far-off continents.

John started building a cottage at the bottom of the garden, which he named Crash Cottage, for the family to ‘crash’ in while the main house was being built, which he called Hurry (probably for obvious reasons!). The Nichols family travelled widely and brought back many plants, including a variety of beautiful maples from the Far East. John planted tirelessly and worked eight hours a day until he turned 94 years old. His ashes lie beneath his most favourite rhododendron in the garden. One of Nichols’ master gardeners, Limozen Menzes, still tends the garden today!