Just What The Doctor Ordered

A Disprin administered at the right time is one of Dr Benk’s secret weapons in his garden.

- Marié Esterhuyse

What was once part of an apple farm is now a dream garden in the heart of George. “We bought the house in 1994,” says Desmond (Benk) Benkenstein, referring to the property where he and his wife Philda also run the Fairview Homestead guesthouse.

When the Benkensteins took ownership 25 years ago, the house (which dates back to 1861) was sorely neglected with hardly any garden. So the couple embarked on a year-long restoration project. “This gave me more than enough time to plan the garden and prepare the soil properly before we moved in. I started planting trees, including American sweet gum, Japanese maples, a copper beech, an indigenous pompon tree and a beautiful river indigo.”

Benk laid out the beds, created a large vegetable garden and, after much hard work, created a truly impressive space. “I still practice full time as a medical doctor, so I find gardening clears my head. There’s no time to go to the gym or play golf. In summer, I put in an hour’s gardening before work and sometimes two hours after work, if the weather plays along. Steven Kanyada is my right-hand man. He works in the garden three days a week, which is a great help.”

Benk’s love of gardening stems from his childhood. “I was one of six brothers. My dad was in the forestry industry and always had a vegetable garden. My mother established a beautiful garden wherever we lived, despite having only limited funds available. Today, my brothers, like me, still love gardening and growing veggies!”

1 The veggie garden