A Karoo Oasis

Antiques and dcor accessories have been used in myriadways to add interest to this Prince Albert garden.

- Marié Esterhuyse

After a trip through the Gamkaskloof Valley, also known as Die Hel, Liesl Loubser and her husband Cobus Wessels arrived in the small town of Prince Albert for lunch.

“I fell in love with this beautiful Karoo town! On the way out, I convinced Cobus to stop at the museum and, lo and behold, there was a photograph of my grandfather Petrus van der Merwe Erasmus as a teenager in the Prince Albert rugby team. This connection to my family prompted us to look for property in the town. And that’s where it all began,” says Liesl.

In 2015, the couple purchased an old house dating back to 1904 as well as the plot behind it. “We spent two years carefully restoring the house under the watchful eye of our local architect Kurt Buss and, of course, the Western Cape and Prince Albert Heritage Committees. I really enjoyed doing research for the project and locating antique and vintage furniture and accessories for the house and garden.”

Looking for inspiration, Liesl visited a local garden cared for by Shaun van der Walt, deputy headmaster of Zwartberg High School.

She loved what he’d done and together they started planning how to transform her neglected, overgrown garden into the paradise it is today. In the process, they tried to preserve as much of the original character of the old garden as possible with its orange, lemon, apricot, peach, naartjie and big olive trees. Although these trees no longer bear fruit due to years of neglect, they still contribute to the old-world feel of the garden.

[NO STONE UNTURNED...]

Stone from the surrounding areas was used to build low walls and create raised beds. These beds provide different levels in the garden and give it a more spacious feel. From the vantage point of the stoep, the stone walls appear to add height to the garden.