GardenAfrica, Chelsea Flower Show 2006
main view of the garden
SILVER-GILT MEDAL
GardenAfrica is an established non-governmental organisation, UK registered charity and MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY partner. It was created to develop and support a wide-ranging programme of garden related projects aimed at overcoming poverty & malnutrition in communities across sub-Saharan Africa. They are working to promote appropriate social plant use to enhance community development, the use of plants relevant to community needs, be it for food, medicine, craft and/or building materials - with the most sustainable use of available resources.
GardenAfrica projects promote practical solutions emphasising the value of integrating traditional systems of land management and food production as a means of addressing vulnerability and stimulating locally driven economic development. GardenAfrica is developing a 10 hectare community-based nursery to conserve indigenous medicinal plants & train local traders in sustainable harvesting techniques to ensure that these resources remain available to communities who depend on them to mitigate the effects of secondary infections associated with HIV/AIDS. The Royal Botanical Gardens Kew is an important project partner and will oversee training with local partners, employing its extensive expertise to transfer skills in efficacy & quality control of medicinal products. This project has received a significant funding commitment from the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, through its Darwin Initiative.
Implemented in partnership with Ross Allan Designs, the show garden was a representation of GardenAfrica’s partnership project with Kew, and was based on GardenAfrica’s comprehensive training manual which integrates HIV related nutrition, cultivation & sustainable resource management – designed with its African training partner, Zimbabwean John Nzira to identify local solutions. John made his first trip to the UK to assist with the build of the Show garden. With its direct correlation to the work on the ground, it was intended that the Show garden raise awareness of GardenAfrica’s work adjacent to schools, clinics and hospitals in the townships and rural communities, in order to grow & support programmes across Southern Africa and beyond.
The garden illustrated multi-use planting & intercropping to promote effective soil management – including fodder, medicinals (including anti-HIV properties), composting, food, soil stabilising and companion planting for natural deterrence, shade and wind breaks, vermiculture and grey water re-use, with a representation of a township dwelling providing the essential human context. Essentially every plant in the garden had a use and all other materials were reclaimed where possible.
Many of the South African species were generously loaned by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and the Eden Project, Cornwall where the garden will be rebuilt as a permanent educational and working resource in their new Dry Tropics Biome when it is completed.
Plant List
- Acacia karroo
- Acacia nigrescens
- Achillea millefolium
- Alchemilla ellenbeckii
- Alfalfa bulbine frutescens
- Allium sativum
- Allium schoenoprasum
- Aloe arborescens
- Aloe bainesii
- Aloe ciliaris
- Aloe commixta
- Aloe excelsa
- Aloe mariothii
- Aloe plicatilis
- Artemesia afra
- Askidiosperma chartaceum
- Asparagus retrofractis
- Borago officinalis
- Calopsis paniculata
- Carpobrotus edulis
- Centella asiatica
- Chamaemelum nobile
- Cotyledon orbiculata
- Crassula arborescens
- Crassula ovata
- Chondropetalum tectorus
- Erica canaliculata
- Erigeron karvinkianus
- Harpaphyllum kaffra
- Hyssopus officinalis
- Lettuce sp.
- Levisticum officinale
- Maize/ Sweetcorn:
- Flint corn type - 'Rouge d'Astarac'
- Dent corn type 'Painted Mountain'
- Melissa officinalis
- Mentha pulegium
- Ocimum basilicum
- Olea europaea africana
- Pelargonium betulinum
- Pelargonium papilonaceum
- Pelargonium peltatum
- Plectranthus afra barbatus
- Plectranthus afra barbatus grandis
- Plectranthus cylindraceus
- Plectranthus saccatus lonitubus
- Plectranthus afra hadiensis
- Plectranthus cylindraceus
- Plectranthus zuluensis
- Portulacaria afra
- Restio bifarius
- Rhodocoma capensis
- Rhodocoma gigantea
- Rocket sp
- Rosmarinus officinale
- Rumex acetosa
- Salvia officinalis
- Solanum crispum
- Sorghum 'Black'
- Sorghum 'Rox Orange'
- Sutherlandia frutescens
- Symphytum officinale
- Tagetes erecta
- Tanacetum vulgare
- Thamnochortus cinerus
- Thamnochortus insignis
- Thamnochortus spicigerus
- Trifolium pratense
- Trifolium repens
- Tropaelum majus
- Urtica dioica
- Veteveria zizanioides