Autumn majesty at Tokara Rare Plant Fair and Open Garden

Art in Tokara Autumn Garden photo by Obie Oberholzer.

Experience Tokara in all its autumn finery when this acclaimed Stellenbosch family wine and olive estate, established on the gentle foothills of the Simonsberg, presents the annual Rare Plant Fair and opens its private farm gardens for public enjoyment on Saturday, 20 April 2024.

Tokara Rare Plant Fair

 For one day only, a tented Farmyard transforms and comes alive with diverse offerings from Rare Plant Fair vendors showcasing a wide selection of indigenous and exotic plants intended to delight both avid gardeners and plant admirers alike. Delicious meaty and vegetarian nourishment and refreshments alongside Tokara wine and olive products will sustain visitors at the Farmyard and offer a respite from sourcing that one elusive rare plant.

Tokara Rare Plant fair

 The extensive farm gardens offer their own rare treats. Meandering the rolling garden walks dotted with magnificent sculptures by local artists, visitors will have the  pleasure of exploring the dedicated oasis of indigenous plants, discovering the climbing terraces of the picking garden, the rising path at the wetlands, and the babbling mountain stream dipping down the hill into a soothing lily pond. Bordering the tranquil farm dam the enchanting textural cork oak forest walk offers glimpses of the vast sloping Big Lawn dominated by Dionysus, a massive stone man at rest, and at his back, the Boat House hovering at the water’s edge.

The rarest experience will surely be the unique and extraordinary Adamastor Moss Garden nestled into the hilly surrounds near the Boat House. The past two years have seen the remarkable integration of local sandstone, granite, indigenous mosses and fynbos in the ever-evolving Adamastor Moss Garden. The latest addition of carefully selected Paarl granite, hand-chiselled into beautiful pieces of art and rectangular and linear forms, creates a kaleidoscope of muted hues and textures. With the masonry of hewn stone lintels that frame the garden just completed, visitors to this enchanted refuge can experience the true beauty and quietude reminiscent of a Japanese-inspired South African landscape.

Visitors meandering the garden walks can enjoy a picnic delight on the Big Lawn. Pre-ordered Rare Fare Picnic Boxes prepared by the Tokara Delicatessen can be collected at the Boat House (about 400m downhill from the Farmyard). Sumptuous local delights in the adults’ Picnic Box for 2 @ R495 include a bottle of pre-selected Tokara wine and a Child’s Box @ R150 includes snack bites, juice and a game. The Rare Fare Picnic Boxes can only be pre-ordered via email at projects@tokara.com and be collected at the Boat House on the day.

• Date:            Saturday, 20 April 2024

• Time:            08h00 – 16h00

• Tickets:         R50 per adult payable on the day at the farm gate, no pre-booking.

• Food, drinks and seating available at the Farmyard on the day, but Picnic Boxes for the Boat House/Big Lawn area must pre-booked and paid for by emailing projects@tokara.com

• Venue:          Tokara Wine and Olive Farm, Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch

• Contact:        opengarden@tokara.com  For more information, visit www.rareplantfair.co.za or email info@rareplantfair.co.za