Durbanville Rose Garden opens for volunteer winter pruning

13 July 2026

Residents can join the City’s horticultural team for volunteer winter pruning at the Durbanville Rose Garden from 13 to 17 July, between 09:00 and 15:00 daily. The public invitation follows the City’s Winter Rose Pruning Workshop this weekend, where residents and gardening enthusiasts learned practical techniques for pruning and maintaining healthy roses at one of the City's most iconic public gardens.

Established in 1979, the 3.5-hectare Durbanville Rose Garden contains approximately 4 500 rose bushes. Winter pruning helps prepare the roses for healthy growth and flowering during the rose season, which typically runs from October to May.

Held during the winter dormancy period, the workshop highlighted the importance of seasonal pruning in supporting healthy growth and flowering during the rose season, which typically runs from October to May.

Through practical demonstrations and interactive sessions, participants learned pruning techniques, soil preparation, fertilisation, seasonal maintenance and responsible pest management that can be applied in home gardens.

The programme featured presentations by the City's horticultural specialists and industry experts on a range of topics, including rose selection, pruning techniques for different growth types, preparing and improving soil, seasonal rose care, garden care products and responsible pest management. A hands-on pruning session gave participants the opportunity to practise the techniques under expert guidance.

The garden is a valued community asset and a popular destination for visitors, while also serving as an important public green space maintained by the Recreation and Parks Department.

‘The Durbanville Rose Garden is a much-loved community space, and this is a practical opportunity for residents to learn from our horticultural team while helping us care for it. With approximately 4 500 rose bushes across 3.5 hectares, winter pruning is an important undertaking, and I encourage residents to join the volunteer programme from 13 to 17 July. Along with the Winter Rose Pruning Workshop, this forms part of the Recreation and Parks Department's ongoing commitment to promoting environmental awareness, sharing horticultural knowledge and encouraging communities to appreciate and care for Cape Town's public green spaces,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.

Residents can participate in volunteer winter pruning at the Durbanville Rose Garden from 13 to 17 July, between 09:00 and 15:00 daily.

Volunteers are welcome to simply walk in and register at the facility to participate.

For any enquiries, they may also contact the Facility Officer, Unati Matiwane, at Unati.Matiwane@capetown.gov.za.

 

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office