Plants, in all their diversity, play a starring role in the 13 designer gardens, as well as in the 2010 Kirstenbosch-South Africa Chelsea Exhibit, 9 children's gardens and educational exhibits by Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the University of South Africa (UNISA), the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden and Rand Water.

The Spring Festival is a showcase for Gauteng’s up and coming landscapers and this year’s participants include Craig de Necker of the Friendly Plant, Paul Webber of Engender Gardens, and Rose Vermeulen and Bernadine Drath of Indigo Landscape Design. The aim is to show that gardening is still all about plants and how effectively plants can be used in groupings and combinations.

There will also be a designer herb and vegetable garden by Caro Sabbagha of Room to Grow. This is the second year that Caro is participating in the Spring Festival.

The Kirstenbosch-South Africa Chelsea Exhibit which this year won a silver medal is an annual highlight. The theme of this year’s exhibit celebrates “Biodiversity as the VARIETY OF LIFE” and it displays several of the different vegetation types in four of our main regions; the Cape Floral Kingdom, the sub-tropical forests, the succulents of the desert and Karoo and the aloes, grasses and bulbs of the savanna grassland areas.

There are more children’s gardens than ever before with 9 schools taking part. The Spring Festival programme also features a number of events just for children such as Cup Cake Making on Saturday 14 August, and making your Spring "Mr Grass Head" & Pot Painting on Saturday August 21.

Music is on the programme with concerts by the National Eisteffod Academy (NEA) and the popular “In Tune with Nature’ with maestro Richard Cock and Tanya Visser, sponsored by Mayford seeds on Saturday August 28. This is followed by the Grand Finale Concert on Sunday 5 September with Lianie May and Gerhard Steyn.

Other events will be a morning in the company of Margaret Roberts devoted to ‘Delectable Healthy Food’, a table setting demonstration by the Gauteng Flora Union, the ‘Romance of Roses’ by Ludwig Taschner, a workshop on how to mosaic a garden pot with Lizette Jonker, and a  Miss Earth Tree Planting event to mark Arbor Week.

Entrance to the Designer Gardens & the Chelsea Exhibit is R20 per person, Senior Citizens R10 & children under 12 years Free.

For more information on the festival contact Magriet / Corné on 011 957 2545 / 011 956 3003 or 083 997 6142 or visit www.gardenworld.co.za