Babylonstoren

About the garden

Owned by

Karen Roos

Babylonstoren is inspired by the famed Company’s Garden in Cape Town where, during the 17th and 18th centuries, the spice fleets of the Dutch East India Company got their fruit and vegetables.

Hundreds of the plant varieties are edible or have medicinal value and the garden offers visitors the space to enjoy the natural Cape Floral Kingdom surroundings at their own leisurely pace. Orchards of abundant fruit, acres of vegetables, farm animals and a macrocosm of pollinating insects make up this botanical haven, alongside unique exhibitions and collections. Among others, these include thousands of vibrant clivias, a Succulent House with arid-adapted plants representing the unique vegetation of South Africa’s most arid regions, and an exotic cycad collection – one of the rarest plant exhibitions in the world accessible to the public.

The Spice House, Greenhouse and Healing Garden at the rear end of the formal garden harbour a variety of tropical plants. These represent the wide selection of tropical herbs and spices in South African cuisine. 
Nestled at the far end of the garden lies the Kitchen Garden. This traditional vegetable garden nurtures abundant rows of seasonal vegetables, hand-picked daily to grace the tables of Babylonstoren’s farm-to-fork restaurants.