“Garden areas of 50 ft. by 75 ft.”: The making of Batho as a South African “garden location” with special reference to its ornamental gardens (c. 1918–1939)

Abstract

In 1918, Batho was founded as one of South Africa’s first so-called “model locations”. In addition to sound town planning and layout, brick houses, and public amenities, Batho also became known for its “generous” plots or “garden areas of 50 ft. by 75 ft.” and the ornamental front gardens that were laid out on them. The Bloemfontein municipality’s decision to provide residents with “garden areas” was motivated by a number of reasons, most of which were of a political nature and embedded in the segregationist ideology of the time. This article discusses the “garden areas” and the gardens that were laid out on them by Batho’s gardeners. Furthermore, the article investigates the city council’s efforts to turn the “model location” into a “garden location” and the Batho gardeners’ own efforts to this effect during the period 1918–1939. The gardeners’ front gardens resembled the English-style gardens that were popular among Bloemfontein’s whites during the 1920s and 1930s. Information obtained through archival research, field work, and oral history interviews point to the gardeners’ preference for a simple formal axial garden layout enclosed by clipped hedges and often adorned with topiary. A fondness of topiary encouraged Batho’s gardeners to create hedges, edges, and a variety of other topiary styles which had gradually evolved into a style of topiary that may be described as “township topiary”. Over time “township topiary” became a tangible expression of a unique garden identity among Batho’s gardeners. Due to the processes of acculturation and intercultural influence, which involved the Dutch, British, and African cultures, Batho’s historical and present gardens are described as semi-vernacular or “hybrid”. Most gardens display an unmistakable English cottage-garden style but a distinctly African accent is also visible.