The Arderne Gardens, with its shady glades, romantic nooks, and Japanese-style ponds has, for generations, been a place for Capetonians to bring their children, take much cherished wedding photographs, and relax away from the increasing hubbub of city life.

The garden, thanks to the extraordinary interest and commitment of its founders, also has one of the most diverse and valuable collections of exotic trees in all of South Africa. It now officially includes one of the largest trees in South Africa, the vast Moreton Bay Fig (or Wedding Tree, as it is commonly called) and quite possibly the largest Aleppo Pine in the world. These trees, along with four others, were proudly designated Champion Trees in 2008. Today, four Champion Trees remain.

The Arderne Gardens is a South African Provincial Heritage Site as designated by the National Monument placard near the entrance. Our 5 hectares containing more than 400 trees are directly managed by the City of Cape Town.

FRIENDS OF THE ARDERNE GARDENS (FOTAG)

The Friends of the Arderne Gardens is a public benefit organization, dedicated to improving the maintenance of the Gardens and raising public awareness for this beautiful, green space.  For more information on how you can join our effort and volunteer, please see the FOTAG section of our website.

Entrance to the garden is free and we encourage visitors to make a small donation to FOTAG at the donation box by the front gate. These funds are used by FOTAG for the continued improvement and maintenance of the gardens above and beyond what the City of Cape Town provides.  If you can't visit us in person, you can also make a donation to the Friends online through GivenGain.  For more information on how we use these funds, please see the Garden Renewal page.

The activities of FOTAG are generously supported by: