Anyone who has visited Coffee Time in Breda Street, Cape Town, during August will recall the beauty of the tranquil garden with its stunning display of clivia flowers. (Not that the garden doesn’t look wonderful at other times of the year, mind you!)
While many have admired the beautiful garden, few people know that one person has been the driving force behind its creation and continued beauty for almost 40 years — something we reported on in our June 2021 edition. 98-year-old Hilda Shenker is the brains and hard work behind this hidden gem that provides a peaceful spot within what is a fairly dense urban environment not far from the city centre.
When Hilda came to live in Cape Town in 1985 — moving into a flat in Sea Point — she left behind a magnificent garden at her home in Waterkloof, Pretoria. A passionate gardener who’d built up a huge amount of knowledge and developed a keen gardener’s eye, it would have been a waste of wonderful talent had Hilda not had the opportunity to apply her gardening skills elsewhere. And so, it was fortuitous that she met the late Sara Pascall, a well-known figure within Cape Town’s Jewish community. Sara encouraged Hilda to establish a garden on a barren piece of ground that forms part of the Astra property.
Today, when one admires this beautiful, well-established garden, it’s difficult to imagine that it was once just a dust bowl with no plants growing on it. “There were no funds available at the time to build up the garden,” Hilda explains. “We needed to replace soil and dig in large amounts of compost to restore the soil before we could begin planting, so we embarked on a project to make our own compost — which was quite a job! And, luckily, I got a big load of compost from the Mount Nelson Hotel which had offered free compost to anyone keen to take it.”
Relying on donations of plants, the garden has grown over the years into a splendid spot, serving as an attractive addition to Coffee Time, a restaurant which was the vision of former Director of Astra Merle Furman. It’s the perfect venue for a small function, especially when the weather is good. With the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Coffee Time property, one is able to enjoy the garden even when sitting inside.
For many years, Hilda was helped in the garden by Astra employee, Zolani Hlathi, whom Hilda describes as, “a beautiful human being.” Zolani is now unfortunately unable to assist with the gardening work because of a physical disability, so Hilda’s carer, Alida Botha, is now part of the dynamic gardening team.
Alida thoroughly enjoys the weekly visits to the garden. “I learned about growing vegetables as a child from my grandmother, so I developed a passion for the garden many years ago,” she says.
Hilda’s son, David, attributes his mother’s good health at such an advanced age to the garden. “She used to work in the garden every day, and now she continues there every week. This has given her a purpose in life. And the bending, carrying, digging, and many other physical tasks have certainly kept her body strong and healthy.”
Best wishes to Hilda on her 98th birthday — which she celebrated on 19 April. We look forward to seeing you direct the operations in the garden for the next 98 years!
The brainchild of the former Executive Director of Astra, Merle Furman, Coffee Time opened in 2000. Merle explains: “I stood next to the old shed in what was essentially a dry yard and saw the most beautiful view of Table Mountain. It was at that moment that I realised that we could make use of the wonderful location of Astra’s building for a small coffee shop.” With the support of the Astra Executive Committee, the idea grew and eventually Coffee Time was born. In addition to serving as a very pleasant meeting place for members of the public, the coffee shop provides a workshop experience for some of the staff with disabilities, who work there as waiters and who learn about the catering industry.
The coffee shop is located in what was the original stoep of the Astra building. It is closed in with glass walls, which allows for visitors to enjoy the magnificent views of the garden.
Hilda and Alida share their gardening tips
• You must have passion for your garden to turn it into a success
• Be prepared to work hard to get rewards
• Throw a rotten lemon into an unused bit of ground and wait. You may well see small lemon trees coming up after a while. Plant those out once they are big enough
• When you cut a green pepper, save the pips. Put the pips onto a tissue and cover with another tissue. Keep the tissue moist. New pepper plants will sprout; transfer each plant into a garden pot — and enjoy the fruit of your labour.
• Published in the May 2024 issue – Click here to start reading.
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