‘Let a thousand flowers bloom’

Writer: Elaine Davie.

Chairman Mao might have been aiming these words directly at a local son of the soil who has devoted his entire adult life to the creation of beautiful gardens. His name is Graham (Charlie) Felix. For almost 30 years he has been the Head Gardener at the Fynbos Park Retirement Village in Hermanus, bringing peace and joy to the hearts of generations of elderly residents, while his wife Veronica has tended to their physical needs for the past 18 years as a cleaner.

In his family’s small house in Grassy Park when he was growing up, there was no space for flowers, but when his brother-in-law got him a job at a nursery in Diep River, it was love at first sight for Charlie. In the 11 years he worked there, he learnt every plant’s common name – in English and Afrikaans – as well as its botanical name. He learnt how to care for them and how to eliminate pests, and he learnt about pruning and propagating and landscaping. But happy as he was to have his hands in the soil from morning to night and to see his flowers bloom, he and Veronica were worried. The Cape Flats were not a safe place to bring up their six children.

Dean Salies (maintenance), Charlie Felix (head gardener), Dennis Ndinisa (assistant gardener) and, behind them, Charlie’s wife, Veronica (cleaner). Charlie has worked at Fynbos Park for 26 years and Veronica for 17 years.

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