Errol Scarr who was Director of Parks, Recreation and Beaches in the Durban Municipality from 1982 to 1992 was very supportive of the formation of a Trust of the Durban Botanic Gardens. He wanted to ensure that the Gardens met the needs of the community well into the future and therefore Trustees who had the passion to maintain the important horticultural elements of this historical botanical garden were appointed.

The current Executive Director of Parks, Recreation and Leisure is Mr Thembinkosi Ncgobo. The present Curator, Christopher Dalzell who took over from Ken Wyman in 1996, is dedicated to the maintenance and development of the Gardens and strives to ensure the Gardens, which are the oldest surviving botanical garden in Africa, will remain a heritage garden equal to any other internationally recognised botanical garden.

The Trust was formed in 1993 and in 1994 the Friends of the Durban Botanic Gardens was formed as the fundraising arm of the Trust.

So enthusiastic were the first Trustees to fund raise, that even prior to the formation of the Friends, they undertook several projects.

Two publications were written by Trustees - one on Exotic Trees of Durban by Louis Paola and the other The New History of the Durban Botanic Gardens researched and written by Prof Donal McCracken, the first Chairman of the Trust, and who is still today a Trustee.

Since 1993 various functions have been arranged to either generate interest or income for the Gardens. These functions included plant fairs, several Teddy Bears’ Picnics, The Sparrows Breakfast for Members of the Friends, promotions in shopping malls, a soiree, art exhibitions, a national sculpture competition, a fun run, an Open Gardens competition on the Berea and a demonstration of South American musical instruments.

Fundraising projects are now an integral part of the entertainment calendar of the Gardens.

The Music at the Lake Concerts started in 1995 with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, funded by Nedbank. Ten concerts per year were held at the beautiful lake area in the gardens offering one of the best outdoor concert venues. These concerts have now grown in popularity and the performers now include several of South Africa’s top rock bands. They represent a major part of the funds raised by the Friends.

Children’s theatre is a popular form of entertainment which has been performed in the Gardens for the last fifteen years during school holidays. Plays are written and directed by highly talented local actors and are adapted to reflect local elements in the storyline or traditional dress. Children as young as three through to twelve year olds enthusiastically participate and jeer the villains. The success of these plays encouraged the Friends to build a permanent amphitheatre in the upper section of the Gardens which was part funded by the Trust and the Council. It is anticipated that the design of the space is suitable not only for children’s theatre but also for lectures, musical presentations and a meeting place for guided walks through the Gardens.

Educational lectures take place in the Visitors Complex but this venue is fully utilised for corporate functions, demonstrations, weddings, lectures, musical recitals and many more.

The Visitors Complex is the single largest project undertaken by the Trust and comprises a gift shop, an information centre, a small boardroom and a 200 seater hall. Funding came from funds raised through the Music at the Lake concerts, the corporate sector and the City Council.

2000 saw the first Durban Botanic Gardens calendar consisting of original artwork done by botanical artists in KwaZulu Natal, was printed and sold by the Friends. In all 5 editions of this calendar have been sold through bookstores or tourist outlets.

Other projects which have been funded by the Trust include a new roof for the Orchid House, the development of The Garden of Senses, the redevelopment of the Fern Dell, two wooden viewing decks over looking the top area of the Gardens and upgrading the pathways around the Gardens.

The Gardens with the help of the Trust continues to offer a diverse range of education programmes. These include curriculum-based hands-on learning programmes for schools designed to encourage learning about the value of plants, the importance of biodiversity. School environmental festival days are organised, with specific emphasis on disadvantaged schools, for key national environmental weeks such as Environment Week in June, Arbor Week in September and Weedbuster Week in October. Over 4000 school learners benefit from these programmes annually.

The Trust also offers a range of public lectures by plant and environmental experts. These have included our annual Star Party, Climate Change Forum Evenings and traditional food workshops as well as other interesting topics such as Gardening For Climate Change. Learning about plants never stops.

The future of the Durban Botanic Gardens is both an exciting and meaningful one. Our Garden Window Project will transform the Gardens into a multipurpose service hub promoting the range of services that plants and horticulture provides people. Plants are intimately connected to our livelihood. Given the current concern about food and the impacting rising cost of fuel, the production of locally grown organic food is going to become more of an issue for South Africans across the board. As a botanic garden, we are well placed to help develop practical solutions to more sustainable ways of producing food. We are currently developing a new permaculture training garden that we plan to have ready by the end of the year.

The Friends and the Trust are committed to finding new and innovative ways to fundraise to ensure that the Durban Botanic Gardens continue to be a centre of excellence for all things horticultural as well as an important tourist attraction and a place of peace and tranquillity for the citizens of Durban.

July 2008