• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate

Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate

Lifestyle properties for sale | Port Elizabeth, SA

Listings
  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Golf course
    • Wildlife
    • Recreation centre
    • Activities
    • Gallery
    • Around the estate
  • Golf club
    • About
    • Fees & membership
    • Hole-by-hole
    • Club news
  • Properties for sale
    • Overview
    • Listings
    • Architecture
    • Sales documents
  • News
  • Contact
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Beauty comes naturally at Sardinia Bay estate

October 1, 2021 by Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate

The Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate proves that there’s so much more to an indigenous garden than just succulents and spekboom.

Situated in the Sardinia Bay Nature Reserve in Gqeberha, the 100ha lifestyle estate forms part of 320ha of protected coastal forest thicket.

Its location in a conservation area, combined with its reputation as an eco-friendly community, requires the estate and its residents to abide by strict vegetation rules.

As per the directive from the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs – and reinforced by the estate’s own rules – only plants that occur naturally in the Sardinia Bay area may be grown to protect and nurture the region’s natural heritage.

Jane Robertson is a resident who moved from Johannesburg six years ago.

“In the highveld, there’s no wind and no shortage of water, making it a gardener’s paradise”, she says.

But when she moved to the Eastern Cape, she learnt that conditions were vastly different from the subtropical climate of her home city. However, that did not stop her from sprouting a passion for indigenous plants.

Now warmly known as the estate’s resident “botanist”, Jane is eager to assist neighbours with the dos and don’ts of growing an environmentally friendly garden – and for good reason.

Flora at Sardinia Bay estate
The Robertson family are passionate about indigenous plants. Which is why their garden is full of them.

“Invasive plants absorb a lot of water and make conditions for indigenous plants difficult. They steal their sunlight, remove the goodness from the soil and can take over huge areas of land.”

She says certain alien species also pose a significant fire risk. Rooikrans, for example, is regarded as a serious hazard as it burns hotter and longer than indigenous plants, accelerating the spread of wildfires.

Although residents may plant exotic plants in pots, their seeds must be harvested before they are pollinated by the wind, says Jane.

“Indigenous plants do so well here. You don’t need to beg them to grow; they cope well and are fairly drought and wind resistant.”

She says residents also need to consider planting flowers and shrubs that the free-roaming springbok, impala and other wildlife do not find too appetising. The menu includes a comprehensive list of 900 estate-friendly plants.

A chip and a putt down the road lives Nina Robertson, another of the estate’s green-fingered “ambassadors”.

She has a passion for landscaping and, together with her interest in macro photography, creates and captures nature’s wonders in beautiful detail.

“When we sold our property of 35 years and moved to the estate my husband and I started traveling and we took up birdwatching as a hobby.

“That evolved into nature photography and now I photograph mostly birds, butterflies and bees.”

Nina’s bird and bee-friendly garden is home to healthy Cape honeysuckle, an indigenous shrub with flaming red and orange nectar-rich flowers. It occurs naturally along the western and eastern coast and can tolerate a lack of water, she explains.

Also blossoming in her garden is the September bush, identified by its purple to white flowers. The evergreen plant has non-invasive roots and is best suited to coastal gardens.

Agapanthus, wood iris and plumbago bush are just a few of the other home-grown species which add softness and colour to Nina’s garden.

“The beauty of an indigenous garden is that it’s low maintenance. Plants that grow naturally in the region are already acclimatised to local weather and soil conditions.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Flora, Indigenous plants, Sardinia Bay Golf and Wildlife Estate

Arrange a viewing

If you're game, Alan or Leon will drive you through the estate.

Contact them now

Copyright © 2025 · Content creation & website development by Full Stop Communications · Privacy Policy

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT