Do you enjoy gardening or decorating your balcony with beautiful plants? Are you curious about the types of plants that do (and don’t!) grow well in the desert environment at KAUST? Would you like to learn more about native plants and botanical gardens in Saudi Arabia? Would you like to visit some nearby oases in the desert? Whether you have a green thumb or are just getting into gardening, we hope you will join the KAUST Garden Society. Membership is free and it will be a great way to meet other nature-lovers and help launch a new community club.
Monthly meetings will be organized in the Community Hub. The meeting dates are the fourth Tuesday of the month, with a break in the summer (July and August).
For most meetings we organize a speaker on a broad range of topics, such as sustainable gardening in the desert, the native plants of Saudi Arabia, the history of date palms, Cacti and Succulents, the new MBS botanical park in Riyadh, etc.
The yearly highlight is Open Gardens Day, where private gardens on campus will be opened to the community. The next Open Day is Saturday, March 11, 2023.
We also organize field trips to the greener areas of Saudi Arabia and had a great outing to a wadi in February 2023.
Saturday, March 11
2:00 - 6:30 p.m.
The KAUST Garden Society is pleased to invite the community to the second KAUST Open Gardens Day. You will have an opportunity to visit a number of beautiful private gardens on the Island that will hopefully provide inspiration for what can be achieved in your own backyard, patio, or balcony.
The gardens are all located on the Island and can be visited during the afternoon from 2:00 - 6:30 p.m. The gardens provide a good mix of approaches with regards to landscaping, types of vegetation, and maintenance. Some of the owners will be available to discuss their plantings and how they care for them.
Important note: There is no need to register. Participants can visit any of the gardens listed below any time between 2:00 - 6:30 p.m. We will provide a list of all the houses at each stop so you can take a tour of as many as you like. Please enter the gardens through the side-gates, which will be marked. To find the location of the gardens, please refer to the maps feature on the KAUSTCentral app.
Villa I-534M
A beautiful spacious garden with shaded areas provided by groups of mature Traveller’s palms and Coconut palms, and landscaped areas around a swimming pool.
Villa I-5716
A cozy garden full of surprises, with a variation of herbs grown in raised beds and fruit trees, set against the backdrop of a lovely Red Sea view.
Villa I-5725
A wonderful and meticulously maintained front garden and a shady back yard garden full of Bouganvilleas and vistas with a classic Italian touch.
Villa I-5729
This backyard is unique in that it has been transformed in a true date palm garden like oases in other parts of the country.
Villa I-5639
A spacious back yard garden with individual Cycas and trees set off against the well-maintained lawn, and two welcoming Desert roses in the front garden.
Villa I-5730
A remarkably colorful garden with sunflowers in different colors and a range of vegetables and fruit trees which do well due to the good use of fertilizers and soil improvements.
Villa I-5630 – Smart House
A minimalistic garden for a house with a modern architectural look. The vegetation contrasts well with the white pebbles. Learn more here.
Villa I-5631
A delightful palm and succulent garden with many interesting trees such as Erythrina, Parkinsonia and Tamarind. The striking features are the Royal Palms.
Any questions? Please contact the KAUST Garden Society at frans.vanbuchem@kaust.edu.sa
About the KAUST Garden Society
Do you enjoy gardening or decorating your balcony with beautiful plants? Whether you have a green thumb or are just getting into gardening, the KAUST Garden Society is a community club open to all.
There is a Community Garden in the Oasis area where allotments can be rented from the Community Life center for a fee. For more information please contact getengaged@kaust.edu.sa
If you would like to find out more about the KAUST Garden Society or want to join, please contact Frans van Buchem at frans.vanbuchem@kaust.edu.sa and/or turn up at our monthly meetings.
If you are interested to open your garden for the next Open Garden Day, please contact one of the committee members.
Secretary
Ida Phillips
Treasurer
Christopher Clarke
