Keith Kirsten , often called South Africa’s favorite gardener, has been a popular media personality for more than 30 years. He has informed and entertained radio and TV audiences with his booming voice and turbocharged personality. Keith Kirsten Nurseries and Garden Centres was founded in August 1978 in Pretoria, which then sprang up across Gauteng. These were the temples of South Africanism in gardening. Keith used his nurseries to popularize indigenous species and develop water-conserving varieties suited for the South African household garden, also to provide for the container gardens of the ever-increasing numbers of townhouse and cluster dwellings. Having decided to broaden his horizons beyond retail, Keith agreed to a management buyout of his Garden Centre chain (currently five stores of the original six) in March 2001.