Breakfast with Celebrity James Barry Slabbert- A GUN, A BIBLE & A PACKET OF SEEDS

James Barry Slabbert

A multidisciplinary artist and garden designer with over 20 years’ experience creating distinctive gardens across South Africa. Combining artistic vision with botanical knowledge, he designs immersive spaces that feel personal and deeply connected to nature. Trained at the Lifestyle School of Garden Design in Johannesburg, Barry also gained hands-on nursery experience before establishing his career. Now based in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, he continues his garden and art projects while helping run the family business. A dedicated plantsman, Barry grows and breeds rare and unusual plants and has a lifelong passion for roses. He is Chairman of the Midlands Rose Society, serves on the committee of the Heritage Rose Society of South Africa, and regularly speaks at garden clubs and societies around the country. His work uniquely blends painting, sculpture and plantsmanship to create beautiful, resilient gardens that feel like living works of art.