Zandvlei Trust members will be overseeing the planting of an indigenous garden along the pavement opposite the Lakeside Centre on Main Road, Lakeside, on Saturday June 25, at 9.30am.
They are inviting everyone to join them and Endangered Wildlife Trust’s drylands conservation programme, called Bossies, which will be supplying the Strandveld-specific plants.
The trust, a not-for-profit organisation, planted an extensive indigenous garden opposite the Lakeside Centre around 20 years ago, complete with paths, benches and drinking fountains. Since then it has grown into a mini forest. “But it has suffered numerous setbacks including vandalism, regular digging up by the City’s roads and other departments and one incident when a large car careened off the road and ploughed through the wooden fence and across the garden,” said Zandvlei Trust committee member Martin Struthmann.
He said the planting was one of several efforts by the trust to rejuvenate the garden.
Trust chairperson David Bristow said residents might have noticed over the past few months people cutting out some of the dense undergrowth where vagrants had taken up residence. “We’re excited to be teaming up with Bossies to supply water-wise plants, as one of our initiatives to bring the garden back to the people and the people back to the garden,” said Dr Bristow.
Members of the public who cannot attend the big planting can sponsor a plant at R30 each, which will be supplied by Bossies. The trust runs the fynbos nursery on the western side of Zandvlei, adjacent to The Lookout community centre. It is also behind the fynbos circles that are cropping up next to the Zanvlei nursery, the Tokai-Constantia greenbelt and the Diep River.
“With support from the Zandvlei Trust, Bossies has a dream of creating indigenous sidewalks all around the greater Zandvlei area,” said Dr Bristow.
Zandvlei Trust has been caring for the vlei since 1988 with regular clean-ups, managing litter nets at the Sand River mouth, installing wire litter monsters at Thesen’s Bridge – with more planned, plus environmental education programmes, community engagement and planting community gardens.
If you would like to join the planting, take gardening tools. There will be a food cart on site. For more details about the trust or to make a donation, email eardstapper@gmail.com
