A Natural Treasure in the Heart of Westlake
This garden was started by members of the Zandvlei Trust in 1999. It is situated on Main Road, opposite the Lakeside shopping complex and adjoins the Greater Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve. Prior to that the area was overgrown with alien invasive plants and used as a general dumping tip site. If you trawl our archives pages (see: People/Geoff Baily and Una Hartley among others) you’ll find news posts from that time.
The original idea was to draw attention to the Wetlands and Zandvlei in particular. Many passing motorists, then and now, do not realise there is a large water body lying just beyond the garden, which provides a variety of amenities for recreation. It also happens to be the most important estuary on False Bay.
The garden is the result of a working partnership with the City of Cape Town, local businesses and the Zandvlei Trust. The aim of this project was to create an attractive indigenous garden, free from invasive plants and litter. Also to provide a recreational area (walkies!) and an attractive window at the edge of the Westlake Wetlands.
Over the years the garden did so well it became mostly a dense thicket of dune tick-berry (Searsia/Rhus), bietou (Osteospermum/Chrysanthemoides) and other indigenous plants that clearly thrived in their natural Sandveld habitat. And then water rational around 1015, followed by Covid in 2019, dealt it near-fatal blows.
First, the free municipal water for the installed drip-irrigation was cut off. Then, due largely to the concealment it provided, it became a refuge for vagrants including homeless and drug addicts. Over time the irrigation system was ripped up (partly by Council workers doing road repairs), water fountains ripped out, benches vandalised an in cases used for firewood. In short, the place became unfit for polite use.
In 2023 the Trust decided to embark on a campaign to “regain the garden”. We organised numerous first-Saturday hacking events, but it soon became clear these occasional efforts by members alone would not be sufficient to turn back the vegetational tide. That was when we applied for and were granted a generous donation from the Roland and Leta Hill Trust, to facilitate regular work here as well as some other indigenous gardens in our area.
With these funds we engaged the services of BOSSIES (Biodiversity On Suburban Sidewalks for Indigenous Ecosystem Sanctuaries), an associate venture of FynbosLife which was, incidentally, founded by Trust members in years past. Staring work proper in late 2023, the first of five sections of the garden was cleared and a new vision of the indigenous garden implemented. Three planting Saturdays were attended by community members across the social and age spectrum.
By late 2024 this first section of the new, mostly flowering plants, had taken root, followed by some heavy weeding sessions that were needed to remove the sudden eruption of grasses that had lain dormant for many years. Since then, head BOSSIES gardener Helen Mitchell has identified the natural emergence of some fabulous indigenous plants, including numerous individuals of Disa xxxxxxxx [I’ll send when I get name]
The new, open garden section can clearly be seen, shouldered by still impenetrable fynbos bush. In 2025 work should commence on reclaiming an adjacent section, and so on each year until the entire garden is indeed reclaimed for we the people and our fellow creatures.
Our efforts to carry on this unique indigenous garden established over 30 years ago are only possible with your support. Help us continue this vital work.