Curator’s Review December 2011

I don’t know about you, but I can certainly feel the holiday spirit in the air. It is now the 14/12 as I sit here writing this newsletter and I await, with trepidation, the “Vaalie onslaught” (no offence to any up landers) we are about to receive. I think it’s because I am a big nature-lover that I often feel somewhat peeved when the beaches are left littered, all the fish are caught and the forests a bit more trampled. On the other side of the coin the boost to our economy is beneficial and so, falling in with the holiday spirit I would wish all holiday makers well, the Gardens for one will certainly benefit from an influx of visitors.
It’s been a super busy summer season and as always it’s a challenge to try and beat the weeds. We have had wonderful rain and sun and everything is growing well. Visitor numbers are up and the comments have been positive. In fact I truly believe that the GRBG is fast-moving into a new era – an era of growth and prosperity. I for one would like to express my sincere gratitude to our predecessors for laying the foundations on which we are building now.
As always it is a privilege for me to reminisce and comment on the events and happening in the gardens over the last few months. I hope you will enjoy reading this news- letter as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
May you all have a beautiful Christmas filled with fun, family, friends and fabulousness

Dayne de Wet

Geranium or Pelargonium? (For what’s in a name?)
Ever commented on the beautiful Geraniums adorning the streets and windowsills of Town? Well if so, then you would probably be guilty of a misnomer. Or so explained Doreen Court (somewhat a fundi on the subject) at an informative tea time talk held at the Moriarty. As a matter of interest; we have very few true Geraniums in the area and they are generally non-descript looking when compared to their oft flamboyantly “painted” cousins, the Pelargoniums. In short, ninety nine percent of the time what you are seeing is a Pelargonium. This is an absolutely amazing group of plants which shows startling diversity and spectacular range of colour. We thank you Doreen for sharing of your passion for this family of plants with us. Interested in giving a short talk or demo? Or are you keen on learning about a particular topic? Then contact us with your ideas!

New Event Venue
It is little secret that The Garden is in need of funding. Through the years this has always been our biggest plight and we are continuously exploring funding opportunities. It was decided that the Garden itself needed to create avenues of continuous income through its operations. We thus funded the erection of the old gazebo roof which stood in York Street. This was quite a challenge as the structure weighs almost four tons and is a very cumbersome object. This venue will be used for music concerts, weddings and the like.

1) Obtain huge crane truck 2) Attach to crane via Slings 3) Place on specially manufactured trailer

4) Slowly place Superstructure on structure ............ 5) Bask in Sun

Weeds Forum and Tree planting

The Weeds Forum was initiated by the Botanical Society and the Department of Agriculture as a means of getting like-minded individuals together in an informal manner to provide guidance, advice and networking opportunities in the fight against alien vegetation and emerging weeds.

The Forum meets twice a year at various locations within the Southern Cape. Members include state departments, NGO’s, contractors, business people, private land owners, conservancies and local authorities. The aim of the Forum is to provide a network of members that are able to facilitate, guide, drive, fund and promote the removal of alien vegetation on state and privately owned land.

Theweeds Forum met at the gardens recently. Colin Ralston gave a Powerpoint presentation after which Members of the forum happily involved themselves in a tree planting on the new area. Anyone seeking advice or who has something to share is more than welcome to join us. Contact Melissa Mackay at Cape EAPrac.

Gardens Protected at Night
We reported in the last news-letter that the gardens were fenced and secure. As of the 01 of December the gardens are being locked at night to protect from criminal activities and vagrants. People are still welcome in the gardens free of charge during normal operating hours.

New Exit at the Moriarty
We have created a new exit from the parking lot under the oak trees to the new gate. So one would drive into the Moriarty environmental centre using the old tar road, park under the oak trees and then exit via the new exit. We hope that this arrangement will alleviate the congestion at the entrance in the busy season.