The winners of the Gorgeous Gardens Competition in Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant were announced on Wednesday 20th November. The Overstrand Mayor, Nicolette Botha-Guthrie, visited the gardens before the ceremony and was delighted. “This competition and the enthusiasm of the gardeners will go a long way to getting us to regain the title of ‘Greenest Town’. I would like to see it rolled out across the Overstrand.”
The winner of the large mixed floral and vegetable garden category was the Zwelihle garden of Mr Philip Skisozana (above); the best large floral garden was that of Mrs Josephine Geswind of Mount Pleasant (shown below); and the best small floral garden was that of Mr Zenzile of Zwelihle. Congratulations to these gardeners who are an inspiration to us all. Special mention must go to the community gardens at the Lombardi Centre and Child Welfare in Mount Pleasant, and the RDP in Zwelihle. All the gorgeous gardens that were entered in the competition uplift the community and bring joy to all who see them.
The garden competition was organised by Shirley Volkwyn, leader of the Whale Coast Conservation iKamva Lethu Zwelihle (Our Future Zwelihle) project. This project encourages the ‘greening and cleaning’ of Zwelihle by residents who take pride in improving their environment. It all started with two youngsters from Zwelihle who participated in the Whale Coast Conservation Eco-Schools programme. While learning about Arbour Week they heard the slogan “one house, one tree” and asked, much like Oliver Twist, “we have a house, can we have a tree?”
This simple request prompted Whale Coast Conservation to initiate a programme of tree planting that has spread through Zwelihle and now into Mount Pleasant. Any household can request a tree, provided their yard is tidy and they take responsibility for caring for the tree. The tree is then donated and the homeowner is shown how to plant it, with compost provided by the Overstrand Municipality, and then instructed on how to water it with ‘grey’ water. If the tree thrives, the owner may then request either another tree or assistance with establishing a vegetable garden. Whale Coast Conservation promotes vegetable gardening, food security and healthy diets as part of its sustainability awareness project sponsored by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
Shown is a sample of the vegetables grown by gardener Marthinus May and Jenny Sauls at the Lombardi Centre in Mount Pleasant.
We hope that gardeners all over the Overstrand are already planning their “gorgeous gardens” for next spring.