The Caledon Wildflower Garden and Nature Reserve, one of the oldest in the country, was once the pride and joy not only of Caledon, but the whole Overberg. But over the last few years it has sadly fallen into a state of neglect.
This was the place where locals as well as overseas visitors came to relax and enjoy the abundance of indigenous flowers.
Visitor numbers have dwindled and locals especially have found it unappealing to visit.
Thanks to a number of determined and enthusiastic local conservationists, who have made it their aim to restore the wildflower garden to its former glory, it may just again become the place so fondly remembered and spoken about by so many local residents.
It’s by no means going to be an easy task as alien vegetation, which has crept into large parts of the gardens and nature reserve, has to be eradicated.
The first hack to remove alien vegetation, a Beyond Black Mountain (BBM) initiative, took place on Saturday 28 January. The rainy weather did not deter the 11 volunteers, armed with poppers and handsaws, from the task they set out to do.
Many locals regularly take to social media to complain about the state of the gardens, but when they have an actual opportunity to get involved and help, they are conspicuous by their absence.
“Due to the weather a few people who had said they would help did not pitch, but actually it was perfect weather for hacking as the soil was looser,” said Lizël Kimber of BBM.
“Yes, it is hard, physical work, but in cooler weather you can accomplish so much more. We literally remove trees, roots and all.
“The Greyton Conservation Society kindly lent us some poppers, a device specifically designed to go around the base of the tree, assisting in lifting the tree up, but even so we had to exercise extreme caution in order not to disturb too much of the soil which could cause erosion or soil loss.”
Kimber said the group focused on three species, namely black wattle, long-leaf wattle (Port Jackson) and hakea. About 100 trees were removed during the two-hour hack.
“Anybody is welcome to join us, no matter their age. They don’t need specific skills, as we will give on-site training.
“This is also how we are learning, because we are also new to this. Fortunately, we have experts and people with many years of hacking experience giving us guidance and assistance and training.”
Kimber added she and others were very glad to be back in the gardens getting started with the projects they had set about starting a year ago.
“We are happy with our first hack and look forward to the growing,” she said.
“This is a good way for the community to get involved and understand what we are trying to achieve with the hacks.
“We were assisted by Helen Moss of the Greyton Conservation Society (GCS) and Chris Tobler and Colleen Flannagan, two very experienced hackers who came through from Swellendam. Theunis Neethling, a born Caledonian now residing in France, also pitched in to help along with the few locals.
Scheduled hacks will take place on the last Saturday of every month, and BBM and its hacking group will join the GCS group in their hacks on the first Sunday of every month.
For additional information on the hacks, contact Kimber on 071 121 4428.
