July 2020

Newsletter

News

Important Announcements from the GRBG Trust

Please take note of the following four announcements from the Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust regarding matters arising in the near future.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The Annual General Meeting of the GRBG Trust, which is normally held in June, has been delayed as a consequence of the COVID-19 regulations. With these having lifted to Level 3, we are now able to hold the meeting, provided strict protocols are followed.

We will hold our AGM on Saturday, 8 August 2020 at 11:00 in the Environmental Education Centre (EEC), located on the Garden premises.

All those attending the meeting will be required to follow strict social distancing protocols. To allow for this, we will only be able to admit 25 persons to the EEC. Those wishing to attend the meeting in person should therefore email [email protected] to secure their place.

The meeting will simultaneously be conducted virtually via Zoom. Anyone unable to attend in person can therefore follow and participate in the proceedings online. To do so, email [email protected] to request a Zoom invitation.

Election of Trustees

It is standard at the AGM to hold an election of new trustees to serve on the GRBG Board of Trustees. In terms of the Trust Agreement, once elected, trustees serve a two-year term and they must retire before the third AGM following their election is held.

As a consequence, we have two trustees retiring before the 8 August AGM. In line with the Trust Agreement, these two trustees may also offer themselves for re-election. In addition, we have had resignations from two trustees, so there is a requirement to elect four trustees in total at the 2020 AGM.

We are therefore calling for nominations for trustees from ordinary members of the Trust.

Trustee Responsibilities

The role of the trustees is critical in ensuring the sustainability of our beloved Botanical Garden and we earnestly appeal to people with energy, enthusiasm and appropriate competencies to come forward for this important position. Nominees should have a keen interest and passion for the GRBG and the protection, display and education of Southern Cape flora. Trustee duties can range from hands-on involvement in the Garden and its various projects, to working behind the scenes in promotion, fundraising, events, education and much more.

Nomination Process

 Any member who wishes to be a trustee must approach any of the existing trustees or a fellow member and indicate to them your interest in becoming a trustee. (This is essential as you have to be nominated by a member of the Garden Route Botanical Garden other than yourself to be considered.)  The nominator must complete a Nomination Form which can be obtained at the GRBG front office.  The nominee must attach their Curriculum Vitae and a Letter of Motivation to the completed Nomination Form. These should outline their career experience, knowledge and any interests that will make them a valuable addition to the GRBG Board of Trustees.  Applications must be sent to [email protected]  The closing date for applicants is Thursday, 30 July 2020 at midnight.  The nominees’ CVs and motivation letters will then be available at the front office of the Garden for inspection by all members prior to the election on 8 August.  For those not able to attend the meeting physically, we will enable online voting on Zoom . Alternatively, you can give your proxy in writing to any other member taking part in the meeting.

Retiring and Resigning Trustees

The two trustees who are retiring before the 8 August AGM, and who may offer themselves for re-election, are Elizabeth Boshoff and Raymond Auberbach.

The two trustees who are resigning from the Board of Trustees are Lauren Elsom and Peter Ginn. Lauren organised and managed our annual Science Week in 2019, which not only educated hundreds of local students and gave them an opportunity to experience the Garden, but raised a sizable donation for the GRBG. Peter has been an invaluable contributor to the GRBG for many years, his most recent contribution being the donation of his book The Ultimate Companion for Birding in , copies of which are still available for sale at the front office. The GRBG would like to thank these trustees for all of their hard work and dedication and we wish them well in all future endeavours.

Reopening the Garden

The Level 3 COVID-19 regulations specifically exclude the opening of “beaches and public parks”. We have consequently followed SANBI’s recommendations and the Garden will remain closed to the public until such time as the regulations are eased. We have, however, determined we should be able to allow members to access the Garden under strict COVID-19 protocols.

This reopening will commence on Tuesday, 7 July 2020 at 07:30.

Only members will be admitted to the GRBG and only if they present a current membership card and ID document, which are essential to our control, and wear a face mask when in the vicinity of GRBG staff and other visitors. Groups of visitors may not exceed three members per group. Entrance will only be permitted from the Gate next to the front office/reception area and a register of everyone accessing the garden will be maintained.

Things to Look Forward to in the Garden!

Apart from the Main Garden, members will be able to access all other areas and facilities in the Garden, except for the Southern Cape . While not part of the initial reopening, plans are underway to reopen the restaurant and tea garden as soon as possible.

While exploring the Main Garden, be sure to look out for the following:  Lachenalia sp. popping up across the Garden.  Nuxia Floribunda (forest elder) and Psoralea pinnata (fountain bush) flowering around the dam. The blending of their sweet scents is best experienced mornings and early evenings.  and Ericas flowering around the dam, the Levinski’s Display Bed and the meadow.  The Aloe Display Bed is in mass flower. Take your time to inspect all the different species, their flowers and the different types of bees that frequent them.

Financial Position of the Trust

In our April newsletter we outlined how the financial position of the GRBG Trust is likely to come under serious strain as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A review of our budget for the financial year ending 28 February 2021 shows that our normal revenue sources may be reduced by up to a third compared to the previous year. As we budget on a break even basis, this means that we will have to drastically cut back on our costs, which could result in having to curtail the work being done in the Garden.

We know that government funds are being redirected to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic effects of the lockdown, but somehow public benefit organisations are not seen as needing this government assistance.

The role which the Garden, via the Trust, plays in preserving the heritage of our unique Garden Route fauna and flora is of national and international importance. Furthermore, having a botanical garden that meets international standards is an important feature for the city of George, especially in terms of the City’s desire to have a footprint in the regional and national tourism market.

Unfortunately, without support the Trust cannot continue to preserve and improve the Garden as a showcase of our natural heritage. We would ask that all our friends who have influence over those holding the purse strings of municipal, provincial and national budgets, try to encourage our politicians to continue to support our Garden.

As Trust, we will do everything we can to increase revenues in every possible way and will probably have to review our current very low membership and access fees.

Again we appeal to all friends and lovers of the Garden for financial support. The Garden’s banking details appear below. Every contribution, no matter the size, is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support.

GRBG Banking Details: Name: Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust (Current Account) Bank: Standard Bank, George Account No: 281 859 183 Branch code: 050 214

Notices

EV

No Events During July Donations Welcome

As the decision to reopen the Garden on 7 July has only The Garden Route recently been made, no events have been scheduled as Botanical Garden is of yet. As soon as any events can be scheduled, the a non- details will be communicated via this newsletter and governmental on the GRBG website. organisation (NGO) and relies heavily Participants in the on donations from weekly parkrun, the public to fund meanwhile, can our activities. (Sadly, although we know a thing or click here or here two about trees, we haven’t quite figured out how for updates on to make money grow on them.)

when the parkrun If any person, organisation or business would like to will resume. support the GRBG monetarily, this can be done online at www.botanicalgarden.org.za/make-a- donation or by making a deposit directly into our

‘Behind The Scenes’ account using the banking details provided further below. You can also phone our offices at 044 874 * Attributions: This newsletter was designed using 1558 or email [email protected]. resources from www.freepik.com, including images by brgfx, macrovector, pikisuperstar and stories. All donations properly receipted by the Garden in terms of Section 18A are tax deductible. Any * Content Contributors: Roger Bath, Corné Brink, donation – big or small – will be greatly Nicole Jonklass, Anne Kellner, Rebecca Ryen and appreciated. Gabby van Huyssteen.

* Design and Layout: Nicole Jonklass GRBG Banking Details: Name: Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust (Current Account)

Share Your Thoughts Bank: Standard Bank, George Account No: 281 859 183 If you have any comments or suggestions Branch code: 050 214 regarding this newsletter, or ideas on what you’d like to Thank you for your continued support. see in future newsletters, please don’t hesitate to tell us in an email. Renewal of GRBG Membership Cards If you have any suggestions on how the Garden Route Renew your card by contacting the GRBG Offices at Botanical Garden, its facilities and attractions, or the [email protected] or 044 878 1558. visitor experience can be improved, we would appreciate Annual Access Cards Full Membership Card your input too. R145-00 – Adults (18+) R180-00 – Adults (18+) Send all your comments and suggestions to R120-00 – Seniors (60+) R150-00 – Seniors (60+) [email protected]. We look forward R 95-00 – Students to hearing from you! R 70-00 – Children (12-18)

Show and Tell

The Show and Tell section is where members of the GRBG family share their personal accounts of the Garden. Each month, a volunteer, intern or staff member will tell us more about an area of the Garden that recently caught their eye.

The Display By Rebecca Ryen

In recent years the Fynbos Display has been expanded and it now boasts three different beds representing unique indigenous fynbos flora including various Erica, Protea, , , and Leocuspermum species. The Fynbos Display was started on a barren heap of sand, where a few representative species were planted and every couple of months layers of natural sawdust and mulch were laid on top of the soil.

Over the years, the have thrived and filled out the beds, flowering abundantly, and the soil has become amazingly rich and is now home to all kinds of colourful fungi and insects, but with enough drainage for the fynbos to be healthy. Gazenia species were planted in one of the beds to provide ground cover more than a year ago, and they have now created a bountiful carpet of flowers between the Proteas and Ericas, which attracts a plethora of bees and butterflies.

Species of note in the Fynbos Display beds are Erica verticillata, which was saved from the brink of extinction and is still classified as “Extinct in the Wild” flowering profusely in autumn, Erica baueri subsp. baueri which is “Endangered”, and Protea burchellii which is listed as “Vulnerable” (Red List of South African Plants).

At the moment the beautiful Common Pagoda (Mimetescucullatus), the pink Broad-leaved Sugarbush (), the dainty Albertinia Heath (Erica bauerisusbp. baueri) and the Green Heath (Erica sessiliflora) are flowering amidst carpets of yellow, pink and orange Gazenia and white and purple Osteospermum.

In 2018, the Seifu Academy from Japan planted 170 fynbos plants as part of a Peace Planting in commemoration to Nelson Mandela. Each was planted with a personal prayer for World Peace and Harmony on Earth. If you walk through the Fynbos Display now, you will see how these plants have thrived since then and many of the Proteas are bearing multiple buds and flower heads.

Upon inspection after the lockdown, we were faced with a mystery parasite on the King Proteas in the Fynbos Display: all the leaves had been eaten! There were no traces of insects or larvae or eggs, and we were puzzled. Then we noticed a trail of tiny hoof prints in the soil, going from one King Protea to the next, and that’s when we realized the bokkies had been eating them while we were all at home! Rebecca Ryen is a full time GRBG volunteer, part time student, and a member of Outramps Crew and Botanical Society Committee. Member.

Nursery Tree of the Month

Species: Ekebergia capensis

Common names: Cape-ash; dogplum; mountain-ash; essenhout (),

Family: Meliaceae

Description: Ekebergia capensis is an evergreen, semi-deciduous tree that usually grows to heights of between 7 and 15 metres. One of the most striking features of the tree is its bark, which is light grey and smooth when young, but turns darker grey to near-black as the tree ages and cracks into small rectangles to give the trunk and branches a visibly rough texture. Young branches are furthermore speckled with white-ish lenticels (or ‘raised pores’) and marbled with old leaf scars. The trunk may be ridged or fluted and have some buttress roots at its base. Ekebergia capensis has large, drooping, glossy green leaves that often have a small pinkish patch or pinkish edges.

The leaves are pinnately compound, consisting of three to six pairs

of leaflets and an single leaflet at the top end. Like the leaves, the

flowers may also have a pinkish tinge, but they are generally just

white, small and sweetly-fragranced. The flowers bloom from

September to November, appearing in loose sprays of roughly 8cm long grow in the axes of the leaves. Male and female flowers grow on different trees. The fruit are round, fleshy berries that are each approximately 15mm in diameter. Inside, the flesh is white and surrounds two to six seeds. Outside, the berries first appear green, but turn pink to bright red as they ripen in autumn.

Natural : In South Africa, Ekerbergia capensis occurs along the coastal areas from the to the Eastern Cape, from where the distribution extends northwards and into the interior through KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The species also grows in neighbouring Swaziland, Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique, and beyond Southern Africa it can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia. This wide-reaching distribution means that Eckerbergia capensis grows in diverse , from evergreen forests to riverine forests and from the coast to altitudes of 1500m.

Conservation Status: Ekebergia capensis is not under threat.

Growing It In While the tree can easily be grown from seeds, growing it from tip or hardwoodhardwood Your Garden: cuttings isis thethe fastestfastest method method of of propagation. propagation. Ekebergia Ekebergia capensis capensis has has a non a non- - aggressive root system, and makes foforr aa greatgreat ornamental,ornamental, shadeshade--givinggiving gardengarden tree, the the fruit fruit and and flowers flowers of which of which will willattract attract birds birds,, bees, bees,butterflies butterflies and and mammals.mammals. It should bebe wateredwatered well,well, butbut will will tolerate tolerate light light drought drought conditions. conditions. It can also endure light frost.

Interesting Facts: Ekebergia capensis is named after the Swedish physician, chemist and explorer Carl Gustaf, who made it possible for fellow Swede Anders Erikson Sparrman, the species’ author, to visit South Africa in the 1700s.

Availability at GRBG Nursery: Ekebergia capensis trees are available for sale at R40-00 each.

Nursery Trading Times: Additional sources:

MONDAY – THURSDAY 08:00 – 17:00 Trees of the Garden Route: Mossel Bay FRIDAY 08:00 – 14:30 to Storms River (2012) by Elna Venter SATURDAY 09:00 – 14:30 http://pza.sanbi.org/ekebergia-capensis