Arcadia City Improvement District manager Catherine Keyworth with the flowers she and her team planted along Stanza Bopape Street, in Pretoria. Photo: Nigel Sibanda
Manager of the Arcadia City Improvement District (CID) Catherine Keyworth and her team planted 324 flowers in 18 flower boxes on the pavement of Stanza Bopape Street on 8 June and said she was happy to report the flower project was growing.
“Only two of the flowers were stolen and four died during the transplant,” she said.
Keyworth said despite people warning her that the flowers would be stolen; they were still growing strong three weeks later.
She said the flower box project has shown there are still good people living in the city.
“Do you know why they can’t steal our flowers, because we have mounted the flower trays to the [pavements]. It’s drilled in and chemically anchored,” she said.
The flowers were also seasonal and not ideal to resell.
“We are prepared for all the risks. It’s like a Buddhist mandala exercise. You know it’s not going to be perfect forever, but you plan for that.”
Keyworth said because they wanted to eliminate the risk of the irrigation being stolen, they bought watering cans to maintain the flower boxes.
“You have to go back and maintain anything. When these flowers have reached their lifespan, we will plant new pretty flowers.”
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Keyworth said one of the property owners in the city called her in and suggested we plant flowers.
“Everyone says it couldn’t be done. But we have done it before and it can be done again, so we did it.”
Keyworth said the business owner who sponsored the plants didn’t want succulents and insisted on “beautiful blommetjies [flowers]”.
“I was immediately on board because I hate ugliness and I love joy. I look at this city as my playground where I can spread joy.”
A passerby, Sinqobile Khumalo, said he noticed the flowers immediately because he walked past the building daily.
“It brings vibrancy to the dull and dirty city. It is a very cool concept. It brings in some life,” he said.
Khumalo said he would love to see the whole of Arcadia filled with flowers.
“In certain places, like Arcadia, its nice and clean versus the CBD, full of litter. The norm differs. Here, you won’t litter that easily because it is kept clean. In the CBD there’s litter all over, so people find it easy to litter,” he said.
One of the building maintenance managers on the block, Isaac Mahlare, said he loved the flowers.
“Buildings with gardens, plants and flowers are always better. It just looks nice. Buildings without plants and flowers are horrible,” he said.
Mahlare was painting when Keyworth and her team planted the flowers.
“I climbed down that ladder and went to them and told them, ‘Julle dit lyk mooi [they look beautiful]’.”
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Arcadia City Improvement District employee Bobo Baloyi said the flowers reminded her of her grandmother.
She said she spoke to the flowers when she’s watering them, telling them to grow well.
“I tell them we are busy nourishing them and they must make our city beautiful again and grow as much as they can.”
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