Durban North flower bed gets makeover
The bed has been given a makeover with indigenous, water-wise plants.
A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN project has helped transform an overgrown and untidy flower bed on Gladstone Road in Durban North.
Spearheaded by members of the community and boosted by the help of Enviro Fixers Durban North, the bed has now been given a makeover with indigenous, water-wise plants.
Helen Koch, a member of Enviro Fixers Durban North, said there are also plans to refurbish a sign pole – with directions to various destinations – which is situated in the middle of the flower bed and has stood there for the past 15 years.
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“A neighbour asked Enviro Fixers for some help transforming a neglected bed. This is a great project where the community took ownership of the bed. We reached out to our wonderful supporters who also helped provide some of the water-wise, indigenous plants for the bed. The Parks Department supplied some of the aloes, and our supporters, Michelle Mundell and Ingrid Price, allowed us to raid their verges and beds to use some of their plants.
“We are just so pleased with how this all came together. We will redo the destination sign pole, which listed a number of cities and the distance to them. That’s been there for 15 years, so we want it to be a recognisable feature of the bed. The other wonderful aspect of this project is the plan to use it as a propagation bed. That means we can harvest many of the aloes and succulents in the bed,” she said.
The project also brought out two of the youngest helpers to the cause, Kai (6) and Liam (10) McMurtry.
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Liam, a member of 1st Glenashley Scouts, and Kai, a member of 1st Glenashley Meerkats, said they were only too happy to give back.
“My favourite thing was digging and planting. I think the bed looks really nice now,” explained Kai.
Their mother, Nicola McMurtry, echoed her son’s thoughts.
“As residents of the area, we’ve driven past this flower bed daily. It was just very overgrown and unsightly. That changed very quickly once the community came together, and it looks absolutely beautiful now. The fact that every plant in the bed is indigenous and self-sustaining is a big boost. We are proud to be part of the efforts to help transform the bed,” she said.
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