Growing wild at Princess Vlei

Autumn and winter are the planting seasons at Princess Vlei - and we have certainly had some great rain to help the plants along. Here are two of the planting events ...

Earth Day Planting

Seven Earth enthusiasts gathered on Earth Day, April 22 to ‘kick off’ this year’s planting season at Princess Vlei. The volunteers, assisted by Neil and the restoration team,  braved the rain and cold to plant 300 plants and bulbs, and 800 oxalis seeds, in the Briana Crescent restoration plot on the Northern Shore. This plot has acidic sandy soil, allowing us to restore critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.
The following plants were put in the ground.
Oxalis (seeds)
Pelargonium Triste
Cliffortia Ericafolia
Serruria Foeniculacae
Senecio foeniculoides
Elegia Nuda

Seep planting

On May 4, 46 learners from Floreat, Levana, Harmony and Lotus  gathered to plant in the seep area between Princess Vlei and Little Princess. In 2021, community volunteers helped to clear alien trees from this seasonal seep between the two vleis. Within months,  the area started coming back to life, with many indigenous species now being given space to grow. Recently, a new Red List species, Psoralea repens, was discovered there.
      The learners were adding to the biodiversity in the area by planting over 200 Elegia Nuda, as well as Psoralea glaucoma, Erica subdivaricata, Erica Verticillata and Berzelia abrotaoides. The elegia nuda are part of the restio  family. There are 480 species in the restio family - and 330 grow in the Cape Floristic Kingdom. They are very helpful plants, offering shelter to seedlings, a hunting ground for chameleons which can easily hold onto the slender stems, and food for small rodents.