It has been a rocky road for the Friends of the Arderne Gardens (Fotag) these past four months, with the loss of a valued committee member and the discovery of the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer beetle (PSHB) in the southern suburbs, but as the lyrics of the well-known Billy Ocean song goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.
READ | ‘Naive, un-researched and a reckless’: Arborists calls out City’s PSHB tree list
Giving his chairman’s report at FOAG’s AGM on Saturday 1 April, Francois Krige said the year had brought huge changes.
“The most difficult change to talk about is the passing of Hank Lith. He would guide me in my responsibilities as chair and was hugely helpful.
“He would say to look up ‘chair’ on Google. Make sure everyone has heard what has been said, guide the discussions towards consensus, then vote and move forward to an agreement.”
Lith, who passed away on Sunday 1 January, has been a driving force behind new projects at the Arderne Gardens since 2014.
Krige said that Lith, with his considerable experience in landscaping, helped develop the Arderne Gardens into the magnificent garden that it is today.
“He was the gardener, I was the arborist. Together under Hank’s guidance, we regrouped, refocused and moved forward.
“Hank was thoroughly focused, dedicated and relentless and we will miss him enormously. It is now a new and different Fotag going forward.”
Lith’s last initiative was the Spring Pond: restoring the pond, erecting new railings and planting up the surrounding area. All tasks that Paul Barker, horticulturist at Arderne Gardens, and his team are presently busy with.
Krige said that tackling the “grotty” area in the back corner of the garden was next on Fotag’s agenda.
He said Carrie Latimer would assist with the landscape design.
“Hank has left a legacy. His vision will continue as we maintain and nurture the garden,” he said.
Giving an update on Fotag’s efforts to stave off the tree-killing beetle, he described the PSHB crisis in the southern suburbs as the worst infestation that he has yet witnessed.
“It it thought that this came to Cape Town through firewood being brought into Newlands. The tree next to the braai area on a private property next to Newlands Stadium was severely infested with the beetle and had to be felled, chipped and burnt.”
Until recently confined to the Garden Route and Somerset West in the Western Cape, the beetle was first discovered in Newlands on Tuesday 24 January.
Taking the defensive
Since then, thanks to the work of Krige, Barker and other arborists, more infected trees were discovered along the Liesbeek River, Newlands stream, and as far south as Indian Road in Kenilworth.
“The Arderne and the Stellenberg Gardens are completely surrounded by beetle-infested trees. It has been established that Acer negundo (Box elder maples) is the favoured tree for the disease to spread. I encourage the felling of Acer negundo in an attempt to halt this infestation,” he said.
Thus far Fotag has felled the Box elders in the Arderne Gardens as well as well as decayed and senescent old oak along the Herschel Girls School boundary.
ALSO READ | What homeowners can expect to pay to remove trees infested by ‘tree-killing’ beetle
Krige explained that the trees were identified as low-value, highly susceptible specimens that would compromise PSHB management practices.
Many treatments have also been applied in the Arderne Gardens, including placing sachets of repellent in the Champion Tree status Moreton Bay Fig (the “Wedding Tree”), and lures that contain a sexual pheromone.
Presently, Fotag is working with their neighbours to minimise risk to the Arderne
“We are offering to subsides the removal of uninfested Acers within a few hundred metres of the garden to lessen the pressure on the arboretum trees.”
Reinforcements needed
Krige added they would continue to do everything they could to protect the Arderne’s trees but we financial assistance would be required.
“We estimate that it will cost R300 000 per annum to continue these treatments,” said Krige.
By Tuesday 4 April, the City of Cape Town had already removed 40 trees infested with the beetle along the Liesbeek River corridor, near the N2 highway and Liesbeek Park Way – and more fellings are likely to follow as the pest continues to spread.
According to the City, the most infested and affected trees in the southern suburbs are Boxelder, London Plane, English Oak and Grey Poplar.
Krige said that Fotag had embarked on an ambitious tree propagation project to add to the collection of rare trees at the Arderne and to research PSHB resistant trees to replace what will be lost in the city.
Fotag is being assisted by the Kirstenbosh Nursery with propagation facilities.
“The young trees are then taken to Platbos nursery to grow till ready for planting.”
