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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HARFIELD VILLAGE

FOHP AGM – 22 September

The FOHP AGM highlighted the pride and pleasure we take in what we do in Harfield Village:.

• planting and caring for many flowers, shrubs, aloes, herbs and trees in all the parks,
• greening pavement areas,
• creating the green edge to Rosmead Primary,
• improving the Kenilworth Station Parking area,
• planting indigenous beds in all the parks,
• the Third Avenue entrance to Hampstead Park,
• the indigenous and conventional vegetable gardens in Hampstead Park,
• the secret garden as a bio-refuge and quiet place in Hampstead Park,
• the indigenous spiral in Surrey Park,
• the wild flower areas in Surrey Park,
• the num-num hedge and sourfig beds in Surrey Park,
• the aloe and indigenous flower beds in Princes Park,
• the nursery at Purley Park.

Gail Brown continues to enhance the village with her Railway Garden project, as well as organising the Annual Railway cleanup and encouraging PRASA and Metrorail to maintain their infrastructure.

We’ve learned several lessons from what has survived the drought, and we’ll be carrying these lessons into our future gardening activities, namely the importance of planting indigenous, water-wise plants; the importance of sustainability, including not using single-use plastics; and the value of permaculture methods, mulching and green-waste composting. The FOHP will also be fundraising for water tanks to be installed in the parks to carry us through future dry periods.

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the FOHP through donations of money, time, labour, fertiliser and plants – your contributions are most appreciated!

Lastly, we’re pleased to announce that two new members were elected to the committee – Tina Gough and Thomas King.

Minutes, financials and forms are available on the Friends of Harfield Parks Facebook page, or from our email (harfield.parks@gmail.com) upon request.

Safety Warden in Purley Park
In a good news for general park security, Danie van Jaarsveld from City Recreation and Parks has informed us that a Safety Warden will now be based in Purley Park. While not a security guard, the Safety Warden will be responsible for raising security issues with law enforcement, as well as engaging with the community about use of the parks and access control and monitor water and electricity usage.

Spring flowers in Surrey Park
The flowers in Surrey Park are loving the springtime sun – why not come and have a look?

Chasmanthe floribunda (Cobra Lily) at Kirstenbosch (Right) and Prince’s Park (left)

Plant in Focus – Cobra Lily (Chasmanthe floribunda)
Each newsletter we’ll be featuring a new indigenous plant or flower – today’s is the Cobra Lily (Chasmanthe floribunda). This attractive, winter-growing flower sprouts from a tuberous corm with the onset of the rains, and dies back in the summer months. Cobra Lilies require well-drained soil and a lot of water over the winter period, and can be propagated by the offset corms that bud off the main plant.

Locally, we have some cobra lilies in Princes Park that have almost finished flowering for the year.

Friends of Harfield Parks