TENDING to a garden situated along Windmill Road, near Durban High School, in Musgrave is a labour of love for Arnold Bate who began the project of uplifting the street over two years ago with the assistance of Brian van Niekerk and Sibusiso Mncadi.

Bate, an active member of the community, said he was moved into action after seeing an empty space along the road that needed “some love and care”. Along with Van Niekerk, he decided to take the initiative of beautifying the spot. “When we began, this garden was bare and the area was dull. There was no shrubbery or flowers planted on the patch, so Brian and myself decided to take on this community upliftment project and with the help of Sibusiso we began planting,” said Bate.

The project took around four weeks to complete, with community members and businesses donating flowers, old tyres and pot plants to aid in the project. “The area really needed some colour and flowers to bring it to life. A lot of the plants come from my garden, some have been bought and friends have also pitched in with plants from their gardens. This is all for the community to enjoy. Many people have thanked us which gives us a good impression that we have done something nice for the community,” said Bate who tends to the garden at least once a month.

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As an avid gardener with green thumbs, Bate said they have started planting succulents in more spots along Windmill Road. “To see the plant and the street flourish like this gives me joy. It would be nice to see other communities coming together and doing something like this. To see everyone doing their part to make their communities flourish, there is a thrill to it,” said Bate.

He added that the project was well received by the school and parents of learners who are seeing the benefits. “They always ask if Brian and I are landscapers because they want us to do their gardens,” said Bate, laughing. He, however, said the project was nearly derailed after plants were stolen in the middle of the initiative. “We planted crotons and palm trees which were stolen. At that point I had to ask myself if I had the heart to continue. It was sad to see, but I continued,” said Bate as he called on the community to support the project and stop littering the garden.

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