Stirling High gains green flag status with biome garden

YOUNG eco-warrior pupils have planted an extraordinary garden at Stirling High School representing South Africa’s rich biomes.

And, because the East London school is on the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) Eco-Schools programme, the garden was instrumental in earning Stirling High international green flag status.

A previously uninspiring quad featuring two strips of grass situated between the administration building and the library has been given a new lease on life thanks to the school’s life sciences teacher John Marais and his team of green-fingered pupils in the extramural Eco Club.

“I thought of doing the biomes as South Africa has such a rich plant diversity,” said Marais, who joined the school at the beginning of last year after studying biodiversity, ecology and sustainable development at Stellenbosch University and working weekends at the university’s historical botanical gardens.

“Life science pupils learn about the seven biomes, but how many get to go to fynbos or thicket or forest, so the thought was to create a visual element so that they can see what these plants look like.

“We have at least 50 species of indigenous plants.”

Marais designed six raised gabion beds which were planted up with water-wise fynbos, succulents and forest plants.

Eco Club leader Chloë Botha and club member Joshua Muballe showed the Dispatch examples of proteas, silver trees, aloes and carrion flowers and explained that many plants had been donated by Grade 10 life sciences pupils who had compiled projects on indigenous plants.

Marais also sourced some plants from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.

He said one of the plants, the erica verticillata, was especially interesting as it was extinct in the wild and had only been reintroduced in a few locations.

A wetlands bed is in the pipeline, as are identification name tags for each plant.

And, in line with the eco-school philosophy, other schools will be invited to visit the garden and conduct life sciences study sessions.