After a long, wet winter, it’s good to get out into the sunshine and fresh air and celebrate Arbor Month in September, and City Parks has just the place for you.

In fact, it has more than 3 580 places within the city, ranging from small open spaces to its five flagship regional parks – the Company’s Garden, Arderne Gardens, Wynberg Park, Maynardville Park and the Durbanville Rose Garden.

In celebration of Arbor Month,the City is to plant 738 trees as part of the Parks’ theme of ‘Plant a tree for life’ and commitment to promoting a healthy environment and beautifying the city.

Among the trees to be planted is the Wild Plum (Harpephyllum caffrum), the common tree of 2008. The Bladder-nut tree (diospyros whyteana) is the rare (or uncommon) official tree of the year, but is not suitable for planting in the Peninsula.

Other species of indigenous trees the City will plant include fig trees (ficus rubiginosa), fever trees (acacia xanthophloea) and sweet thorn (acacia karroo).

Residents can do the same. Spring is the ideal time for planting a pot plant, shrub or a tree. Plants act as natural filters to clean our air by reducing carbon emissions, thus mitigating the devastating effects of global warming.

The Arbor Month festivities kicked off on 1 September at the Company’s Garden with the switching on of special Arbor Month lights and displays down Govern - ment Avenue. These promote the theme of ‘Healthy parks, healthy people’.

In addition, the City opened an adventure park in Mouille Point, next to the lighthouse, on 3 September. The adventure park offers recreation for older children, while the Pavilion Park next to the Sea Point Pavilion is designed for young children up to the age of six years old.

The Pavilion Park has been restored thanks to Rotary Club donations.