Back in the day it was just that – a day. Just the one Arbour Day was celebrated from its inception in the early 1980s. But trees being vital to life on our planet, from 1999 onwards South Africa has celebrated Arbour Week.
Jacket Plum
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According to an insightful article on Cape Town Travel’s website:
Bride's Bush
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“Every year two trees (one common and one rare) are given the honour in South Africa of being celebrated as Trees of the Year. The trees of 2011 are the jacket plum (Pappea capensis) and the bride’s bush (Pavetta lanceolata), and all South Africans are encouraged to support the campaign each year by planting the year’s special trees.
The Jacket Plum is a hardy evergreen that produces edible red fruit. It is a small to medium tree.
The Bride’s Bush is a rare, small evergreen tree that is covered in white, sweetly scented flowers at Christmas time."
So why not plant one of these, or choose your own indigenous tree and find a suitable spot in your garden, local school playground or park (get permission!) and celebrate Arbour Day/ Week / Month with the rest of South Africa?
