Pearl Valley Golf Estates - The Green Of Pearl Valley
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Prestigious golf estate provides for sustainability of its treasured natural environment
Pearl Valley Golf Estates in Paarl has invested R1.2 million into the refurbishment of the Estate’s entrance including the use of sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure and plant options.
[caption id="attachment_3595" align="alignright" width="300"]
Pearl Valley Golf Estate[/caption]
This follows the recent Paarl fires that resulted in the damage of major sections of the entrance road foliage and main irrigation pipeline.
Set beneath the towering Drakenstein Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Pearl Valley Golf Estates’ has a dedicated horticultural department, which acts as a major employer in the Upper Berg River Valley and plays a key role in its environmentally-friendly landscaping initiatives. The department has set its roots deep in the community by annually clearing out its nursery and donating plants to various institutions including nursery schools and old age homes.
The refurbishment and design will allow for an avenue of Quercas Nigra (Water Oaks) to be planted on both sides of the entrance, with Agapanthus to be under-planted and a variety of fynbos to be situated behind. The Water Oaks have been chosen for their natural shape and ability to handle the unavoidable soggy conditions in the winter months. The existing trees, currently in the area, will be relocated to various open areas on the Estate
“We have chosen a specific design to allow for seasonal colour at the same time as being water-wise and ensuring that our environmentally conscience principles are extended. We have no doubt that the upgrade will enhance Pearl Valley Golf Estates and the new entrance will be symbolic of the beauty and quality that exists within our borders,” says horticultural division manager Heather Stipinovich.
Well-versed in sustainable planting, Pearl Valley will continue to build on its existing infrastructure which encourages the use of water-wise and indigenous plants as well as incorporating more succulent and grass species in its open-area planting, with far less lawned areas.
Pearl Valley also plays an important role in conserving its abundant flora and fauna, protecting three critically endangered plant species. While 80% of all residential and public gardens are planted with indigenous species, an additional 40ha of the 212ha estate has been set aside as a biodiversity corridor to preserve threatened alluvium fynbos and allow for smaller animal life to flourish.
Included on the list of endangered flora are the attractive, pink-flowered Erica Alexandrii shrub (which was once wide-spread in the Cape Flats but has been wiped out by urban sprawl and alien plant invasion), the Proteaceae species Diastella Buekii which presents a unique ground cover and, rarest of all, the Ground Protea (Protea scorzonerifolia) that is pollinated by the Cape Striped Mouse.
With its 19 lakes spread throughout the Estate, Pearl Valley also has an abundance of birdlife with 120 different listed species and, while a Cape Leopard was spotted near the Estate’s super-secure perimeter fence last year, numerous smaller mammals which inhabit the property’s pristine fynbos include Bat Eared Foxes and the endangered Cape Clawless Otter.
In turn, the natural beauty of Pearl Valley is well integrated into its leisure activities including its own Equestrian Centre and hiking and biking trails in which nature lovers can take scenic adventures of varying distances on the estate.
[caption id="attachment_3595" align="alignright" width="300"]
Pearl Valley Golf Estate[/caption]This follows the recent Paarl fires that resulted in the damage of major sections of the entrance road foliage and main irrigation pipeline.
Set beneath the towering Drakenstein Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Pearl Valley Golf Estates’ has a dedicated horticultural department, which acts as a major employer in the Upper Berg River Valley and plays a key role in its environmentally-friendly landscaping initiatives. The department has set its roots deep in the community by annually clearing out its nursery and donating plants to various institutions including nursery schools and old age homes.
The refurbishment and design will allow for an avenue of Quercas Nigra (Water Oaks) to be planted on both sides of the entrance, with Agapanthus to be under-planted and a variety of fynbos to be situated behind. The Water Oaks have been chosen for their natural shape and ability to handle the unavoidable soggy conditions in the winter months. The existing trees, currently in the area, will be relocated to various open areas on the Estate
“We have chosen a specific design to allow for seasonal colour at the same time as being water-wise and ensuring that our environmentally conscience principles are extended. We have no doubt that the upgrade will enhance Pearl Valley Golf Estates and the new entrance will be symbolic of the beauty and quality that exists within our borders,” says horticultural division manager Heather Stipinovich.
Well-versed in sustainable planting, Pearl Valley will continue to build on its existing infrastructure which encourages the use of water-wise and indigenous plants as well as incorporating more succulent and grass species in its open-area planting, with far less lawned areas.
Pearl Valley also plays an important role in conserving its abundant flora and fauna, protecting three critically endangered plant species. While 80% of all residential and public gardens are planted with indigenous species, an additional 40ha of the 212ha estate has been set aside as a biodiversity corridor to preserve threatened alluvium fynbos and allow for smaller animal life to flourish.
Included on the list of endangered flora are the attractive, pink-flowered Erica Alexandrii shrub (which was once wide-spread in the Cape Flats but has been wiped out by urban sprawl and alien plant invasion), the Proteaceae species Diastella Buekii which presents a unique ground cover and, rarest of all, the Ground Protea (Protea scorzonerifolia) that is pollinated by the Cape Striped Mouse.
With its 19 lakes spread throughout the Estate, Pearl Valley also has an abundance of birdlife with 120 different listed species and, while a Cape Leopard was spotted near the Estate’s super-secure perimeter fence last year, numerous smaller mammals which inhabit the property’s pristine fynbos include Bat Eared Foxes and the endangered Cape Clawless Otter.
In turn, the natural beauty of Pearl Valley is well integrated into its leisure activities including its own Equestrian Centre and hiking and biking trails in which nature lovers can take scenic adventures of varying distances on the estate.
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