Silvia Stringer, who was born in Switzerland, and her husband Mike, moved to Park Island from Constantia two years ago, wanting a more relaxed lifestyle and a smaller house and garden. She had a large garden in Constantia, where she gained a lot of knowledge and experience through managing it on her own.
Silvia qualified as a psychometrist, someone who carries out psycho-educational assessments with children, ranging from establishing school readiness and identifying
learning disabilities in youngsters struggling academically to providing career guidance and advising on subject choice, among other things. She is also a registered counsellor
specialising in teenagers, and ran her own practice for 15 years.
Armed with years of gardening knowledge and enthusiasm, Silvia started her own business called Succulent Creations 4 U during last year’s lockdown using succulents in artistic ways. Her superb creations can be seen at the San Marina clubhouse craft market on the first Saturday of each month.
We approached Silvia earlier this year to be the contact person for the Marina Gardeners
when they are in Park Island. Her interests include animals, dog sports, water sports and
gardening, and she is committed to helping the Marina Gardeners restore neglected parts of our beautiful neighbourhood.
The Marina Gardeners work every Tuesday in a different part of the Marina so, every third Tuesday, they will be in Park Island with Silvia. On Tuesday 18 May 2021, Silvia and the gardeners, led by Staffa Hussein, tackled the open space in Park Close, which was quite overgrown. The team also cleared the garden beds surrounding the guard hut at the
entrance to Park Island.
Together, the Marina Gardeners, Staffa and Silvia accomplished a huge amount on the day, and nearby residents expressed their thanks.
If you know of any public open spaces (not private verges, please) that need attention, have plants you wish to donate, or can assist in watering flower beds in Park Island, please feel free to contact Silvia on 073 509 7465 or email the Marina da Gama Association on marinadagama@iafrica.com.
Please remember that verges are the residents’ responsibility and so is the removal of
cuttings from private gardens.