Hidden forest garden | Durban

A south-facing garden in Mount Edgecombe estate which has a large portion of natural forestry. Sitting on a steep slope, there was not sufficient usable spaces. The design include strategic levelling and sloping in certain areas which increased the feeling of space. To further utilise the forest garden, the design included a large suspended deck and walkway. In addition to this, there is a new a "Babylonstoren style" formal vegetable garden on the West-side of the house. 

Provençal Garden | Tamboerskloof

A young family in Tamboerskloof have a wonderful vision for a provençal style garden that requires tall boundary screening hedges for privacy. The design used the 'sunken' feeling of the garden to embody a secret garden with different rooms divided by hedging. It was important to place the pool where it would not affect the roots of the exiting mature avocado trees and received maximum sunlight. Raised planting beds provide a tiered effect and colourful planting at eye level.  Stonemasonry and stone paving resembles a quality tuscan style garden. The lap pool is raised with a polished cement finish, and dark blue colour with a grey marbalite lining. 

Horse Farm | Stellenbosch

Situated in the Stellenbosch wine region, this beautiful horse farm inherits a generous dam and some very sentimental mature trees. Luckily the owners value their trees and set out to create an "instant forest" on their lawn area. We are creating mounds in the lawn for interest and curved shapes with uncut lawn. Challenges include the sloping levels, clay soil and drainage. It will be a long-haul project but I cant wait to see the outcome!

Family Garden | Constantia

A family that have recently built their dream home, with two young children, they wanted to make the garden a wonderland, filled with many fun things to play with friends, including: forest play area with wooden jungle gym, mountain bike track, climbing trees, trampoline, fairy flower garden and more. They are lucky to have the space to incorporate all of this without it being directly in view. There is also a lovely citrus orchard, seating area and vegetable garden off the scullery for everyone to enjoy.  I really enjoyed putting this project together!

Blueberry Hill | Franschhoek

A lovely wine farm situated on the Franschhoek mountain with views of the valley. The farm produces a delicious rich olive oil and merlot - just for their private use. They are passionate about cooking and organic farming so I have included a comprehensive vegetable garden with a beautiful old water point in the middle to rinse freshly picked produce. It is a very large area and so the design has divided it up to that each space tells a story. 

Evergreen Garden | London

I am delighted to share my first project in the UK. This is a young family's first big home and they wanted me to create a garden that welcomed the kids to play freely and safely as well as functioned as a beautiful entertainment space. There were many different elements to incorporate into the design so the real challenge was to make them all come together harmoniously and not overcrowd the space. I think this garden has a lovely balance for formal and informal elements that make it so elegant. 

 Outdoor Dining | Tamboerskloof

This small garden in Tamboerskloof sits on an uncomfortable slope and has little functionality. The client wanted a beautiful onlooking space that also allowed for a large dining table under a big Pride of India tree. The entertainment space needed lighting hanging from the tree to create a vibey atmosphere for parties. The new landscape design is simple and creates a sense of more space. The slope is overcome by 3 steps to allow for two level and functional spaces. 

Flower garden | Val de Vie Estate

Situated on a Fynbos Conservation reserve in Val de Vie Winelands Estate, this lovely home for two grandparents is a sanctuary. The client loved colour and flowers in the garden so I made sure that the design allowed the planting to do most of the talking. To give it the Franschhoek Winelands feel, I patterned the driveway with brick detail and brought this through the design in the edging of beds, herb garden and water feature. The entrance has a semi-formal walkway that makes you look downwards at the beautiful planting below. 

English Countryside Garden | Tokai

This was a heritage suburban plot that I converted into semi-formal family garden with a feminine English-Countryside feel. The main requirement was to keep the expansive lawn as space for children and dogs to play. I designed the garden in terms of its key activity areas and how they linked together: rose parterre, swimming pool area with palm tree grove, sandpit fire boma, the wilderness kids garden and herb garden. I squared off the lawn and added a tiered hedge to increase the formality of the space. I designed a woodland play area for the children where they are within site but the play equipment is hidden. I love to design secret spots in the garden to create a sense of adventure and wonder for the kids. The Babylonstoren style vegetable garden is a wonder for any cook with an orchard of citrus trees, pomegranate hedge, arches with climbing grapes and squashes, plum trees and large but easily accessible vegetable and herb planting beds. Nearby is a meadow for picking flowers.

Modern Townhouse | Fresnaye

Nestled in the exclusive Fresnaye, these two beautiful adjoined townhouses needed a lush green garden to contrast and soften the architecture. The requirement was to create a serene, lush, spa like feel in the garden, as a focal feature of the property, while also providing privacy from the neighbours. A combination of monstera deliciosa, bamboo and strappy plants like Liriope created a tropical green feel, and provided the necessary screening. Expansive courtyard pavers give the feeling of more space. Separated by linear areas of ground cover to maintain the outdoor feel and are large enough to place outdoor furniture. I included a water feature as a focal point in the courtyard and to provide a sense of tranquility. The pool area is dressed with a number of pots and a low hedge as screening. The pots contain structural plants like agave and strelitzia. This garden turned a stark modern property into a peaceful escape draped in a beautiful landscape.

Waterwise Garden | Camps Bay

A windy, hot, dry site with beautiful views overlooking Camps Bay beach, the perfect place for a piece of Table Mountain on your doorstep. The client recently installed a natural pool with Wetland Pools and wanted to complete the design with a Fynbos plant palette and waterwise garden. The client was open to creativity so we created a labyrinth design with his succulent collection. To create a sense of wonder in the garden I planted long feathery grasses that move with the wind and encourage you to take a walk through to see whats more. 

Indigenous garden | Stonehurst

This garden shows off the versatility of indigenous designs, changing the perception of what can be achieved through native planting. The clients wanted semi-formal garden were mainly for on-looking aesthetic purposes. It is a semi-formal indigenous style garden with some formal structures and loose planting. They did not like the harsh look of indigenous gardens so I managed to create a softer feeling planting palette while keeping true to the estate’s guidelines. The three large feature trees act as a buffer to the large gabions in order to reduce the impact of their scale. All other trees are specifically chosen for screening the strong winds.

Kitchen Tea Garden | Newlands

Situated in the quaint Newlands suburb lies a small home that is open-planned to a garden space. I love designing small spaces as I feel that clever and bold design is needed to give it a sense of spaciousness. I feel that this was achieved through the planting palette. 

Wildlife dry garden | Constantia

This garden has a lovely farmhouse feel with an abundance of water from 6 fresh water springs. Permaculture is practised to ensure the property has minimal carbon footprint and accommodate for all life in the garden. Indigenous and diverse planting is important. The garden uses only organic substance and there is on site composting. I designed an alternative to grass where the citrus orchard is located. The design has made the area is water wise, have a greater biodynamic edge and planting for natural pest control to the citrus. This has also created more traction for birds, butterflies and the bees living in the hive at the bottom of the garden. This area will be a natural fairytale when complete!

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See some of the concept images that inspired the design. 

Tropical Garden | Plattekloof

A contemporary multi-story new home which had a number of dispersed garden spaces. The challenge was to create some sense of unity in the planting palette and style and soften the architecture. The plants are naturalistic-looking, with a tropical style palette.  The design is a lovely contrast of loose wild planting whilst still holding its structure.

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See some of the concept images and a few progression shots from site this week.  

Fynbos Rock Garden | Stonehurst

Situated high up on Muizenberg mountain, this plot has incredible 180 degree views of Table Mountain and Muizenberg’s coastline. The biggest design challenge was the levelling through gabions in order to balance maximizing the lawn space whilst keeping costs low. This indigenous garden is designed for family with young children and parents who often like to entertain. This site was fortunate to inherit many large rocks which were carefully incorporated into the design layout. A fever tree forest lines the side of the house to screen from the neighbours and acts as a lovely feature. The pool is strategically placed to be sheltered from the wind and focus the eye towards the mountain. To make more of a statement, the deck wraps around two fever trees. My favourite part of the design is the Fynbos garden which is alive with a diverse range of proteas, pincushions, leucospermum, aloes, succulents, fynbos shrubbery, restios and grasses for the kids to wonder and birds to enjoy. It is also a place where one can venture for cut flowers and has the potential to be used as an outdoor entertainment space with a firepit and outdoor seating.

Small trendy townhouse | Gardens

Home to two young entrepreneurs, this space has that inspiring feeling as you enter the house - all except the garden - which was left to ruin in the drought. We removed the pool and instead created a resting place that used water-wise planting and trees to create a little space of calm. I have used structural plants such as fan aloes, grasses, agave and strelizia to give it the same bold character as its inhabitants. This is definitely not your average garden design...

Airbnb Cottage | Zwaanswyk

This small cottage off the side of the main house was in great need of a revamp. The client wanted the garden to become a the new selling point to get more bookings. The design includes an outdoor braai and lounge to increase the usability of the space. The entrance has been formalised and re-directed for better ergonomics. The unique selling point of this garden is the yoga deck that can transform into a jacuzzi - perfect for a romantic couple getaway!

Zen Garden | Claremont

Inspired by the Japanese Mural covering the east-facing wall inside the yoga studio, this zen-garden creates a sanctuary of calm as soon as you arrive in the space. At the entrance this mood was achieved through organic shape steps with a soft groundcover and Tokyo-bowl water feature. The uneven pavers purposefully draw one’s eyes downwards, making you to walk slower and appreciate the flowers.

As you slowly wonder into the main garden, you find yourself under a canopy of plum trees, which resemble a mass of Japanese Cherry Blossom in Spring and provide a harvest of fruit in summer. These deciduous trees provide shade in the summer and allow light in during the winter. The flower palette is white and pink, including snow flakes, diamond frost, Camellias and Japanese anemone. All plants selected are water wise and low-maintenance as per the client’s needs. The charcoal painted wall brings the plants to the foreground, brings out their colour and gives the illusion of more space.