Design

As colours go, this is bright, but it sets up the pink, red and white blooms magnificently and adds gaiety to the entrance. Be generous with the quantities of plants, and add quirky touches with ornaments and potholders.

Hot and sunny wall gardens are notoriously difficult to plant up successfully. So, what plants will survive these conditions?

When designing gardens these days, especially wildlife gardens, we talk about mimicking a habitat. But it is challenging to translate a habitat type legibly and functionally, especially in small gardens. A woodland arrangement, for example, requires more than one tree to suggest woodland with its understory community of shrubs, perennials, bulbs, grasses, and groundcovers.

Dictionary synonyms like ‘soft’, ‘calm’, ‘balmy’, ‘soothing’ certainly help to make ‘bland’ a little more attractive, but I’ll admit, ‘insipid’, ‘wishy-washy’ and ‘drab’ are there too. In the shady areas of our gardens, the luminous orange-red Scadoxus blooms have died off, leaving the Bell Clivia, C. miniata, to carry on the vibrant display. But, when those flowers fade and plants recede once again into the monotonously green backdrop, what then?

Do you have a slope or bank ready to be dressed more creatively than the default retaining wall blocks or mown lawn? An eye-catching cocktail dress rather than a comfortable pair of jeans; a brightly coloured pashmina to replace a worn monotone windbreaker? Aside from adding a beautiful feature, this style detail/ element increases the sustainability of the garden too, for it saves on lawnmower fuel, provides level planting pockets for better water penetration, and provides h

Thriving verge designs translate well into resilient home gardens. Easy-care, low-maintenance and water-wise characterise the loose-limbed Plumbago auriculata; add sky-blue flowers for much of the year, and there is little to beat this well-loved shrub.

Thriving verge designs translate well into resilient home gardens. Successfully planted verges, for example, offer up a list of resilient species for our gardens as roadside plants battle challenging conditions to survive

There is never a good time for a garden to be without a comprehensive cover of foliage blanketing the ground. Whether faced with a cold winter, fierce summer sun, drought, wind, or torrential rains, the right plant cover can keep the garden intact, and add beauty and year-round interest while performing these duties.

How can we respond to changing weather patterns in the way we manage our gardens? We can respond by creating resilient landscapes and gardens that can adapt to changing weather patterns and bounce back after extreme events.

For the designer, pathways are as fundamental to a garden design as the plants themselves; for the day-to-day gardener, paths lead both...

‘A game lodge feel’ was the spec given to Durban landscaper Miles Steenhuisen; a space in which suburbia disappears. No view of road nor...

The Plectranthus  species, arguably the showstoppers of the shade, are at their best in April, their gorgeous colours making them...

“People will stare. Make it worth their while”, proclaimed award-winning marketing expert, Sally Hogshead, to advertise a famous...

By Anno Torr It is now Aloe Season, and visitors to this garden are hard pressed to choose between gazing ahead at the stunning gorge...

By Americo N. Bonkewitzz, PhD Lawn, says Durban butterfly expert, Americo N. Bonkewitzz, gives us the dose of “green” that we like to see...

By Anno Torr All gardeners enjoy the delightful task of potting up spring containers or stretching our summer and spring colour displays...

An impressive collection of aloes infuses this winter garden with colours of the sun By Anno Torr Along a quiet residential road in the...

By Anno Torr There are times when looking through books or wandering around the garden, you hit upon a combination that excites you...

By Jenny Dean A large part of my work is creating gardens within secure gated estates.  Residents are only allowed to plant indigenous...

KLEINIA FULGENS & KALANCHOE SEXANGULARIS Coral Senecio and Bushveld Kalanchoe, Red-leaved Kalanchoe   The summer green of Kalanchoe...