Big ideas FOR THE LITTLE KAROO
Oudtshoorn is one of the hottest towns in SA – gardening success here depends on the right plant choice.
Johan and Ronelle Engelbrecht recently finished building their home and have now turned their attention to giving the garden some structure and colour. They were keen to lay out the garden but needed help with the design and plant choice, so they asked Stellenbosch landscaper Pietman Diener to assist.
Pietman’s suggestions 1 The rockery
Site the rockery against a section of the boundary wall. The raw brick wall has a lovely texture and will be the perfect backdrop for all the succulents and cacti the couple have been given. Combine these plants with bulbs for seasonal colour and ornamental grasses and plants with an informal growth habit such as common russet grass and Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Heart’. These plants will contrast beautifully with the rocks and the architectural shapes of the succulents and cacti.
2 The herb garden
The herb garden must be near the kitchen so that they can easily and quickly pick herbs for cooking. Surround it with spekboom hedges and use the existing boundary walls to give this area the feel of a separate ‘room’ within the bigger garden. Ronelle’s avocado, olive and lemon trees will get pride of place here. In addition to her favourite herbs, they can also plant veggies and flowers for colour. To provide seating, a bench can be placed under a small vine-covered pergola. The combination of herbs, vegetables, colourful flowers and fruit trees will give the space a real kitchen garden feel.
3 The lawn
Ronelle would like to have lawn near the stoep to extend the entertainment area and to create space for kids to play in the future; couch grass would be a great option as it needs little water and is disease-resistant. Pietman suggests they partially frame the lawn with a Cape plumbago hedge – these plants require very little maintenance and need little water. Its light blue flowers and informal growth habit will contrast beautifully with the more rugged surrounding landscape visible from the garden. >>
1 For the rockery
• Aeonium spp. • Agave attenuata • Echeveria hybrids • Gongoni grass (Aristida junciformis) • Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Heart’ • Short-leaved aloe (Aloe brevifolia) • Pig’s ear (Cotyledon orbiculata) • Cotyledon decussata • Cape bitter aloe (Aloe ferox) • Coral aloe (Aloe striata) • Krantz aloe (Aloe arborescens) • Carrion flower (Stapelia hirsuta) • Orbea variegata • Chinese lantern (Nymania capensis) • Century plant (Boophone disticha) • Vygie (Drosanthemum spp.) • Stalked bulbine (Bulbine frutescens)
2 For the herb garden
• Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) as a tall hedge against the wall • Portulacaria afra ‘Green Carpet’ as a low-growing hedge • A variety of herbs and veggies • Flowers such as pelargoniums, wild garlic, violas and nasturtiums for colour and fragrance • A lemon, olive and avocado tree, and a hanepoot grapevine over the pergola
3 For the lawn and beds
• Couch grass (Cynodon dactylon) • Cape plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) as a boundary hedge • Churchyard cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’) • Portulacaria afra ‘Green Carpet’ as a low-growing hedge • Smelly spur-flower (Plectranthus neochilus) and wild garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) as a groundcover beneath the cypresses • Sour fig (Carpobrotus edulis) as a groundcover beneath the lemon, olive and avocado trees.