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Design Gardens that explore all five senses

Each of these gardens has been designed with our five senses in mind – choose one that appeals to you…

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Marié says: “When I visited the Chelsea Flower Show in London in May this year, I was inspired by BBC Radio 2’s five Feel Good Gardens. These gardens were designed to stimulate the senses and in so doing make visitors feel happier, calmer and more positive about the world.

“We asked four of Home’s regular garden designers to interpret each of these themes in a uniquely South African way. They have designed five sensory gardens that suit our climate and local conditions. Choose one and recreate it in your own space!” Well-known British landscaper Sarah Raven designed the Chelsea 'sight' garden, entitled The Colour Cutting Garden, with plants that are suitable for picking and then give a repeat crop of blooms (as she put it: “cut and come again flowers”). Pietman Diener's design (see garden #5 on page 101) offers the same concept.

# 1 A garden of sounds

In this design, Neville combined several elements that are pleasing to the ear. • People can create sound in a garden – not only with their voices but also when they walk through it; in this instance, the gravel pathway makes a lovely crunch underfoot. • The sound of babbling water has a calming effect and this natural-looking stream does exactly that. The shallow sloping sides also make it frog-friendly. The croaks of frogs at night bring life to your garden and make you aware of the difference between day and night sounds. A fountain at each end of the stream provides an additional visual and auditory effect. • Animals and birds also create sound. Birds love the seeds of the lavender tree – plant a row of them alongside the stream. The tree canopy formed by the fever trees gives the birds a safe environmen­t to flit about in and with seating nearby, you can enjoy your feathered visitors up close! The blue freylinia attracts bees, which add another element of sound to the garden. • If you choose the right plants, they’ll contribute to the auditory effect. Think of the wind whistling through the trees or ornamental grasses rustling in a breeze. • To add an extra sound element, Neville has hung wind chimes in the trees and also recommends a fire pit for friends and family to gather around – the sound of the crackling fire after a long day at the office is sure to set the mood! >>

# 2 The taste garden

Who doesn’t love the taste of crispy organic vegetables? This spiral-shaped veggie garden is perfect for a small space. It can even be built on a roof or in a paved area – just omit the chamomile lawn, says Jaco. • Choose a sunny spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Build the spiral with gabions (wire baskets in which stones are packed), bricks or stones and fill the spiral with compost-rich soil. Don’t make the spiral too wide – you must be able to reach the vegetables in the middle when you stand next to the spiral. • Plant lower-growing veggies in the outer circle of the spiral so you can reach the inner spiral when you need to harvest. A rosemary bush at the top, trimmed in an interestin­g shape, adds the finishing touch. • Install drip irrigation or a sprinkler system that waters just the spiral garden so that no water is wasted. • Make provision for a pond in the design to attract wildlife to your spiral garden; it is also the perfect place to plant watercress. • Plant a chamomile lawn all around the spiral garden. As you harvest your vegetables and herbs, you’ll be able to enjoy the relaxing scent of the plants as you tread on them!

# 3 The texture garden

You won’t be able to resist touching and feeling the plants in this garden! Petro has combined several different textures – even the pots and walking surfaces have a role to play. • A gabion wall forms a rugged backdrop to the water feature. If you like the sound of water, install a copper or steel spout in the wire basket. Edge the water feature with tiles of your choice. • A durable wooden deck that can withstand the elements is framed on either side by water pear trees that will later form a pleached hedge to create privacy. Arrange large stones under the trees with gaps in-between in which groundcove­rs can be planted. This creates a dramatic textural contrast to the stone (make sure the stones don’t become overgrown by the groundcove­r). • Gravel (13mm in size) contrasts with the wooden deck and the rougher, larger stones in the gabions. Lay the gravel on geotextile so that weeds don’t grow through the stones. • Keep the walk-through bed minimalist­ic. Place three square smooth-textured pots (about 60 x 60 x 70cm) here. Plant aloes in the pots and finish with smooth white pebbles around the stems. Fill the rest of the bed with masses of fescue grass. By only using two types of plants with different textures here, you create a sense of space and the softness of the fescue grass contrasts well with the stones, pots and wooden deck. Create a comfortabl­e walkway with three large charcoal-coloured pavers (100 x 50cm). • Square charcoal-coloured pavers (50 x 50cm) surrounded by gravel form the straight path. • The bed next to this is an informal planting, with the exception of the big num-num that forms a hedge on one side. Echeverias have been used along the edge to create coarse texture and to define the bed. Ornamental grasses play an important role in creating textural contrast. The softness of the grasses, the interestin­g seeds and their movement in the breeze contrasts with the other more rigid shrubs that provide less movement. >>

# 4 The scented garden

Few can resist a scented garden, especially if the fragrances evoke wonderful memories. • The entrance to Pietman's fragrance garden is along a narrow path framed by two bay tree topiaries, forcing you to brush against them which then releases their strong aromatic fragrance. Thyme and pennyroyal are planted in-between the stones of the pathway – both of these plants, as well as the rosemary growing next to the path, emit their scent when they are touched. • The path leads to a circular chamomile lawn framed by the same type of stone as was used on the path. On the opposite side there's a stone bench covered by a pergola; the seat of the bench is also planted with pennyroyal. The pergola is covered on three sides by a combinatio­n of jasmine, honeysuckl­e and a fragrant rose. In the centre of the chamomile lawn there's a fire pit that's perfect for adding atmosphere. If you're not keen on a fire pit, Pietman suggests a pond in which sweetly scented waterblomm­etjies and water lilies can be grown. • Fragrant trees are planted in the four corners of the garden. • Scented plants have been placed around the chamomile lawn – all of them are excellent cut flowers, so their fragrance can be enjoyed indoors too. • A dense thicket of fragrant shrubs frames the garden.

# 5 The visual garden

Pietman used a simple, classic design to create structure – and the visual effect is so appealing that you'll keep on coming back for more! • The visual (sight) garden is framed by a tall indigenous evergreen spekboom hedge which, with its lovely delicate leaves, looks good all year round. Two benches have been set in the spekboom hedge and mirrors behind the benches reinforce the visual effect of the garden and give it a sense of spaciousne­ss. • A gravel pathway runs right around the bed so that you can view it from all sides. • The bed in the middle is divided by means of hedges into a geometric structure of triangles and squares in which flowers with beautiful colours and shapes have been planted. Combine flowers with long spikes and interestin­g umbrella-, bell- or rounded shapes. Foliage with appealing forms and colours, striking colour combinatio­ns, ‘transparen­t' plants, different flower textures and seed heads that form at the end of the flowering season all contribute to a lasting display. Thanks to the seasonal variety, there's always something to look at. The informal aesthetic of the plants contrasts with the solid and structured look of the hedges in-between. • Dune crowberry was chosen for the hedges, which are all the same width, creating the perfect backdrop for the various plants and combinatio­ns. The hedge can also be pruned into interestin­g, undulating patterns.

It's not only flowering plants that have visual value in a garden – foliage plants, interestin­g hedges and garden décor also have a role to play. – Pietman

 ??  ?? 3 4 4 2 Pathway 5 3 Stone bench and pergola 2 2 Fire pit 1 4 4 1 3 PLANT LIST
1 Fragrant flowers for picking • Lavender (Lavandula X intermedia ‘Grosso’) • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinali­s ‘Prostratus’) • Narcissus hybrids • Garden heliotrope...
3 4 4 2 Pathway 5 3 Stone bench and pergola 2 2 Fire pit 1 4 4 1 3 PLANT LIST 1 Fragrant flowers for picking • Lavender (Lavandula X intermedia ‘Grosso’) • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinali­s ‘Prostratus’) • Narcissus hybrids • Garden heliotrope...
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 ??  ?? Pietman Diener
landscaper from Stellenbos­ch
Pietman Diener landscaper from Stellenbos­ch
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 ??  ?? 1 Wooden deck Size: 10 x 6m Full sun Gravel 1 Walk-through bed Water feature Gabion wall 3 2 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PLANT LIST 8 9 10 11 12 7 violet 4 9 Water pear Big num-num setaceum Gongoni grass Pink joy Crane flower Fescue grass Cone bush tenuifolia); 5...
1 Wooden deck Size: 10 x 6m Full sun Gravel 1 Walk-through bed Water feature Gabion wall 3 2 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PLANT LIST 8 9 10 11 12 7 violet 4 9 Water pear Big num-num setaceum Gongoni grass Pink joy Crane flower Fescue grass Cone bush tenuifolia); 5...
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 ??  ?? Gabions 4 6 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 13 8 PLANT LIST Chives Rocket Strawberry Sweet basil Rosemary 3 Spinach Lemon thyme 5 Golden oregano ] (Thymus citriodoru­s) 7 6 3 9 2 (Origanum vulgare (Ocimum Dark opal basil ‘Purpurasce­ns’) 3 2 4 ‘Aureum’)...
Gabions 4 6 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 13 8 PLANT LIST Chives Rocket Strawberry Sweet basil Rosemary 3 Spinach Lemon thyme 5 Golden oregano ] (Thymus citriodoru­s) 7 6 3 9 2 (Origanum vulgare (Ocimum Dark opal basil ‘Purpurasce­ns’) 3 2 4 ‘Aureum’)...
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 ??  ?? Size: 1.2m tall, 3m wide and 5m long Full sun
Size: 1.2m tall, 3m wide and 5m long Full sun
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 ??  ?? 1 2 3 Gravel pathway 4 Wind chimes in trees Fire pit Stream 5 [ 6 9 Birdbath PLANT LIST ] Fountain 8 7 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lavender tree Leather-leaf fern Money plant Blue freylinia Red-hot poker Common rush Fever tree Angled...
1 2 3 Gravel pathway 4 Wind chimes in trees Fire pit Stream 5 [ 6 9 Birdbath PLANT LIST ] Fountain 8 7 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lavender tree Leather-leaf fern Money plant Blue freylinia Red-hot poker Common rush Fever tree Angled...
 ??  ?? Size: 15 x 6.5m Sun to shade
Size: 15 x 6.5m Sun to shade
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 ?? Compiled by Marié Esterhuyse • Sketches Neville Orsmond, Petro Jacobs, Pietman Diener and Jaco Brand ??
Compiled by Marié Esterhuyse • Sketches Neville Orsmond, Petro Jacobs, Pietman Diener and Jaco Brand
 ?? 14 13 ?? 1 Bench 1 2 3 9 10 Pathway 5 6 Hedge 4 7 8 11 2 Bench 1 1
PLANT LIST
For 1 Spekboom the hedges (Portulacar­ia afra) for tall hedges
2 Dune crowberry (Searsia crenata) for low hedges For the beds in the squares 3 Purple broom (Polygala virgata), gaura...
14 13 1 Bench 1 2 3 9 10 Pathway 5 6 Hedge 4 7 8 11 2 Bench 1 1 PLANT LIST For 1 Spekboom the hedges (Portulacar­ia afra) for tall hedges 2 Dune crowberry (Searsia crenata) for low hedges For the beds in the squares 3 Purple broom (Polygala virgata), gaura...
 ??  ?? Size: 10 x 10m Full sun
Size: 10 x 10m Full sun

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