f inely tuned

if the thought of a controlled palette of plants and materials conjures up a garden devoid of personality, think again. A restrained garden is the key to appreciating subtlety in every detail. We take inspiration and ideas from Red daffodil Landscaping’s latest project In the Clouds

Manicured topiary interplanted with a well-chosen handful of plant species makes for the perfect combination of sculptural drama vs. soft flamboyance. The reward is a green backbone to your garden that will keep it looking slick throughout the year. here, cloudpruned orange jasmine, australian rosemary and Buxus spheres are set into frothy beds ofagapanthus ‘White Pixie’ – a wonderful thing that flowers from early spring to the last rays of summer – weeping anthericum, liriope, cascading rosemary and the simplicity of a perfectly level lawn.

Living Art

clipping shrubs or trees into architectural shapes is a form of gardening that will always be in vogue. gardeners have been doing it at least since roman times, and it reached its heyday in seventeenth-century europe – seen in its most ornate form atversailles. In south africa, the two most common plants to be cut into different shapes are the grey-leafed salt Bush ( Rhagodia hastata), which is happiest in a sunny position and the dune crowberry ( Searsia crenata), for sun or shade. The characteristics of a good topiary plant are small, compact, evergreen leaves and a bushy growth habit. In terms of shape, let your imagination run away with you. From minimalist cubes to intricate patterning, there is a place for some topiary in every garden. The Japanese pruning method, known as niwaki, is at the forefront of a more contemporary topiary style sweeping the world. Traditional parterres, obelisks and lollipops are replaced by organic-looking mounds, undulating spheres and loosely clipped trees sculpted into shapes inspired by nature.