Florcom Gardens

A Garden By: Indigo landscapes

Garden Designer: Bernadine Drath

Landscaped and constructed by: Indigo landscapes

This garden is on display at Garden World, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Gauteng Tel: 011 957 2046 or 083 997 6142, www.gardenworld.co.za

“ART IS NOT WHAT YOU SEE BUT WHAT YOU MAKE OTHERS SEE AND EXPERIENCE WITH THE SOUL.”

The inspiration for this modern meditation garden was drawn from the elements of nature: earth, wind, water, fire, wood and rock.

Each element is represented in the following ways:

· The plants represent the life-giving force of the earth.

· The sails represent the flow of wind or air, which whispers the secrets of the earth to us.

· The calming flow of water stills the mind. Water is the flow, which connects all life.

· The ‘flames’ represent the energy of fire. The warmth is the energy of the sun.

· The sculpture symbolizes rock or earth.

The planting strengthens and enhances the design and the deck provides a place of relaxation.

Plants used in the design:

Dietes grandiflora

Festuca gauterii

Nandina domestica

Philodendron xanadu

Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’

Carex Frosted Curls

Bambusa ‘Golden Goddess’

A Garden By: The Friendly Plant (Pty) Ltd

Garden Designer: Craig de Necker

Landscaped and constructed by: The Friendly Plant (Pty) Ltd

This garden is on display at Garden World, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Gauteng Tel: 011 957 2046 or 083 997 6142, www.gardenworld.co.za

The centre-piece of the garden is an interactive sundial, which uses a person’s shadow to indicate the time of day. A curved seating area provides an excellent vantage point to relax and view both the water feature and the sundial areas.

The raised patio area encompasses an outdoor kitchen area including a braai, which is an integral part of outdoor living for millions of people throughout the world.

Alongside the patio is a custom-designed wooden bench. This offers the visitor a comfortable place to relax.

Plant Highlights:

Cyathea australis

Cycas revolute

Phoenix roebelenii

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Assorted annuals

Clivias

Cuphea hyssopifolia

Hibiscus varieties

Kontak Dr Koos Henning by drhenning@florcom.co.za vir advies oor tuinuitlegte, beddingontwerp en plantkeuses.

Al die fotos in hierdie artikel kom vanaf florcomgardens se tuin in Nylstroom (vir meer inligting en uitleg van tuine kan Dr Henning gekontak word by florcom@icon.co.za).

Clivias se blomtyd is in die lente net na die winter wanneer kleur in die tuin baie welkom is. Ongelukkig is die blomperiode slegs ongeveer 3 weke lank, maar dit word opgemaak deur die feit dat clivias tydens die res van die jaar die ideale grondbedekker vir skaduryke gedeeltes van die tuin is.

Aangesien clivias rypgevoelig is en maklik deur die son beskadig word,moet aanplanting op beskutte skaduryke plekke wees. Die beste groei vind in gebroke skadu plaas, maar clivias sal ook in ‘dooie’ skadukolle met geen direkte sonlig groei. Clivias benodig min onderhoud en groei in feitlik enige goed gedreineerde grond.

Beddings teen die huis: Clivias is groot genoeg om die eentonigheid van die mure te breek, maar klein genoeg om nie bo die vensterbanke uit te steek nie. Beddings aan die huis se suidekant word gewoonlik gekenmerk deur dooie skadu met die meeste plante wat nie hier sal aard nie – clivias kan die nodige kleur aan hierdie beddings verleen.

Clivias in houers: Besondere effek kan met clivias in houers verkry word. Ingange na lapas en interessante hoekies in die tuin kan fokuspunte word indien mooi clivias in houers hier aangebring word. Plante is meer beskut wanneer dit in houers aangeplant is, en daarom kan jy veral jou skaarser soorte liewers in potte plant. Hierdie potte kan tydens blomtyd op fokuspunte geplaas, en die res van die seisoen op ‘n veilige en beskutte plek gebêre word.

Plant clivias in plate aan: Gedurende blomtyd is plate clivias altyd ‘n skouspel en tydens die res van die jaar dien dit as ‘n mooi grondbedekker. Let op die besondere uitsig vanuit die lapa in die foto op plate clivias wat langs die lapa groei.

Interessante hoekies in die tuin: Op die bygaande foto vorm clivias saam met ander loofplante ‘n verskeidenheid van blaargroottes, kleure en vorme.

Verbinding tussen verskillende areas in die tuin: Die onderstaande foto is ‘n goeie voorbeeld hoe clivias gebruik kan word om twee areas in die tuin te vebind. Die clivias is laag genoeg om sig na die volgende area toe te laat, maar bied tog ‘n duidelike skeiding tussen die twee areas.

Rangskikkings met cliviablomme: Clivias het nie ‘n uitsondelike lang vaasleeftyd nie, maar ‘n bos clivias in ‘n houer kan in die huis of in die tuin gebruik word om ‘n omgewing op te helder. Die bygaande foto van ‘n bos cliviablomme op ‘n stoeptafeltjie kan as ‘n goeie voorbeeld dien.

This garden is on display at Garden World, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Gauteng Tel: 011 957 2046 or 083 997 6142, www.gardenworld.co.za

‘Contemplation’ was designed and built by Garden Gregg Tarr of Soul Space.

Imagine having a secret place, a garden that is just for you. A place where you can just be, a place to meditate, to contemplate…. a bit of a selfish space because it is just for you.

That’s the concept behind the garden “Contemplation” designed by Greg Tarr of Soul Space for the Spring Festival at Garden World.

Says Greg,” Picture yourself walking in the Drakensberg and you come across a pool, with moss covered rocks, ferns and trees. It’s a place to sit and think. It has not been created by you and it is completely out of your control. That is the feeling that I want to evoke with this green space.’

Designed gardens are not actually restful spaces, says Greg. “The moment you sit down, you immediately notice a weed that needs pulling out, or a plant that is not doing well or a change that you would like to make.”

His answer to that is not to design, but to let the space evolve naturally. The elements will consist of a tumbling waterfall into a pool, a floating deck (with only room for one person) over the pool and an abundance of tropical greenery, with just hints of subtle colour, as you would find in a sun dappled forest.

Greg makes the interesting point that sometimes we can place too much emphasis on design, maybe at the expense of intuition. That is why he has decided to experiment with the concept of producing a garden that does not look as if it has been planned at all.

“The only thing in this garden that will look “designed’ will be the deck. Everything else will be absolutely natural, as though it has always been there. There will be nothing for the home owner to do because everything will grow, decay and grow again naturally.’

In other words it is the ultimate low maintenance garden that treads very lightly on the earth. For those of us who like the idea of nature working on us, rather than us working on nature, this garden is supremely in tune with nature, the theme of the Spring Festival.

Plant highlights:

• Focal plants: 2: Dicksonia Antarctica. 1: Cyathea australis.
• Shrubs & perennials: 6: Watsonia. 4: Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’. Carex ‘Honeybird’. 3: Chondropelatum nana.
• Annuals & bulbs: Lobelia.
• Ferns: 5: Rumohra adiantiformis.

Landscaped and constructed by: Horticulturalworx
Garden Designer: Christien Marx

This garden is on display at Garden World, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Gauteng Tel: 011 957 2046 or 083 997 6142, www.gardenworld.co.za

If there is harmony in nature, then gardening must be part of the music. And here is a new garden melody, created by inspired landscape designer, lecturer and entrepreneur, Christien Marx.

In this intimate garden room Christien offers us an unusual and exciting mix of funky showcase design and practical functionality. For a start, the site is very small so her first consideration is to maximize the potential of the area in a way that gives us a sense of freedom and space. Many of our gardens are handkerchief sized – just enough to step out into for a brief break from office routines and tangled traffic but not big enough to become unwelcome additional work. So imagine this is your space.

The design is very simple because size is limited: essentially it’s two interlocking squares, one raised above the other to create an interesting level change and to escape from flat monotony. You see no fuss, no frills, just straight lines and clean corners. Simple but very striking because modern and minimalist can be great fun.

In this fresh, unusual creation, Christien has let her materials make the music. She’s started with a plain little wall, given it a coat of warm colour and made it a mini urban water fall; she’s routed the flowing water between two sheets of glass (the table top) for a whole new spin on eating out doors; and she’s finished the fabulous water feature with a short drop to a square pond set with three square planters. There can be little to beat water as the central motif for a garden: water brings movement and energy to an apparently static scene yet is accompanied by an unrivaled sense of tranquility and serenity. We are fascinated by its cold touch, by its limpidity and by its ever changing form.

The contrasts in this garden are extraordinary. We picture find cycads on rocky, dry mountain slopes: here they are surrounded by clear water and cool movement. We know cycads are needle sharp and spiky, hardy and tough, somehow prehistoric and ageless. Here they are tucked around a sophisticated al fresco dining room, set about a soft green lawn, some under a spreading tree, and inter-planted with waving wild grasses. Cycads are themselves so fascinating and striking, accustomed to be focal points and topics of discussion – they could almost be expected to jostle with the landscape for attention. Here the vibrant colours of walls and furbishings, and the tranquility of the water provide the perfect compliment to these valuable and endangered plants of South Africa: each flatters the other.

It is Christien’s intention through this show garden to heighten our awareness of a unique and precious part of our South African heritage, the Encephalartos family (cycads). Did you know that cycads are protected by law: we are obliged to register our garden specimens and to follow specific procedures if transporting or selling Encephalartos? It is also Christien’s intention to give us encouragement: we can be bold and adventurous in our gardens; we can work in small spaces and produce whole symphonies of glorious sound; we can be water wise and beautiful; we can, through careful planning and professional installation, arrive at a garden that takes little work to maintain but gives us hours of pleasure and satisfaction; we can and should have fun!