Reader garden: A natural choice

Photographs Christoph Hoffmann

WHO LIVES HERE? J an and Ilinda du Preez with their two cats, Pixel and Meko

WHERE Monaghan Farm, Lanseria

SIZE OF ERF 6 000m²

TYPE OF SOIL Clay and sandy

Ilinda du Preez wanted a garden that looked and felt like the veld. "I've always loved a natural garden, so when I stroll through mine I want to be surrounded by wildflowers and grasses just as it would be in nature," she says.

"One of the conditions of the estate where we live is that 50% of the erf's total area must remain natural veld - the house, swimming pool, garden and any other built structure may not cover more than half of the property."

Ilinda says that any plants used in the garden should by and large be indigenous to the Highveld. "The estate's goal is to preserve the grasslands and natural vegetation of the area, so a veld garden was the logical choice for us."

Since the estate requires a landscape designer to lay out the garden, they enlisted the help of Brenda Niehaus of Fern Design and Lily Landscaping. Brenda and Ilinda planned the garden together and both felt that the ‘landscaped' part should blend as seamlessly as possible with the veld around it.

Indigenous veld garden

"We started the garden on the veld side, planting agapanthus, crane flower, fairy bell, mauve nemesia, bulbs and ornamental grasses," explains Brenda. "Gongoni grass that grows abundantly in the veld was repeated in the garden, while other ornamental grasses were planted to complement it."

Ilinda likes working in her garden and has learned with time which plants survive in this climate with its severe frost.

"It's much colder and wetter here than surrounding areas, and we get much more frost. If I see something isn't doing well, my gardener Peter Banda and I move it or replace it. Brenda also assists when major changes are needed," says this anaesthesiologist.

"I adore the natural look of the garden and I love spending time in it when I'm on leave or after a stressful day at work. "Even if it's just pulling out plants, I find it relaxing and a good way to forget about my worries."

Expert advice

If a garden is in harmony with the environment and climate, you'll have less maintenance, with happy plants. Brenda Niehaus of Fern Design and Lily Landscaping offers advice:

• Look at your surroundings and first plant in your own garden what occurs naturally in the area. This repetition ensures that the garden and its immediate surroundings form a cohesive whole. This applies to plants as well as stones for pathways.

• Compile a plant list. No matter how long it is, make a list of everything you'd like to use. Start with the indigenous vegetation and then add alternatives. If you go for alternatives, make sure they're workable options - they should be able to adapt to the climate and rainfall. Also keep in mind the amount of wind and frost that your garden gets. Then choose plants you love that will cope with the climate. But don't select too many - a smaller plant selection ensures greater impact; if you have too many different plants, the garden will look cluttered and the feel you want to create will be lost.

• With the right plant choice, maintenance is easy and kept to the minimum. We only cut off the tops of the grasses occasionally and rake the grass clippings lightly with our hands. A week later, you can't even see that they've been cut. If plants and even trees (that occur naturally in the area) come up on their own in the garden, they are left as is.

• Group together plants with the same water needs. This garden only has an irrigation system in the area closest to the house and where we planted lawn. The rest takes care of itself.

• Stones that were on the erf and in the veld were used for pathways; this was supplemented with stones from The Rock King.

• Make the most of the views of the "borrowed landscape" - that which is outside your erf but visible from the garden. This makes the garden seem more spacious, and if your garden complements the surroundings, all the better!

CONTACT 083 442 0963, brenda.fernlily@gmail.com

The garden is so beautiful, especially when the sun shimmers on the grass in the early morning and late afternoon, creating the most amazing visual effects. - Ilinda

Plant list

About 95% of the plants and trees in the garden are indigenous and endemic to the area. Many come from Grassland Nursery and Random Harvest which both grow plants specifically for the area. The indigenous vegetation attracts plenty of birds, butterflies and other insects. Brenda also incorporated a few of Ilinda's favourite exotic plants.

Trees*

• Cross-berry (Grewia occidentalis)

• Karee (Searsia lancea)

• Nana-berry (Searsiadentata)

• Old wood (Leucosideasericea)

• River bushwillow (Combretumerythrophyllum)

• Wild olive (Oleaeuropeasubsp. africana)

Shrubs and perennials*

• Agapanthus spp.

• Aloes such as Aloearborescens, A.cooperi, A. ferox and A. marlothii

• Blue felicia (Feliciaamelloides) and Karoo felicia (F. filifolia)

• Blue stars (Aristeaecklonii)

• Crane flower (Strelitziareginae)

• Fairy bell (Dieramapendulum)

• Garden red-hot poker (Kniphofiapraecox)

• Mauve nemesia (Nemesiafruticans)

• Mooi River carnation (Dianthusmooiensis)

• Pelargoniumpseudofumarioides

• Wild dagga (Leonotisleonurus)

• Wild garlic (Tulbaghiaviolacea)

• Wild iris (Dietesgrandiflora and D. bicolor)

Bulbs*

• Falling stars (Crocosmiaaurea)

• Gladioluscrassifolius

• Grass crinum (Crinumgraminicola)

• Paintbrush lily (Scadoxuspuniceus)

• Pineapple lily (Eucomisautumnalis)

• Red watsonia (Watsoniaangusta)

Ornamentalgrasses

• Gongoni grass (Aristidajunciformis)*

• Natal red top (Melinisrepens)*

• Rhodes grass (Chlorisgayana)

• Vlei rush (Juncuseffusus)

* indigenous