More than ever now in South Africa we are experiencing huge water shortage problems and I really would encourage you in your garden setups to choose plants that are critically planted for little water usage.
Waterwise planting brings a completely different dimension to the landscape and is very pleasing to the eye, providing that your planting combinations are right.
If water usage is required, your grey water will be sufficient but other than that you’re not encouraged to use any municipal water. Tank water can be utilised from your own property, but you’ll probably want to use that in more specific ways in your own home.
Good use of planting succulents, big, small and medium with grasses are hugely effective and very modernistic in the layout of landscapes. You will see this around and about especially on professional landscapes with added features such as rocks, seating and creative pathways that encourage you into the landscape.
Also, you are encouraged to create pathways into an overgrown landscape and therefore would be hugely advantageous for access and to remove all the alien vegetation thus utilizing the existing forest canopy. You will see this in indigenous forests that have been preserved and are a good challenge for replication in your own landscape.
Please see below some of the pictures that we recommend from an indigenous landscaping perspective and consider and research all the plant material that you can utilize in your landscape that would be free of water reliance.
What is important is the correct planting combinations to work together and to ensure that you get the ultimate result.
Wonderful opportunities in different vygie representation are available and will encourage huge growth into a landscape. Also, vygie borders are very effective in that it covers the borders and protects the plants behind from the dryness that might occur in the soils.
For any queries contact Jo-Anne Hilliar at:
Landscape Design Consultants International is owned and managed by Jo-Anne Hilliar, a professionally trained Landscape Designer who qualified with a Garden and Landscape Design Diploma through the University of Natal in 1990. In 2005 the company shifted its operational focus to offer landscape design consulting expertise in managing, overseeing and auditing expansive commercial, industrial and environmental sites in South Africa and internationally. Jo-Anne established the Landscape Design School in 2001. Read more…