Hermanus Landscape Design 101: Designing a Lawn

Deciding on the size and shape of ones potential lawn area is a great place to start the garden design process.

The shape of the lawn will most often reflect the lines of the house which in turn will also determine the size of the potential lawn area as well as the overall feel of the garden and surrounding beds and outdoor areas.

Formal Rectangular lawn

Contemporary Lawn Design

A formal rectangular,square, circular or half circle lawn works well for smaller lawn areas preventing a messy look to the garden whilst irregularly shaped lawns with gentle undulating curves work best for large gardens by softening the edges and creating a sense of interest and magic. Remember soft gradual undulating curves!

The size of your lawn should be proportionate to the total area of you garden and as such should be around 1/2 to 2/3 the total area of ones garden with the remaining area serving to provide interest and colour to the garden as well as utilities for outdoor living.

Synthetic Lawn - Carefree Option 

Always end curved lawn borders at right angles to the house, paving or boundary walls.
In Hermanus landscaping the two lawns that feature the most due to their hardiness and tolerance of the relatively harsh coastal conditions are Buffalo grass and Kikuyu. Both can be propagated from plugs, runners or instant lawn sods.

When preparing your potential Hermanus garden or Landscape for new lawn work the area over removing any unwanted debris and weed growth, rake the soil level and apply Super Phosphate at 100g/m2  .    Apply a light layer of lawn dressing to even out newly laid instant lawn and to help the sods knit together properly. 

Newly Laid Instant Buffalo Lawn

Three weeks Later

Water well and cut 4 weeks later on a high setting to encourage your new lawn to begin spreading without taking off to much growth and causing stress related wilt.

In my next post I will be dealing with lawn maintenance and fertilization as well as practical planting design for a wide range of scenarios
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Hermanus Landscaping 101: Chemical fertilizers

The use of chemical fertilizers in Hermanus gardens and landscaping is an important ingredient along with compost and organic feeding in creating a successful garden.

Compost, Fertilization and hard work- Garden soil recipe

However, the type of chemical fertilizer one chooses is important in ensuring the health and longevity of the bio organism activity within your gardening soil.

Stick to slow release chemical fertilizers preferably with added humates in the form of a carbon coating to ensure a gradual healthy release of required nutrients whilst your Hermanus landscaping or garden enjoys the additional organic benefit of the the accompanying humates.

Slow release chemical fertilizer with added humates

Chemical fertilizers function best when used as a boost to your gardening efforts during the start of Spring and every two months during the warm summer months when Hermanus gardens are actively growing and will therefore benefit from the additional boost in feeding.

I recommend and use the following brief list of chemical fertilizers in  my Hermanus landscaping and  garden maintenance:

• 2.3.2 (SR) added to bone meal when planting.
• 3.1.5 (SR) for flowering and fruiting plants and trees . Applied as a top dressing.
• 3.2.1 (SR) for lawn areas and evergreen plantings. Applied as a top dressing.

Remember to apply lightly at the recommended dosages and water well after application to prevent the burning of your plants and lawn.

Plant of the week : Leucospernum cordifolium

The indigenous flowering pin cushion forms part of the Protea family, a species of endemic Fynbos, specific to the Cape Floristic Region.

In full bloom during this time of the year it is a majestic sight to behold, earning its right to being one of my all time top garden favorites and deserves pride of place in any garden.

From golden yellow to wine red and even a surreal metallic purple in the form of the L. tottum , these plants offer amazing diversity and exceptional performance in Hermanus landscaping and gardens.

Remember to add NO amendments to the planting hole apart from a good quality Protea potting soil and to water well for the first two to three weeks.

Red Cordifolium

Yellow Flowering Leucospernum

Orange Flowering Leucospernum hybrid

Flowering Pin cushion in foreground of a Fynbos bouquet

  

Hermanus Landscape Design 101: Landscape Style

Gardens in Hermanus can be divided into two broad design categories, formal and informal, both using plants from the same limited pallet due to environmental conditions but in different design forms so as to suit the taste and requirements of the home owner as well as complement the architecture of the house.

Formal Design

Informal Design

Once the keen Home Landscaper decides on the garden design style that they envisage a few important points need to be addressed before design can begin:

• Architecture of the house – the architecture of ones home does play a part in determining the design theme of the garden but does not have to deter the homeowner from achieving a garden design that they would prefer, by using a little common sense and know how one can easily combine elements of both styles to create a beautiful garden that suits both the home owner and architecture.Certain garden styles do better suit particular architectural styles e.g a cottage garden may look out of place alongside a very modern sea front home whilst an informal indigenous garden including a few simple formal design elements such as  hedging backdrops to mixed informal plantings and modern contemporary features can cut the balance perfectly between the preferences of the Hermanus gardener and the architecture of the house.

  

  Consider the Style of your home when designing your garden

•  Light conditions- examine the plot during different times of the day and preferably different seasons to access which areas receive full day sun, half day sun, morning sun, afternoon sun etc. As this will dictate the type of planting that can be used in the various parts of your garden as well as where washing lines should be cited etc.

Sunlight in the garden

• Wind prevalence – here the Hermanus landscaper will be confronted predominantly with either the South Easter or North West winds. How exposed are the various areas of your garden to these winds. The more wind an area experiences the tougher the planting will need to be and therefore a specific plant pallet will need to be selected. Exposure to wind will also influence the positioning of outdoor seating areas or fit pits and whether additional protection will be required.

  

  Wind in the garden

•  Coastal conditions – gardens very close to the coastline are exposed to salt and salt laden winds. Plants that are tolerant of these conditions will need to be planted in those parts of the garden that are openly exposed to these conditions.

  

  Tough coastal conditions

•  Soil conditions – the poor nature of the soil found in most Hermanus gardens will once again determine the plant pallet unless considerable time, resources and effort are employed to maintain the soil in a condition that will suit plants that would otherwise naturally struggle in this area.

  

  Poor soil conditions

Once these practical points have been accessed we can then start dividing the garden into rooms and activity areas that will most suit the various climatic and environmental conditions found around the property.

Hermanus Landscaping 101: Fertilization (Organic Fertilizers)

Picking up from my post last week on the importance of compost, this week I will discuss the fertilization of Hermanus gardens and landscaping.

Organic Fertilizer in Pellet Form

Create a living soil

         

Adequate composting is essential for a successful Hermanus garden or landscaping project due to its ability to improve the structure, texture, drainage and water holding capabilities of Hermanus garden soils (especially with our very hydrophobic soil).
Compost however also provides essential micro organisms which are needed to break down the minerals that naturally occur in our soil or  which are provided by supplementary fertilization, from a form that cannot be used by plants (inorganic) to a form that plants can use(organic).

The advantages of organic feeding

It is for this reason that we should be looking to use fertilizers that best stimulate micro organism activity whilst leaving very little or no harmful residue behind.
Organic fertilizers do just this, they are a slow acting natural solution made from animal byproducts and provide a myriad of benefits:

• Slow Release ensuring a gradual release of nutrients as needed.
• Stimulate micro organism activity improving the health of ones soil
• Improve the health and pest resistance of garden plants
• Improve soil structure and texture
• Leave no or very little residue behind
• Safe to use and leave no harmful traces in fruit/veg/herb gardens

Organically produced for a healthier environment

Choose a way of life that benefits future generations

       

Recommended application rates:

• New Landscapes –  Apply at 100-150 grams per m²  of newly planned planting areas and work into the top 300 mm soil layer together with compost.
• Planting – Bone meal is ideal for planting as it stimulates root growth and provides a slow sustained release of nitrogen. DO NOT USE WITH ANY FYNBOS PLANTING. Organic 3.1.5 is another fantastic option either on its own or together with bone meal.
• Established gardens: Apply at 70-100 grams per m² for beds. Remember to remove all fertilizer from plant foliage and to water well. It can still burn despite being organic.
• Lawns – Apply the meal form of organic fertilizer to your lawns, not the pellet form. Apply at 100 grams per m²  and water well.
• Re apply organic fertilizers every 3 months.

Fynbos Gardens in Full Bloom

An early morning walk through Fernkloof Nature Reserve and the surrounding landscaped Fynbos gardens during this time of year yields an abundance of eye catching flowering Fynbos and indigenous South African flora perfectly suited for planting in Hermanus landscaping and gardens.

Fynbos is a unique, incredibly rich form of endemic vegetation dominant  to the Cape Floristic Region, found only at the very tip of Southern Africa in the South Western Cape and should be celebrated by Hermanus landscapers and gardeners.

I am an ardent Fynbos lover, whether it be planted in an informal naturalistic landscape design, a formal structured garden or in a contemporary landscape, Fynbos is perfectly suited offering an incredible depth of Texture, foliage and colour.

For more information on each one of these Fynbos beauties and how to use them in your Hermanus landscaping have a look at my weekly plant of the week series.

Golden  Pincushions

Brilliant Ericas

Stunning Silver Mimetes 

Breathtaking Buchus

Mixed Fynbos Bouquet

Airy Wild Rosemary

Indigenous flowering Crassula   

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Hermanus Landscaping Design 101: Introduction

The aim of Hermanus Landscaping Design 101 is to serve as a guide for Hermanus gardeners by providing practical advice and tips on creating a beautiful garden in Hermanus.

We will deal briefly with the basic often abstract principles of garden design and landscaping but will be focusing mainly on the practical aspects of implementing these garden design and landscaping principles, which in practice may often leave gardeners feeling uncertain as to where to begin.

Landscape Design begins with a plan and passion

                      

Landscaping and gardening design is a passion that flows from the heart and ends in a result that expresses who you are and brings one closer to beauty and the world around us.

An Hermanus landscaping project underway at Negester Development, Onrus North

There are general guidelines but no steadfast rules as landscaping and garden design are meant to be an outlet for creativity and passion ensuring countless hours of passion fueled fun and discovery.

Warren                                                             
Modern Natural landscaping, planting and garden maintenance