DOING LIFE

PREPARATION FOR A UNIQUE INDIGENOUS GARDEN DESIGN - Monday, 11 February 2008

[UPDATE NO.1} You’ve imagined the space … and definitely did not imagine it in this state … again the rule of life applies … to be able to take a step forward, one need to take a step or two backwards … this is definitely a few steps backwards, making way for an indigenous dream to realize soon.

The calm before the storm

I have been telling you about the landscaper, Leanne Cumberlege with whom I have been liaising closely with bringing her up to date with my vision of an indigenous/natural/peaceful sanctuary where one can find peace for your soul and birdlife can flourish within a concrete jungle. Leanne did not rush into just getting some figures down on paper for us, but rather kept me in the picture and making sure that she totally understood and co-visualised this dream landscape I had in my mind.

Back Garden

Leanne made sure she was on par with every minute detail from the exact type of pots I love i.e. terra cotta, A-grade sleepers, the correct colour tint of pebbles, gravel and cobble stones, shapes and colour of rocks, the exact design for bird baths, swing bench, the correct wood stain colour for all the trellis wood work, outdoor umbrella, cement bench, cement table and benches which gives the feeling of Stone Henge in England to the specific type of indigenous plants I love i.e. Tree Aloes, Cabbage Trees, Fever Trees, grasses, strelitzias, miniature aloes, rock roses, etc.

Before actually furnishing us with a quote Leanne came around visiting me one more time to show me the rough sketches for the landscape and walked me through the actual garden space whilst explaining her sketches … needless to say … it was exactly how I envisaged the space.

We accepted Leanne’s quote this Sunday, 10 February 2008 after we visited one of her indigenous landscaped gardens in the Kayalami area. The fact that she organized this visit within an hour on Sunday morning speaks volumes of her dedication. Seeing this landscaped garden of hers sold us right on the spot … just quickly have to say that we have never seen a couple (who can’t have kids of their own) sporting 13 dogs of which most were miniature sausage dogs with one or two jack russels and one hip height ridge back supervising them all. It was quite a sight. Leanne had to build into the garden a huge rock water pool which serves as the 13 pooches’ drinking bowl. So, the huge step backwards started yesterday morning (11 February 2008) just after 8am. Leanne arrived with her eight strong workforce (very hard working and friendly). The first step was to excavate the existing lawn plus about 30cm of soil. This morning two huge trucks arrived with a Bobcat to remove 7 bakkie loads of grass and soil. So now we are starting with a clean canvass. The next step is installing a new customized irrigation system for the new landscape and carting in good quality top soil, compost and fertilizer which will give the new plants a good head start. This is all so exciting and I really enjoy the fact that Leanne is liaising closely with me, and involving me in every decision she is taking. Now I actually can’t wait for the actual design to start taking shape. After the irrigation and topsoil is in, the design of the railway sleeper pathways will commence … all of 112 A-grade railway sleepers are required to complete the paths. These are the plants/material that will help to create our little paradise: 1 Khaki Umbrella, 1 Sandstone Table and 2 Benches, 2 white sandstone birdbaths, 1 rock bench, 3 rock bird feeders, 180 square pavers, 5 sets of 3-clay terracotta pots, 166 bags gravel, 64 bags of pebbles, 9m weedguard/bidim, 11 Terracotta clay pots, 18 Aloe Polyphylla, 9 Large Aloe Bansi, 1010 square cobble stones, 15 bags of cement, 9 cubic meter of river sand, 3 Aloe Vera, 22 Aloe Hedgehogs, 25 Aloe Peglerae, 20 Aloe Reitzii, 89 Pink Rock Roses, 81 Grey Rock Roses, 81 Diamond Shaped Rocks Roses, 286 Green Festuca, 420 Thatching Reed, 738 Verigated Tulbachia, 112 A-grade railway sleepers, 186 Vygies, 6 Mother-in-law’s Tongue, 41 Echeveria, 6 Euphorbia Ingens Tall Cacti, 6 square meters rocks, 6 succulants, 53 Haworthia Fasciata, 310 Silver Carpet, 3 Agave attenuate, 4 Ferocactus horriculus round cacti, 8 Orange Bulbine, 8 Yellow Bulbine, 260 Carex Frosted Curls, 17 Aloe Marlothi, 10 Large Rocks, 310 Dietes, 330 Agapanthus, 13 Cycas Revoluta, 10 Strelitzia Reginae, 7 Cabbage Trees, 5 Fever Trees. Keep on visiting here for regular updates on a landscape in the making! - Impatient nature lover signing off