African Design Magazine ADM #40 May 2018 | Page 35

THE VELD WALL - ROSEBANK, JOHANNESBURG
this unconventional vertical garden. The
silvery white and pink tufts and plumes
of different grasses waving in the breeze,
and the great variety of plants that
are relatively unknown to the average
gardener, have caught the attention
of the more observant passerby. It is
hoped that the school children of St
Theresa’s will be able to increase their
knowledge of nature and ecosystems,
through the Veld Wall’s potential as an
educational tool in their biology and in
their art classes.
having been that of a geologist and his
nursery comprising mainly grassland
plants...which helped to expand the basic
list to include a larger variety both in
scale and type.
The planted wall assists with the
insulation of the school, as is the nature
of vertical gardens on buildings, making
the classrooms cooler in summer and
warmer in winter. It also helps to curb
the glare off the façade of the Trumpet
building.
There are 5970 plants on the full
extent of the Veld Wall which was
installed in two phases. Care was
taken, at the insistence of developer
Anton Taljaard, not to go beyond the
confines of species found in Egoli
Granite Grassland. He knew this was a
pilot project and yet had the courage
to take the risk, with the possibility
of both installation and maintenance
challenges. The core or backdrop of the
planting comprises grass species, while
small shrubs, perennials, succulents and
climbers serve as infill: little splashes
of colour and different leaf forms and
the interesting climbers on wire cables.
Initial research was done by Wilken on
the plants that occur in this veld type but
there was also extensive consultation
with nurseryman Johan Wentzel of
Wildflower Nursery...with his first career
Wentzel relates: “It is generally accepted
that Egoli Granite Grassland is underlain
by granite that produces a nutrient-
poor sandy soil. However, it is not that
simple, as scattered throughout the
area are remnants of the so-called
greenstones, some of the oldest rocks on
earth. These are mainly serpentines that
produce a much richer soil than granite.
Dykes and quartzitic linear structures of
hydrothermal origin are also present and
AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | MAY 2018
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