African Design Magazine November 2016 | Page 32

Landscaping SALI Awards Steps to each ground floor unit are closed off with custom-designed gates, to assist in keeping children from wandering into adjacent gardens and being exposed to uncovered pools. In the H7 apartment wing, pools were replaced by sunken entertainment spaces (firepits) as an extension of the outdoor living spaces. The terraces utilised in H12 were replaced with large retaining walls where units were in proximity to the irrigation dam on the course; while softer berms were created where level differences to the golf course were minimal. Between the H7 units and the golf course, a small stream with dense wetland planting was introduced to animate the space and assist in purifying and aerating the water in the irrigation dam. 32 The palette of materials for the gardens comprises cut stone and stabilised gravel surfaces, timber and steel for vertical elements, and powder-coated aluminium edges to all planted areas. The wooden gates, screens, pergolas and timber decking, designed by the landscape architects were installed by TrueStyle Hard Landscaping Solutions and Inovar Solutions. All the soft landscaping was done by Earthforce Landscapes and plants were largely sourced through Tshala Plant Brokers, with more unusual plants being provided by Grow Wild and Random Harvest Indigenous Nursery. Brands Tree Felling continues to provide the mulch for the bedding areas. Planting mixes give the feel of grassland utlising some veldgrasses (hand seeded in clumps), restios (individually placed in groups) and a selection of bulbs and herbaceous flowering plants that grow in the various grassland areas of South Africa. The bulbs include Watsonia borbonica (white/pink to dark pink), Watsonia africandesignmagazine.com