Kloof Garden - 2011 SALI Silver Awards Winner

Client Brief:

The owner of this beautiful home asked us to make the most of the steep banks, creating a lapa style seating area for lighting a fire, as well as creating a rose garden for approximately 100 roses.

The Site:

 A residential home situated adjacent to a nature reserve, in Kloof, KZN.  This thatched home is well complimented with many natural products such as sandstone, rough timber poles and a clay brick driveway.  The majority of the garden is steep, with large areas of lawn under well established trees.

The Design:

While a rose garden is typically formal in style and a Lapa would usually be rustic in style, the challenge was to place these two areas relatively near to each other, but in a way that the two different styles would not clash with each other.  This was achieved by using natural materials, particularly where structural building was required.  The two areas were separated slightly but link together with a well planted up pathway.  The stairs leading to these new additions of the garden was constructed with sleepers (the natural element), and were installed in a curved layout so as to make the descent gradual and gentle to walk down the steep embankment.

Careful placement of plants assists with the softening of the build element, while still allowing one to view the gardens.