Willing landscape: the

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Thursday, March 6, 2014

Conversation Pit is the Latest Buzz Word for Fire Pit

So in my daily research on blog topics I come across a lot of interesting DIY backyard landscape ideas, fire pit designs, outdoor living rooms and more. But today alone, I have come across three articles that are using the latest descriptive word for an outdoor fire pit; a conversation pit.

Clever marketing scheme I must say. However, it is as close to the truth as naming a fire pit, well, a fire pit. These backyard additions are quickly becoming a must have in the movement towards creating a vacation destination in your backyard. Fire pits are quickly becoming the focal point of outdoor landscape design and act as a central gather place for food, drink and conversation.

Fire pits are mesmerizing as we as humans are naturally attracted to the flame and can get lost in a gaze as the fire dances in the night. Not only do fire pits act as a source of heat on cool spring and fall evenings, but they are a perfect centerpiece for entertaining family and friends. The natural inclination is to gather AROUND the fire pit, facing one another and engage in meaningful conversation. When we face one another while talking, we feel a sense of community and belonging. You wont get this by watching tv. So why not enhance your outdoor living space with a "conversation pit?"

Natural gas and propane burning systems do not emit the smoke, ash and embers that wood burning fire pits do and can be turned on and off with the flip of a switch. So when you are ready to fire up some conversation around the pit, let us know and well be happy to help you with any and all of your fire pit questions and needs.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Redesigning the Umhlanga Promenade

Umhlanga (the Zulu word for place of reeds) is a thriving coastal holiday town, within easy distance of Durban. Apart from catering to a regular influx of tourists throughout the year, it also has a large portion of permanent residents, and visitors from around the area. The beaches are great, with excellent waves for surfing, and rock pools for kids. There are amazing restaurants close by, and Gateway - one of the biggest shopping malls in the Southern Hemisphere is just at the top of the hill. But it has always had a bit of a run-down look about it.

A few years back I did quite a bit of work in the gardens at some of the main hotels on the beach in Umhlanga. It always struck me that the walkway in front of the hotels, was an amazing asset, that was not being fully valued.
It should be an ideal place to go for a walk or a run, or to take your dog for a walk, but the walkway was uneven and narrow in places, and it was not very well lit at night.

But recently, the municipality has been doing some improvements to the area. The entire stretch of coast has been re-designed to make better use of the beach, and to generally improve the walkway, landscaping, storm water run-off and access down to the beach. After the recent storms which washed away sections of the beach and dunes, retaining walls were built to prevent this from happening again.

There has also been opposition to the changes - as there always is. But some of the residents of the areas concerns are valid - they have been worried about (among other things) the improved access resulting in more noise, increased amounts of vagrants, and worsening of security in the area. All of which can be controlled or mitigated if taken into account in the planning and design of the promenade.

After taking a walk along the promenade yesterday - it is still under development - I was impressed by what has gone on since I last visited. The new pier with its whale bone structure looked impressive and gave a glimpse of what the finished promenade should look like. The promenade itself is wide and the finer details are pleasing. The planting is still being done, but a few of the hotels are also taking some initiative by improving and landscaping their access to the promenade.

The retaining wall, along the length of the beach, although functional and necessary is the only aspect that Im unsure of its long-term success. Any planting in the walls is unlikely to survive without a fair amount of maintenance, which I dont see happening in the long term. And besides Im not sure how well the walls will stand up to stormy waves battering them anyway?

The finished Umhlanga Promenade should be an asset to the entire area when completed, and already people are using it. I was surprised to see how many families, walkers and runners were using it - even in its unfinished state in the middle of winter. I guess the glorious sunshine didnt hurt though?

Behind The Scenes Rooftop Garden

Its always a good feeling being called in to continue with a garden that youve planted years before. Its good to know that your garden has been appreciated.

I was called recently, by a client that I did work for about 5 or 6 years back - theyve done some renovating and re-done the paving around the pool and house. In keeping with the fresh start to their home, they wanted to re-look at the garden.

A lot of the garden had been damaged by the builders (as usual), some plants had gotten a bit out of hand, but in general the garden wasnt looking to bad. Although it must be said, that it is hard for the garden to look bad, when your views from it are so good!

This garden was a little tricky, in that being a roof garden, it had a very shallow space for roots. Also, because it was so exposed, wind would exacerbate the problems associated with shallow roots. Another design consideration, was that my clients wanted to display their sculptures that they had collected on their travels.

The solution, was to plant grasses and flax-type plants (e.g. Dietes, Dianella, Liriope), that would create different textures and colours. These would not only be wind-resistant, but would look at their best as they moved in the wind. They would also, not need a deep space for roots. In between we planted small perennials (e.g. Agapanthus, Kniphofia) that would flower and add touches of colour.
We created paved axis, along which the sculptures would become the focal points, with the city skyline as the backdrop.

While I was taking these photos, a pair of Egyptian Geese flew past, and decided that the pool was a great resting point.

Now to begin, the planning for the new-look for this roof-top garden...

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Focal Point in the Garden

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca Pendula)

One of my all time favorite evergreens in the landscape is Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’. Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar is a conical evergreen known for its graceful flowing nature and beautiful silvery blue-green needles. It is a focal point and specimen in the garden and quite the conversation piece for its shape and irregular weeping pattern resembling a cascading waterfall. Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ is hardy to USDA Zones 6-8, prefers an acidic-slightly alkaline well-drained loam soil and location in full sun (6-8 hours sunlight). They are tolerant of many soil types but will not fair well in soils with poor drainage such as clay.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Zones 6-8

Use this beautiful evergreen as a specimen planting where it will not be crowded and has plenty of room to spread. Depending on the structure of your tree it can reach a height of 10-15 feet and a width of 8-10 feet across and would be difficult to transplant once established. As your tree matures its cascading branches will drape down to the ground giving your tree grace and charm.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca Pendula)

Generally the trunk of a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar can be trained as a spiral, grown horizontally or in a more upright form; therefore, they can be purchased at a variety of heights and shapes and will stay around the height at which they were trained. To prune the tree wait until late October-early November (mid-Fall) to clip off any weak or bent branches which are resting on the ground to an inch or two above the soil. The branches look best when cascading to the ground but it is recommended to perform this routine pruning in order to prevent any fungal disease that may result from the branches resting on soil. Branches that reach out beyond a desired point can also be pruned back to give fullness and strength to the structure of the tree. Other than that Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar do not require much pruning.

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar takes on its own unique shape .

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar is not prone to any particular pests or diseases. Another plus is that they are also deer resistant! They do benefit from an early spring feeding and should be protected from strong winter winds. If you have clay soil break up the soil and add gypsum, which will help to improve drainage, or if the clay is very compact use a post-hole digger to dig down and add gravel to help water flow. When planting, allow this specimen plenty of room to grow so that it can reach its full potential.

If you are looking for something different, this specimen tree will highlight your landscape and bring you many years of enjoyment. Its silvery-blue needles and beautiful weeping habit make it an excellent addition as a focal point in the garden…an attribute that will only improve as your tree matures in age.