Posts Tagged ‘arum lilies’

MODERN TROPICAL

Friday, December 11th, 2009

 

 

 

 

At the entrance to this magnificent garden, we built a sloping water feature, lined with chunky arrabella rock, which cascades into the Koi pond on the lowest level.  Next to the water feature, we constructed wooden decking steps from Seligna wood, which leads the visitor over the Koi pond and around the corner toward the main entertainment area of this modern home.  Lush, tropical bamboo palms, cycas revolutas, Dicksonia antarctica ferns and varigated grass were planted to frame the hard, neat lines of the deck and Koi pond, and to enhance the tropical theme of the garden.   

To enliven the dreary wall next to the garage in the drive-way, we designed and installed a vibrant mosaic, spread over three horizontal panels measuring 2 meters by 1,5 meters each.

We bordered the lawn with double cobble-edging and filled it with arrabella rock to define both the beds in the corners closest to the patio, as well as, the lawn area.  Seligna decking was installed to enlarge the entertainment area and the colour of the decking perfectly complements the wooden door and window frames of this elegant home.  By positioning bamboo palms in the corner beds, we provided height and alleviated the linear theme by planting dark green murraya exotica and yellow-leafed sheena’s gold shrubs.  We also installed garden lighting among the shrubs in the beds, and in the actual decking to illuminate this gorgeous garden at night. 

The entire swimming pool was edged in with Seligna decking, to create a tidy, compact appearance.  We also built an elongated Seligna flower box, which has a secondary purpose as a comfortable bench.  We filled it with verdant bamboo to soften the periphery of this part of the garden.  At the furthest end of this area, we once again bordered the lawn with linear double cobble-edging, filled with chunky arrabella rock  and planted bamboo palms for height and luxuriant murraya exotica and sheena’s gold shrubs to augment the over-all tropical effect. 

In this exquisite shaded back garden, we created an inviting seating area by constructing a Seligna pergola over the Seligna decking.  Rough-edged stepping stones, interlinked with lumpy arrabella rock extends this peaceful zone.  To augment the serene atmosphere we constructed a sandstone-clad water feature and placed a wooden bench close to the lush plant beds against the boundary wall.  Right against the wall we planted Viburnum shrubs, which will eventually grow to the same height as the boundary wall.  One will then be able to trim it into a profuse hedge.  Next we planted golden goddess arum lilies and varigated grasses.  In the 1m² planters, we planted brumeliads, which bring in a splash of colour with their red leaves.  Closer to the pergola, we planted a few more dicksonia antarctica ferns.

We wrapped the entire house with walkways.  At each door leading to the garden, we constructed a Seligna deck landing.  Walkways, laid out with double cobble-edging and filled with rough-edged sandstone stepping stones and interlinked with chunky arrabella rock leads the garden stroller from one deck landing to the next, right around the house. 

In this section of the garden, we built a sandstone-clad water feature with the stainless steel water spout mounted in the red-tiled feature wall.  The red tiles bring in a sparkle of colour to this green, tropical garden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Against the wall, we planted philledendron xanadu’s and proceeded with the planting of nandina pygmaea’s, varigated grass and mondo grass in straight modern lines, from the higher plants in the back to the lower plants in the front.  A solitary sandstone bench in the plant bed invites one to sit down and relax in the cool shade.  At night, the garden lights will illuminate this area beautifully.

We also installed the entire irrigation system for this garden, which will save the owners a lot of time in watering their garden.

Whether it is landscaping, installations of Koi ponds, water features, wooden decking, garden illumination, swimming pools, irrigation or the inclusion of mosaics in the garden – Kingfisher Landscaping will always define your exterior lifestyle in a stylish fashion.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

INVASIVE ALIEN GARDEN PLANTS

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

You should carefully consider the selection of plants for your garden, in order to ensure that you do not plant invasive alien plants. These are plants that are not indigenous to South Africa. They tend to grow faster than our indigenous plants and can easily take over. They also take up precious water, nutrients and light which is more needed by our native plants.

Many of us have invasive exotic plants in our gardens, such as lantana, pipe grass, cat’s claw creepers, privets (ligustrum robustum privet), water hyacinths and wattle, jacaranda, pine and seringa trees. Rather opt for indigenous plants in your garden.

Indigenous gardens are not only less expensive, water wise, hardy and proudly South African, but also very versatile. You have thousands of indigenous plants to choose from, which means you can design your garden in a variety of styles, ranging from tropical to bushveld. Another advantage to indigenous gardens is that you will attract birds, insects and animals to your garden; creating your very own ecosystem in your backyard. You will also be contributing to the preservation of our indigenous plants.

Typical indigenous plants that we use include tree aloes, cape aloes, marlothii aloes, honey suckle, clivias, agapanthus, arum lilies, bulbines, wild garlic, acacia trees, olive trees, white stinkwood trees, and indigenous grasses, such as three awn grasses, thatching grass, buffalo grass, broad-leaved turpentine grass, bristle grass, Natal red top grass, red grass and fountain grass.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature. We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service. We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

POISONOUS PLANTS AND YOUR PETS

Monday, September 21st, 2009

The list of poisonous garden plants is unsettling in its extent.  You should, therefore, be very careful about the plants you choose to plant in your garden, if you have pets.

Some of the most common poisonous plants are arum lilies, daffodils, azaleas, cycads, clivias, day lilies, spider plants (hen-and-chickens), irises, kalanchoes, onions, strelitzia’s, tomato plants, yesterday-today-and-tomorrow plants, yuccas and wisterias.

The best option is to avoid planting these plants in your garden, or to remove them, if they are already there.  Do not let your dog or cat chew on any plant! 

You should also be very careful when applying bone meal to your garden beds, as it can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances in your pets.  Also make sure that your pets do not have access to your garden compost heap, as this is also harmful to them.  

Symptoms of plant poisoning include convulsions, trouble breathing, vomiting, extreme salivation, disorientation, paralysis, and tremors.  You should immediately take your pet to the veterinarian, if you suspect plant poisoning.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

 

 

GARDENING IN SPRING

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Spring is the season of regeneration.  You can get the best out of your garden by doing the following during this invigorating time of year.

First of all you should prune all the plants in your garden that have suffered frost damage.  This will promote new growth.

Remove dead leaves and branches from your plants and trees to stimulate growth.

You should divide your perennial plants in order to multiply them and fill your garden beds with more lush growth.

Apply mulch to your plant beds and feed your plants and lawn with fertilizer and compost.

Have your irrigation system checked out and maintained.

You can start to water your lawn and garden more regularly again – two or three times per week.

You can also plant bulbs, which flower in summer, such as arum lilies (zantedeschia species), sword lilies (gladiolus species), and dahlias.  Sow flower seeds and plant seedlings to add vibrant splashes of colour to your garden.

Once your spring flowering plants have finished blooming, you can prune them back to ensure strong growth during the next spring period.

Finally, you should check all of your plants for diseases and treat them accordingly.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner and can provide the home owner with any exterior decorative feature.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

INFORMAL FLOWER GARDENS

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

An informal flower garden has natural, fluid lines and mass planting of flowering plants, which swathes the garden in splashes of intense colour and dense foliage.

Plants typically used in an informal flower garden include a variety of roses, spur flowers (plectranthus), day lilies, arum lilies, seasonal colour, agapanthus, wild irises (dietes), et cetera.

Hard landscaping features suitable for an informal garden include understated water features, ponds, pathways, garden benches, sculptures, pots, pergolas and trellises.

Our in-house exterior décor company, Badec Bros Deco can design and manufacture a wide selection of trendy décor pieces for your garden; ranging from stylish pots, water features, sculptures, customized garden gates, trellises, pergolas, sculptures and the like.

Ultimately, the garden design of an informal flower garden should harmonize with the architectural style of the home and with the tastes of the home owner.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

 



 

INDIGENOUS GARDENS

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Indigenous gardens are not only less expensive, water wise, hardy and proudly South African, but also very versatile.  You have thousands of indigenous plants to choose from, which means you can design your garden in a variety of styles, ranging from tropical to bushveld.

Another advantage to indigenous gardens is that you will attract birds, insects and animals to your garden; creating your very own ecosystem in your backyard.  You will also be contributing to the preservation of our indigenous plants.

Typical indigenous plants that we use include tree aloes, cape aloes, marlothii aloes, honey suckle, clivias, agapanthus, arum lilies, bulbines, wild garlic, acacia trees, olive trees, white stinkwood trees, and indigenous grasses, such as three awn grasses, thatching grass, buffalo grass, broad-leaved turpentine grass, bristle grass, Natal red top grass, red grass and fountain grass.  

Ultimately, the garden design of an indigenous garden should harmonize with the architectural style of the home and with the tastes of the home owner.

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping design and implement exceptional and beautiful gardens in a professional manner.  We pride ourselves in providing our clients with excellent, efficient and comprehensive service.  We offer all the products and services associated with creating a peaceful, and aesthetically pleasing outdoor living space which will complement the style of your home and in which you can relax.

 

FLOWERING PLANTS

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Flowering plants are ideal decorative plants to add splashes of colour and sweet scents to your garden.  They can also attract butterflies and birds to your garden, turning it into a veritable paradise.

Flowering plants come in all types of shapes and sizes, for example: Flowering trees, such as frangipani species (plumeria);

Flowering shrubs, such as paper flower bougainvillea (bougainvillea glabra);

Flowering creepers, such as Cape honey suckle (tecomaria capensis) and the various jasmine species;

Flowering succulents, such as stalked bulbines (bulbine frutescens), red hot pokers (kniphofia) and variegated tulbaghias (tulbaghia violacea);

Other flowering plants, such as the various day lilies (hemerocallis) and arum lilies (zantedeschia), strelitzia (strelitzia reginae), angel wings (gaura lindheimerii) , impatiens, and of course various species of roses.

Should you want flowering plants incorporated stylishly into your overall garden design, you can rely on the landscaping professionals at Kingfisher Landscaping.