Our designing principles

For the past few years South African interior decorating, fashions and lifestyles have changed dramatically. With the advent of the internet and the growth of the global village people from all over the world are learning from each other and it isn’t strange to see a Balinese garden in the middle of a Johannesburg suburb. Trends for gardens from all over the world have also changed and many people want a modern garden design when they are renovating their gardens.

One of the buzzwords, and also a very important lifestyle change many people have embraced is that of being ‘green’. The world is in grave danger if people don’t change their lifestyle to take the planet into account. One such way you can incorporate this into your lifestyle and in your modern garden design is by having an indigenous garden. By planting indigenous plants you contribute to the planet by reducing your water consumption as plants endemic to South Africa uses less water to flourish.

But going ‘green’ doesn’t mean you have to have a boring garden. Fusion is another buzzword that can bring about great designs to the man on the street. You can have a minimalist garden with a water feature while still only having indigenous plants.

At Kingfisher Landscaping (Badec Bros Landscaping) we will help you to bring all your designs to life, while still caring for the environment. Our team of experts will help you to design a garden that suits your lifestyle. Our services also include installing irrigation systems that are environmentally friendly. One of the most environmentally friendly methods of irrigation is drip irrigation. Through this you don’t waste any water as it goes straight into the soil.

For more information about your perfect modern garden design, contact us today and see how you can have a trendy garden while being environmentally conscious, contact us today.

Kingfisher Landscaping has been installing state of the art irrigation systems for many satisfied customers over the years.  An irrigation system takes away the need to water your garden the old fashioned way with a hosepipe and sprinkler, which is time consuming and wastes water.  It is a much more convenient and effective approach to ensure your garden stays alive and healthy.

You can choose between a manual or computerized system.  The former being less expensive, with the latter being automatic and, therefore more convenient.

Our irrigation specialists can install a watering system which would perfectly suit the spread of your garden, as well as, the varying water requirements of all the plants in your garden.

Kingfisher Landscaping will take into account the amount of watering stations you would need on your irrigation system.  Each station will cover a specific area in your overall garden layout.  Should you prefer a computerized system, our irrigation experts can set the times of your watering according to the length of the watering period, as well as, the intervals between watering, depending on the water requirements of the plants in any specific area.  This feature gives you peace of mind that your garden will be watered often enough, while you are away on holiday.

With a manual system, you will need to operate the system by hand.  It is still, however, much more effective than watering your garden with a hosepipe and sprinkler, which needs to be moved continuously.

Furthermore, you can choose between rotary and pop-up sprinklers.  Pop-up sprinklers are the better choice, as they are concealed in your lawn or plant beds, and only “pop up”, when the watering period commences.  Both types of sprinklers can be set to cover only a specific area, preventing water being wasted by having a sprinkler spray against a wall or onto a paved area.  This element adds to the water saving benefit of an irrigation system.

Irrigation is one of the most important aspects when you want to maintain your garden and keep it looking good, while being environmentally friendly. Drop irrigation is one of the best ways to be environmentally friendly as you will not be wasting any water. At Kingfisher Landscaping we can help you to fit the best irrigation system for your garden, with minimal disruption to your plants and trees. Our systems can be integrated into any garden, regardless of its shape or size. Because we only make use of the best quality products, you can look forward to years of uninterrupted use and performance.

There are a number of different type of sprinklers available for watering grass, and these are some of the available choices:
· Hand-held nozzle sprayer: Great for ease of use. The main problem with this type of watering is that it is very time-consuming as you have to hold it in your hand all the time.
· Soaker Hose: This type of watering system is nice because it disburses the water at an even rate for deep down soaking. This type of watering system is probably better suited for flowerbeds rather than lawns.
· Fountain Sprinkler: This is a simple hose-end head with holes to spray upward. It’s very effective on small areas, cheap and easy to set up.
· Oscillating Sprinkler: This sprinkler hooks up to the end of the hose, and disperses water as the sprinkler bar moves back and forth. This type of sprinkler is great on square lawns.
· Impulse Sprinkler: This is a hose end device that breaks the water stream to shoot a broad spray. However, it needs high pressure to function properly and will probably be too strong of a spray for smaller lawns.
· Fan Sprinkler: This type sprinkler waters the lawn in a circle. It attaches to the end of a hose, and the sprinkler spins. This is great for round or irregularly shaped lawns.
· Oscillating sprinkler, much of the water will evaporate before it even reaches the roots of the lawn.

An established lawn needs about 25mls of water per week from either rain or sprinkling. You can get a rain gauge from most good hardware stores or nurseries. You can find out the average rainfall for your area from the local Met Office, and if it is less than 25mls you need to supplement with a sprinkler system. The easiest way of getting an exact readout of the amount of water falling on the lawn is to place the rain gauge in a strategic position where it also gets water from the sprinkler. Use the sprinkler for an hour and see how many mls have accumulated in the gauge. Now you will be able to tell how long you should water your lawn to receive 25 mls of water, and at the same time monitor how much it has received from rain.

South Africa is prone to seasonal drought from time to time, and many parts of the country are subject to water restrictions from time to time. So how do you get around not being allowed to water the garden with municipal water. Until such time as using borehole water is prohibited, this is an obvious way out, but there are not that many homes that have the luxury of a borehole. Here’s what I did during the big drought of 1982/3 when the Vaal Dam just about dried out. I purchased a small impeller pump from the local hardware store, and instead of letting out bath water or washing up water, I pumped it into a large barrel outside. At the time I was living in a brand new house with absolutely no landscaping, in fact there was still builder’s rubble lying around. But that waste-water was a godsend, and enabled me to start a landscaped garden at the height of the drought.

There’s nothing like a green green lawn when the rest of your neighbours’ lawns are parched brown in winter. The best type of water to use for a lawn is either rainwater or borehole water. If these are not available because of the season you may have to rely on another source. An embedded sprinkler system in the lawn will ensure a good even coverage. Avoid watering the lawn at the end of the day as this can encourage fungus growth, and watering at the height of the day is just a waste of water. The best time to water is early morning, before the sun has time to scorch it. This gives the water time to soak in and to dry out before evening.

A garden has to be watered regularly. Keeping a well-maintained garden is hard work, especially if your house and garden are very big. One way of ensuring regular watering is to Install an automatic watering system, since it works on its own by using a timer. Your automatic watering system can be anything from a huge sprinkling or micro-sprinkling system to a smaller drip irrigation system. Any garden has to be maintained – gardening is a rewarding hobby that not only provides shade and beauty, but sometimes food as well!

Badec Bros Landscaping (Pty) Ltd T/a Kingfisher Landscaping is a South African Company that offers an exclusive and extensive landscaping service. The company provides their clients with trend setting Landscape Designs and state of the art Irrigation Systems, Water Features, Koi Ponds, Wooden Decking and Garden Illumination. One of the advantages of this service is that the client only needs to work with one company to get their whole exterior living space designed and implemented in a professional manner. Badec Bros Landscaping (Pty) Ltd prides itself to always stay in touch with international standards and to always stay on top with its trend setting landscape designs. The company is a service orientated company that always puts the client first.