The one great thing about using indigenous plants for landscaping is that you know before they have even been planted that they should thrive. South Africa has some rare and beautiful indigenous plants ranging from ground covers, small, medium and large shrubs and a selection of many trees, and you’ll find many species suitable for you’re particular region stocked at your local nurseries, and should also find a wide variety of bulbs, grasses and succulents that are suitable for landscaping.

Many landscapers such as ourselves can design and create indigenous garden landscaping to suit your environment and your particular requirements, and will supply the plants, materials and labour. Many regions of the country suffer from harsh weather conditions for much of the year, and this is one of the reasons why indigenous landscaping can be so successful where a garden using non-native plants either fails or needs a lot of upkeep. Whether you’re thinking of using local or foreign plants in your new garden, we will be able to give you excellent advice on how to use them in a low-maintenance, water-wise garden for you that will survive our harsh weather. There are always shortcuts that can be used depending on the regional conditions applicable in your particular case. If you like colour we can use annuals – this means they will return year after year in the same splendid beauty and at the same time give you a time saving way of having the garden in bloom throughout the season.

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.

The landscaping professionals at Kingfisher Landscaping can incorporate ornamental grasses into your garden design, should you be looking for plants that are decorative, perennial, hardy and low maintenance.

Ornamental grasses add movement and texture to your garden, and are both heat and cold tolerant.  They can grow in full sun or in the shade and can adapt to just about any type of soil.  They will complement any type of garden design and create a natural eco system in your garden.  Ornamental grasses are available in an extensive array of heights, colours and textures.

Examples of Ornamental Grasses are as follow:

Ophiopogon grasses, such as mondo grass (ophiopogon japonicus), dwarf mondo grass (ophiopogon japonicus kyoto), jaburan grass (ophiopogon jaburan vittatus), and black mondo grass (ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens).   

Sedge grasses, such as orange New Zealand sedge (carex testacies), New Zealand hair sedge (carex comas ‘frosted curls’), New Zealand leather leaf sedge (Carex bacchanalia ‘red rooster’) blue sedge grass (carex flaccid Glauca), evergold sedge (carex hachijoensis), gold band sedge (carex morrowii), and little midge palm sedge (carex muskingumensis).

Fescue grasses such as, large tufted fescue (festuca amethystine), spring blue fescue (festuca cinerea ‘fruehlingsblau’), bearskin fescue (festuca gautieri), giant fescue (festuca gigantea), blue fescue (festuca glauca ‘Select’), Elijah blue fescue (festuca glauca ‘Elijah blue’), boulder blue fescue (festuca glauca ‘Boulder blue’), Idaho blue fescue (festuca idahoensis), atlas fescue (festuca mairei), green fescue (festuca ovina), and hedgehog fescue (festuca punctoria).        

Rushes, such as corkscrew rush (juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’) and hard rush (juncus inflexus ‘Lovesick Blues’).

Acorus grasses, such as golden Japanese rush (acorus gold), broad leafed variegated acorus (acorus calamus variegates), variegated Japanese rush (acorus gramminus variegata) and mini golden Japanese rush (acorus mini gold).

Three-awn grasses, such as the annual three-awn (aristida adscensionis), spreading three-awn (aristida congesta barbicollis), tassel three-awn (aristida congesta congesta), and the gongoni three-awn (aristida junciformis).

Restios, such as Cape thatching reed (chondropetalum tectorum).

The use of hedges in your garden has numerous advantages.  They can be used to create privacy in your garden; as dividers to create different areas in your garden; to muffle noise and act as a windbreak; to create mazes; to attract birds and butterflies to your garden; to hide ugly walls; to improve your security around your home and garden; and to act as a green background for other plants in your garden.  Hedge plants are relatively cheap and low-maintenance.

The maintenance required once you have planted your hedge plants, involves pruning when the plants are still small.  This will encourage the plant to grow dense.  You also need to pinch the tips, while the plants are still actively growing to promote the growth of side shoots.

You will find hedge plants for any height of hedge you would like to grow.  Low-growing hedge plants include duranta “Sheena’s Gold” (duranta erecta), Cape leadwort (plumbago capensis), Mexican abelia (abelia floribunda), dwarf boxwood (buxus), and glossy abelia (abelia floribunda).

Tall-growing hedge plants include Cape-Forget-Me-Not (plumbago auriculata), Cape honeysuckle (tecomaria capensis), honey bells (freylinia tropica), large leafed privet (ligustrum lucidum), and sweet viburnum (viburnum sinensis).

If you want to plant a hedge for security you can use a paper flower bougainvillea (bougainvillea glabra), num-num (carissa bispinosa) or natal plum (carissa macrocarpa).

The landscaping experts at Kingfisher Landscaping make use of hedge plants in the soft scaping aspect of our garden designs quite regularly.  Ultimately the design and type of plants selected depend on the architectural style of the home and the home owners’ preferences.

Kingfisher Landscaping often uses groundcover plants in garden design.  Most often we use dymondia margaretae (Silver Carpet), ophiopogon grasses, such as ophiopogon japonicus (mondo grass), ophiopogon japonicus kyoto (dwarf mondo grass), ophiopogon japonicus jaburan (jaburan grass), mazus reptans “white”, phyla nodiflora (daisy lawn), carex grasses and acorus grasses.  

Most of these plants are frost resistant and can be planted in full sun or semi-shade.  They are low growing plants and spread out quickly to form a dense cover over the soil.  They prevent soil erosion and act as mulch – controlling temperatures and curbing the growing and spreading of weeds.  These plants are also low maintenance.

We normally plant these groundcovers as fillers in between stepping stones or to softly border pathways or perimeters in the garden, where there is very little pedestrian traffic.  We also plant them in areas where their lovely qualities can enhance the overall aesthetic element of the garden.

Dymondia margaretae (silver carpet) have lovely yellow flowers in summer; Mazus reptans “white” have pretty white flowers in spring and summer; and Phyla nodiflora (daisy lawn) have appealing lilac flowers from spring to autumn.

Kingfisher Landscaping often uses pebbles, gravel and sandstone chunks (arabella rock) to fill plant beds around succulents or bamboo.  Raised planters especially appear rounded off neatly with white or charcoal coloured pebbles.  Arabella rock brilliantly enhances a dry bed, planted with succulents such as rock roses and cacti. 

Gravel can be used as a filler in between stepping stones, and of course for a neat and low-maintenance parking area.

Hardscaping materials such as these can really round off your entire landscape beautifully.