You should be very wary about the types of trees you plant in your garden, especially when you plan on planting trees near walls or paved areas.  Some trees have very aggressive root systems, which will push over walls and lift paving.  These root systems can also damage water and sewage pipes.

Well-known trees with aggressive root systems include karees, white stinkwoods and all of the ficus species.  Should you really be set on planting these trees in your garden, you should plant them as far away from any walls, paving and pipes as you possibly can.

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.

We are all constantly waging war against weeds in our gardens…in our garden beds, in our paving, in our lawn…

This war increases in intensity during spring and summer.

Weeds are in direct competition with your plants for water, sunlight and soil nutrients. 

As with most things in life, prevention is better than cure.  In order to discourage the growth of weeds in your flower beds or between you paving, stepping stones and gravel strips, you should lay down sheets of weed guard (biddum cloth) before planting and before laying out your pavers or gravel.  This helpful product is available at most garden centres.

When you lay down weed guard in your garden beds, you can cut out holes for where you would like to plant your seedlings or other plants.  Then you can cover the area with mulch or decorative stone.

Preparing your soil properly before planting will also reduce the risk of weed infestations.  Till the soil properly and pick out all weeds, root systems and seeds that you can see.  Mix in a healthy blend of fertilizer and compost; making sure that it is a reputable product and will not introduce more weeds to your soil. 

To get rid of weeds, you will need to loosen the soil and pull the weeds out roots and all.  Ideally you should do so before the weeds have had the chance to produce seeds.  This process can be somewhat time-consuming and arduous, but if you look at it in a positive light, it will be great to be working outdoors with your hands.  You can even work on you suntan – provided you are wearing a hat and sunscreen. 

Finally, applying layers of mulch is also a good anti-weeding measure.  As we have informed you before, mulching has many benefits for your garden, such as retaining water and protecting the roots of your plants.

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.

Pets and gardening do not always go hand-in-hand.  Some believe it impossible to harmonize your dogs or cats and your garden, and that you have to choose between having a pet and having a garden.  This is not necessarily true.  It is very possible to synchronize the two.

When you have your garden lay-out designed, keep your pets in mind.  For instance; ensure that you have high enough walls or fencing – with no large gaps – around your property to prevent your dog from pulling a Houdini on you.  Dogs love patrolling the perimeter of their territory – your garden – so make sure that you do not plant sensitive or valuable plants along the borders of your garden.  You can either lay down a strip of paving, gravel, pebbles or stepping stones or you can plant a topiary top-hedge to soften the wall, which will be out of reach of padding paws.  You can also plant creepers against your wall, which will give you more privacy and soften your borders.

A chief reason for dogs digging up a garden is boredom.  Make sure your dogs get plenty of stimulating exercise and that they have a wide selection of toys around the garden to keep them occupied.

When you lay out and plant your flower beds, you can either construct raised flower beds, or create borders around your beds, using decorative wooden fencing, which will dissuade your pets from having a romp among the roses…You can also lay down a layer of hard mulch, to discourage your pets from exploring the plant beds, depending on the type of plants you plant in your flower beds.  Hard mulch includes gravel and chunky quartzite rock, which is also decorative.

You can guarantee your pets’ health and happiness by planting non-toxic plants; using organic pest repellent and creating areas where they will have access to both sunny and shady spots.  Try to leave as much space as possible for them to run around in, without risking getting up to mischief.

 When you plant delicate seedlings, you need to be extra careful about getting them demolished by exploring dog paws.  You can either demarcate the area for a while, until the seedlings have had a running start, or you can apply a very effective home remedy…

This remedy consists of dry flour, mustard powder and cayenne pepper.  All you need to do is add equal parts of these three ingredients together and sifting the deterrent around your seedlings.  You will need to re-apply your concoction after you have had rain or very windy weather.

Finally, you should also keep in mind the type of lawn you have planted in your garden.  Some dogs are allergic to kikuyu lawn.  Evergreen lawn might yellow in spots where your female dog urinates.  In our opinion, LM lawn would be your best bet.

If you do not really want or need your dog in a specific part of your garden, you can create a partition, using a fence or even a decorative gabion wall to keep your moggies out.  Then you will be able to create a delicate garden, without having to worry about your canines causing havoc among the daisies…

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.

There are a number of principles that form the basis of good garden design and that result in gardens that meet the needs of their owners. Consideration has to be given not only to the layout of the hard landscape, that is paths, water features, walls, paving and decking, but also to the plants themselves. There is also the actual need or desire of the owner to be taken care of as well as seasonal restrictions. Garden design must also take into account maintenance and irrigation requirements and the amount of funds available for both construction and upkeep of the project.

If there are to be limitations in the budget, then garden design will probably come up with either a simpler garden with fewer plants and cheaper hard features, or with a garden that is created part by part as the owners can afford it. Garden design may be carried out by the garden owners themselves, or alternatively by professionals with diverse levels of experience and expertise.

Most professional landscapers are trained in the principles of design and also in horticulture, and they usually have an expert knowledge and experience of using plants in different situations. Occasionally the design of your garden is going to depend on features that cannot be moved, such as large boulders. This type of feature is actually useful in providing a focal point around which the rest of the garden can be planned. Planning the outside area yourself can be immense fun. and the finished product can give you enormous satisfaction.

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.

StructurEdge™ Range

This range, sold exclusively by Kingfisher Landscaping and Badec Bros Deco in Southern Africa, is employed to restrain and contain paving in your garden design.

StructurEdge is a range of strong, yet flexible L-shaped aluminium strips designed with flexibility and sustainability in mind.  You can use this exclusive range to shape paving areas, with linear and curvy lines.  Any size paver can be used in conjunction with this product.  StructurEdge will do all the hard work of keeping your paving nice and neat, and will not even be visible.

This patented product is manufactured of engineered commercial aluminium alloy and is available in a Mill Finish (light grey), as well as, a Black Anodized finish and in the following dimensions:

 *0.24cm (Wall Thickness) x 4.13cm (Wall Height)

 *0.32cm (Wall Thickness) x 4.13cm (Wall Height)

 *0.32cm (Wall Thickness) x 5.72cm (Wall Height)

 *0.48cm (Wall Thickness) x 4.13cm (Wall Height)

*0.48cm (Wall Thickness) x 5.72cm (Wall Height)

Another advantage to StructurEdge is that the wall of the adjoined strips will not become unstable and untidy with time.