Beyond Borders

This small garden in Franschhoek was cleverly designed as a visual extension of the surrounding fynbos reserve

- Lizette Jonker

The lush beds of vibrant coral watsonias that greet you at the entrance make it hard to believe that this compact estate garden is only four years old. The established look is thanks to thorough soil preparation and limiting the plants to those that thrive in the area.

The owners, a local businessman and his wife, who owns a restaurant, work long hours and travel frequently, so when they moved here they wanted a low-maintenance garden that looked good throughout the year. Fortunately, they were introduced to landscaper Natie Ferreira of Tamatie known for his organic approach.

The magnificent setting surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and fynbos with views of the Franschhoek mountains inspired the design. “I wanted to incorporate rocks to reflect the mountains and introduce a wetland pool filled by a naturalistic stream so that the garden would look like an extension of the surroundings,” explains Natie.