CALL TO NATURE

The gardens and ephemeral planting palettes at Sterrekopje healing farm in Franschhoek are as much a reawakening of the senses as they are a connection to nature 

- HEIDI BERTISH

IN PLEIN AIR

Leon approaches a garden as an artist would a canvas, building it in layers and textures, with the final result resembling a gently shifting plant painting inspired by nature.

‘As a garden designer my inspiration doesn’t come from pictures or books but from walking and hiking in the mountains. Nature is my biggest teacher. To observe plants growing in their natural state is a masterclass in colour and texture, and how they combine to create mood. I love free-spirited gardens – gardens that have a refined wildness and a large palette of plants. I plant in layers so that each plant appears and disappears in the landscape, as if being clothed in a new dress, the detail and nuance of each dependant on the time of year. I adore our local South African flora but I am not a purist. Texture is the most important element in a garden for me. Being colour blind, colour tends to take a slight backseat but instead of it being a hindrance to proceedings it’s given me a unique lens through which to paint with plants.’

While it may feel like only yesterday for landscape designer Leon Kluge, it’s been three years since he first met with the owners of Sterrekopje to chat about their vision for the retreat on the side of the old pool and the role

the gardens would play in realising it. Nestled in the Franschhoek Valley, Sterrekopje is a 50 hectare regenerative, biodynamic farm and luxury wellbeing retreat owned by Nicole Boekhoorn and Fleur Huijskens. As a young girl Nicole made an entry in her diary that one day she would have a farm, a place to bring her vision to life, grounded in nature where people could come to find rest, regenerate and reconnect.