Heart Veld

In the small town of Prince Albert, one woman’s passion for the Karoo landscape, and its unique vegetation, is in full bloom

Prince Albert is famous for its olive oil, its artists and the Swartberg Pass. About a year ago I was asked to consult on a garden being built on the site of the old donkey pound on the outskirts of town. The garden was to be a magical desert garden, in tune with the Karoo landscape, installed slowly, season by season and using predominantly local plants. I was enthralled. The property already had an appropriately sleek yoga studio and the low slung main house was being sensitively planned. At the heart of the space was the former donkey pound, its old stone walls lovingly restored, now enclosing a deck from which to welcome the sunrise.

The design essence of the garden fell almost immediately into place. A small natural lake was planned for the house to look over – it would be fringed with reeds and giant rocks and surrounded by undulating grasslands. Beyond that, we envisioned shady groves of trees underplanted with fine-textured, local Karoo bossies to blend into the greater landscape.