An Urban Oasis

This small garden was radically revamped to form an extension of the Naudes’ Bali-style house.

- Loren Shirley-Carr

As the pool is in the centre of her U-shaped house in Cedar Lakes, Jo’burg, and visible from most rooms, it was the first thing Jane Naude wanted to change when the family moved in.

“It had enormous faux rocks that didn’t fit in with the Bali style of the house and the decking that surrounded it was very slippery when wet. In fact, the whole garden was rather bare and uninviting,” she recalls.

To make the most of the small space, she called in landscaper Craig de Necker of The Friendly Plant. “I also wanted an undercover patio area and some colour, but easy maintenance was most important,” says Jane.