These charming gardens in Tamboerskloof, Greenpoint, Oranjezicht and historic Newlands have all been successfully translated into charming and abundant living courtyards by greencube. (Also featured are a few of our early London gardens.)
In Tamboerskloof this charming garden in the heart of the city was designed for Tanya Sturgeon of T&Co. It is abundant and bursting with rich texture and colour to complement the interior of this beautiful and dramatic Victorian home.
A wide selection of indigenous and exotic perennials provide year round interest and colour while a gentle fountain screens out the background distractions and anchors one in the here and now.
In Greenpoint a sunken courtyard was created by greencube in what was previously a derelict swimming pool. This unusual entrance to the property has a living wet wall trickling into a water trough planted with marginal aquatics and bustling with goldfish. A glass balustrade was designed to create minimum disruption to the sense of space and provides great site lines to the courtyard below from the upper terrace. Collections of beautiful hand crafted glazed Asian pots provide texture and colour to this predominantly hard landscaped area.
Bursting with planting they add to the cool, relaxed bohemian mood. A small plunge pool in a secluded courtyard set inside the house is also made secure by the use of glass balustrades which do not compromise the space. Ancient clay bricks are exposed as a back drop and ground level planting in the foreground adds to the sense of flow towards this little swimming pool. The pots from the front garden are echoed here in the form of an unusual bamboo inspiration.
In Oranjezicht a grand Victorian home has been renovated with impeccable taste. However in the process all remnants of the old garden were removed. In order to ensure that the garden complimented the maturity of the property greencube introduced a collection of very special trees at the request of it’s passionate owners. A mature Clementine was craned into the front garden and combined with a specimen Lime, Hibuscus, Frangi pani and Bougainvillea an instant sense of place was created.
A small private garden at the back of the property contains a plunge pool, a sauna and a circular natural stone seating area. Ergonomically designed with the introduction of deciduous tree specimens such as Magnolia soulangiana, Lagerstroemia indica and Betula alba a sense of the “Victorian collection” is evoked. The seasons are celebrated in the form of blossom, colour new and aged leaf and evergreen anchors in the form of Murrya exotica and Cammelia japonica complete the picture.
In Newlands a dysfunctional cluttered courtyard at the entrance to this skilfully refurbished home was converted by greencube.
A flagstone framed open central lawn area enclosed by ornamentals and edible’s at the foot of a neatly clipped Eugenia hedge provides a welcoming yet secret garden space.
A potager of sorts was created to provide Roxanne, an accomplished chef and master cake maker of www.roxannefloquet.com with some unusual culinary delights such as Thulsi ( sacred Basil ) , Bergamont, Angelica and Thai basil as well as the collection of thymes, various mints, prostrate rosemary’s and the other usual suspects such as lemon grass, dill, sweet basil. Pots were filled to bursting to accommodate those that could not find a home in the border planting. A white stinkwood ( Celtis Africana ) and a peach Frangi pani ( Plumeria alba ) provide dappled shade in the summer and wonderful scent in equal amounts.
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