http://www.thegardener.co.za I 21The Green Switch
Garden, designed by
Ishihara, chose to convey
the on and off switch in life.
The off button embodies
the collection of what one
likes, including nature. This
activates a green switch
allowing you to spend your
free life within a natural
green space. Intended as a
city garden, the open-style
shower room and sitting
room with its glass windows
bring the outside in. The
intensely manicured garden
includes acer and pine trees,
and mosses Farfugium
japonicum and Pachysandra
terminalis. The waterside
uses watercress, iris and
horsetail from woodland
rivers.A tea room overlooks the colourful garden, which
includes Enkianthus, pines, pieris, irises and acers.GOLD
The High Maintenance
Garden for the Motor Neurone
Disease Association designed by
Sue Hayward was a particularly
interesting garden in that it
displays a once-cherished garden
gradually overtaken by nature as
the owner can no longer give it
the care it needs because of the
limitations of MND. The garden
is allowed to slip back to nature,
providing a relaxed and informal
space where insects and wildlife
thrive. The garden features
industrial-type materials from
reclaimed, recycled and found
sources, showcasing what can be
built with skill and imagination
on a limited budget. A once-
loved classic red car is abandoned
in an old shed but stands out
beautifully in the green space. An
old red chair next to a makeshift
water feature offers a peaceful
spot for the owner to sit and
enjoy the scenery. To create this
informal atmosphere plants such
as Astrantia rubra, Sorbus, lilac,
Syringa ‘Madame Lemoine’,
Osmanthus, Forsythia, privet
and jasmine were used.The red car, chair and drawers are accented by
the pretty red Rose ‘Chevy Chase’ as it climbs
up and over the reclaimed wooden post.