Situated right below Disa Park, on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, Haus Sonneck has magnificent views over the mountain and city bowl. To make the garden a part of the Fynbos-rich backdrop was therefore our principle consideration.
We incorporated two small berms to accommodate the sloping terrain and to provide interest, the bottom one made from rocks salvaged from the site. This made for a natural type of rockery where vygies cascade over the edges, along with Spekboom and Pelargoniums. Troublesome areas saw Plectranthus used as a ground cover where the shallow roots of the existing palm interfered and a Barleria was used to cover an old tree stump (we suspected from a massive Norfolk Pine).
Below the water tap against the garage wall we grouped river rocks as a catchment area of sorts and improved the drainage underneath. A large tree stump with branches was utilised in the middle of the site to provide a subtle natural focus point, not to detract from the existing views. Planting, which consisted of indigenous shrubs (save for one hardy Rhaphiolepis), would engulf the feature over time and would provide interesting context. The wide variety of hardy, water-wise plants used provide colour year round and peacefully coexist next to other, completely filling the almost 17m² space. A perfect example of dad’s deurmekaar tuin that he’s famous for!
