Gina Switala

November 5, 2021

Gardens at Brahman Hills, Midlands

Gina Switala

November 5, 2021

A magical garden has been built in the Midlands, just off the N3 Highway, at the luxurious Brahman Hills Estate and Wedding Venue. The well known Windmills Road Stall and Restaurant is adjacent to the Estate and an entry point to the gardens.

Retaining walls beautifully clad with stone create several terraces and levels to explore. Pergolas and curved archways form tunnels to walk through and stop to pause and enjoy the space and views over the surrounding area. The formal layout makes use of cobble edging, walls and hedges to create the overall structure while the planting, water and pathways add contrasting curves to the garden design.

Stone Retaining Walls with remnants of Snow

We visited the gardens in August after it had snowed the day before and thousands of people traveled to Nottingham Road to take part in the special experience. The Gardens are still relatively new as they were constructed in 2020 during the COVID19 lockdown when the staff were unable to serve guests or do their usual work.

An excerpt from the website explains: “The chef was transformed from a culinary connoisseur to an irrigation specialist as he laid out pipes and set out the watering system. Meanwhile, instead of pouring drinks and waiting tables, the bar staff were in the trenches digging ditches and bringing structure to the flower beds. Even our general manager got in on the garden act and become chief cement specialist mixer and pourer, creating winding pathways that weave through the greenery and curve around into circular focal points built around central landscaped beds or water features. Everyone was hands-on and willing to take on roles outside their respective areas of expertise, and their toil has paid off in spades!” (https://www.brahmanhills.co.za/blog-post/come-and-play-in-our-brand-new-magical-garden-at-brahman-hills)

The team effort has been commemorated with a plaque including all the names of the people involved.

Plaque with the Name of Every Person Involved in Construction of the Gardens

The gardens aim to provide the perfect setting for wedding photographs, engagement shoots, romantic picnics and a unique experience during ones stay at the hotel.

A large part of the garden has been planted with edible plants, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables to provide homegrown organic produce to be used in the hotel kitchen.

These pictures are taken at the peak of winter (literally snowing) so I am sure in Summer the gardens will look even more spectacular!

For more information see their website Brahman Hills and their Blog Post detailing the garden installation

You may also like previous posts on Babylonstoren and The Herb Farm

Gina Switala

June 28, 2019

Art, Conference, Inspiration

Sprout Conference 2019

Gina Switala

June 28, 2019

Art, Conference, Inspiration

In the first week of June Carien Momsen from Pureline Interior Design joined me for the #SproutConference2019 to Cape Town. It was a lightning trip packed to the brim with experiences that included art, culture, beautiful landscapes, delicious food and even time with good friends.

Our first site visit was the breathtaking Dylan Lewis Sculpture garden in Stellenbosch. A truly memorable experience that really showcases how the landscape can be a sculptural element in itself. Dylan Lewis laid the paths out over many years with great attention to detail and the recommended visitors walk allows one to appreciate the sculptures in a dynamic way from many perfectly planned angles. The planting is focused on indigenous plants, particularly fynbos, of which a large selection of unusual varieties have been sourced from Kirstenbosch. The landscape and amazing planting combinations really were a highlight of this trip!

Sculptures, water, mountains - a language of beauty and nature

Loved the lime green and striking red colours of these Chasmanthe

Our celebratory lunch was held at Tokara’s restaurant where wine and fine dining was a feast for the senses. We also enjoyed the Art on display including the enormous and intricately woven tapestry (two sections, each 2.2 high x 3.5m wide) by Sayed Mahmoud from Egypt. A different type of tapestry was the woven pathways of the gardens at Babylonstoren which we explored even though it started to rain!

Our second day of exploration and inspiration started with a visit to Truth Roastery and 117Kloof for coffee and croissants as well as the Company Gardens - always a treat to visit. I love watching how people interact with this space and the different activities that take place here. The entrance to the Gardens is dominated by a massive timber Arch installed as part of the Design Indaba 2018 to honour Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Our next stop was the impressive urban precinct known at the Silos at the V&A Waterfront, particularly the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Modern Contemporary Art) Art Gallery. The building feels like an artwork and has been crafted out of forty-two concrete columns, each 33 metres tall with a diameter of 5.5 metres. It was designed by London’s Heatherwick Studios and the central atrium space, polished concrete surfaces and layout of the building generates an awe-inspiring reaction.

Following our experience of the museum we had a quick delicious lunch at the restaurant on the top floor with a beautiful view over the harbour and then spent some time exploring the V&A Waterfront.

Our final site visit was the Norval Foundation in Tokai where we again saw beautiful artwork inside and outside the building. The sculpture park has beautiful indigenous planting combinations and although it was raining at this stage we still enjoyed our time here. We had a quick coffee break at Skotnes Restaurant before heading to the airport for our flight back to Johannesburg.

A huge thank you again to my amazing, incredible Executive PA for arranging this conference! It was a wonderful experience that filled us with inspiration for the year, hopefully until #SproutConference2020 :)

View of the Wetland running adjacent the Norval Foundation

Gina Switala

March 16, 2017

Indigenous, Nursery Visits

Inspired by South African Indigenous Flora

Gina Switala

March 16, 2017

Indigenous, Nursery Visits

I have been fortunate to listen to two presentations by Elsa Pooley: one hosted at Random Harvest Indigneous Nursery in 2015 and the other at the ILASA Conference held in September 2015 (See Previous Blog written on ILASA Conference). I also recently attended a course at The Cavern in the Drakensberg where I was able to view some examples of beautiful indigenous plants and see examples of these plants growing in the wild.

Turrea floribunda flowering at Random Harvest Nursery

To see more about the tree in the above image visit: http://www.randomharvest.co.za/South-African-Indigenous-Plants/Show-Plant/PlantId/112?Plant=Turraea%20floribunda

Elsa Pooley is an advocate for using indigenous plants in public and civic spaces and strongly believes that any form of rehabilitation should exclusively make use of locally indigenous species. She has spent many years studying the indigenous flora of South Africa, particularly in Kwa-Zulu Natal and knows the great potential that South African plants have, but are unfortunately not commercially grown and therefore not well known by landscapers and home owners. Fortunately for us Random Harvest is one of only a handful of nurseries in the country growing indigenous plants, many of which have until now been unavailable.

An indigenous garden can have colour all year round and although this may not always be bright flowers it can come from foliage and the variety of colour and texture from different plants. Elsa mentions how South African plants are used throughout the world but we do not necessarily appreciate their true value as we prefer to make use of exotic plants in our designs. The temptation for landscapers is to use the same old plants they always use because they are easy and work well but there are so many other plants that we could be using.

Some plants I saw in the Drakensberg that I hope to use in the future in my landscape designs: