Treeshop - Indigenous Tree Nursery

I met Piet and Sandra at their nursery north of Pretoria one Friday morning. Piet was six metres up a tall ladder busy welding a steel structure (new shade structures) while Sandra was walking through the farm keeping track of orders and attending to client requests. Piet and Sandra are both nature enthusiasts who love birdwatching, hiking and travelling South Africa. It is through their passion for the bush that Piet’s hobby of growing trees started. Both look fit and energetic and once they start talking about their business their passion and enthusiasm is contagious.

Piet explained how he presented a course at the University to engineering graduates preparing them for working in the corporate environment. One of the modules taught that when you start working you should have a retirement plan in place for when you reach the end of your working career. The theory explains that you should “start a hobby that you enjoy that can become a stream of income when you retire” and so Piet decided to put the theory that he taught into practice.

Sandra took me through the well organised Nursery - a treasure trove of Indigenous Trees

Piet took a percentage of his retirement savings and invested it towards the tree growing business which originally only started as a hobby. Sandra explains that his first seedlings were grown on the covered patio of their home in Vanderbijlpark. It is from here that they developed the business for a period of 12 years while Piet was still employed. During this period they purchased the farm where the nursery is now established. When Piet retired they moved to Pretoria where he was able to focus all his energy to further develop the farm, automate some of the tree cultivation processes and expand Treeshop’s species offer. Piet uses his engineering background to design new technology that benefits the business – from growing seedlings in trays made with 3D printing technology to building new greenhouses.

The new shade structures under construction

Sandra has a vast knowledge about all the trees and plants that they grow

The nursery is continuously expanding and through Piet and Sandra’s passion and dedication it is also innovating as they aim to become the best supplier of indigenous trees in Southern Africa. It boasts a wide range of indigenous trees of varying sizes and they are specifically attempting to grow trees that are not easily available in cultivation because they are either difficult to grow or find.

Pittosporum viridiflorum (Cheesewood)

Rothmannia globosa (September Bells)

The nursery also includes a bonsai range and it is amazing to see miniature versions of indigenous trees. They have also positioned themselves as forerunners in the market for growing potted trees. These are ideal if you have limited space or if you want to enjoy indigenous trees in situations that would otherwise be impossible to plant such as patios, balconies or small gardens.

Potted Trees are ideal for difficult to grow situations

Most of the trees that they grow are adapted to the climatic conditions of the Highveld, although some are from warmer parts of the country (eg. Albizia, Commiphora, Sterculia). However, the farm receives temperatures of -4 so they are exposed to colder conditions. Always check frost sensitivity of a tree before deciding to plant it.

If you need help choosing indigenous plants or trees for your garden have a look at the ebook I have written at ebook.sproutlandscapes.co.za. The e-book will guide you to decide what steps to take for your own garden in a simple and encouraging way. There are several plant palettes to help you make correct plant choices including shrubs for screening, trees for screening, and planting in sunny or shady conditions.

Combretum hereroense (Russet Bushwillow)

Most of the trees that Treeshop grow can be seen on their website but they also grow more unusual species so if you are looking for something specific it would be best to contact them directly to enquire.

Treeshop Nursery sells quality indigenous trees directly to the public and people can purchase through their website www.indigenoustrees.online or by emailing Sandra.

A variety of tree sizes are available - these Ilex mitis (Cape Holly) trees are in 200l. bags

Sprout 5th Birthday Competition

To celebrate Sprout’s 5th Birthday this year a special competition was hosted where a landscape upgrade worth R10 000 was up for grabs. The lucky winner of the competition was Lauren Gray and the prize included a landscape consultation and small area upgrade.

Here are a few images of the proposal and the garden upgrade:

Before - panorama looking towards house

Proposed Visual Impression

Before

This is the area that was chosen to be upgraded. It consisted of a large existing Strelitzia shrub, some Agaves and several large boulders. The aim was to move the boulders to create a larger lawn area and improve the flow of the garden as one connected space. The boulders proved much larger below the ground than what the eye could see so the landscape contractor (GenGrow) brought a TLB to site to assist with moving the boulders and leveling the area. Following this, new lawn was planted to tie into the existing lawn areas. A relatively small change to an established garden that will hopefully make a big difference to the way the garden is used and enjoyed by this lovely family.

During Installation

After - lawn to establish and tie in together, some succulents to still be planted around boulders

If you have a garden that is in need of an upgrade feel free to contact me to arrange a consultation.

gina@sproutlandscapes.co.za

University of Pretoria - Roosmaryn

Roosmaryn Concept Phase Plan

Brief

The site was identified by the University of Pretoria as an area to be allocated for students to spill out into from the large adjacent Thuto lecture hall and have a stong connection to this building even though it is separated by a vehicular road. The site also needed to respect the heritage building called Roosmaryn on its boundary.  There were existing trees but otherwise the site was bare and the soil exposed as seen by the images below:

Stormwater

Civil Consult was appointed as the consulting engineer to address the inadequate stormwater infrastructure as the site often experienced flooding. The area serves as a catchment for water surface run-off from several adjacent parking lots and paved areas. Permeable paving options were investigated but the ultimate decision taken was to use an underwater catchpit (infiltration trench) that releases water into the surrounding soil over time with overflow going into the existing stormwater system.

Site Leveling - During Construction

Circulation

The primary focus of the design was to improve circulation through and across the site and in this way the site becomes a node for students to stop and pause while on their way to their destination. It is close to an important entrance at Prospect Street which is the main access from Hatfield and formalised pathways are used to create connections along existing desire lines.

Creating a raised pedestrian crossing over the road to connect the site to Thuto came at the expense of several parking bays, but this was an important decision as this area was meant to be strongly linked to the Thuto building and allow for easy access between these areas.

New Pedestrian Crossing Built over the Road - Improving Connections

Social Spaces

The next important requirement was to create ‘social learning spaces’ for students to sit and interact. Students are encouraged to stop, rest, study, socialise and use this space as their own through use of the seating walls, paved area and lawn area. The paved area includes a giant chess set so a game of chess can also be enjoyed in between classes. The irony that this project was built to encourage student interaction and connection during a time when social distancing is being encouraged does not escape me. I do hope that the future holds opportunities for humans to interact with one another in outdoor spaces and share the joy of being in a beautiful outdoor environment.

Seating Wall with Chess Board in Paving

UP Containers

Three concrete plinths were built to activate certain areas of the site. These were built for custom designed storage containers that will serve as wifi hotspots and shelters where students can charge their laptops or cellphones. The containers are still to be installed.

Vegetation

All existing trees were maintained and incorporated into the design. Only a few new trees, namely Caledendron capense, were included which will create a unique atmosphere once mature and in flower. Several shrubs were included to create a diverse landscape that has a variety of foliage and texture such as Burchelia bubalina, Syncolostemon densiflorus, Leonotis leonorus, Bauhinia natalensis and Rhus burchelli . Anisodontea scabrosa was selected to compliment the Roosmaryn building as well as ‘softer’ plants such as Agapanthus and Scabiosa. Existing shaded areas were planted with Carissa ‘Green Carpet’, Hypoestes aristata, Plectranthus spp, Orthosiphon labiatus and Barleria ‘Rosea’.

A grass mix was used in the area that receives sun and is located behind a seating wall for when it looks less attractive during winter. The grassland plants were incorporated to provide an opportunity for the University to see how this type of landscaping can work on campus, learn maintenance techniques and also to provide education for the students. Landscaping with grasses is a relevant landscaping style and this was an opportunity to showcase the beauty of South African grasses and grassland species. Some of the species included Eragrostis gummiflua, Dimorphotheca jucunda, Melinis nerviglumis, Andropogon eucomis, Aristida junciformis, Pelargonium sidoides and Helichrysum umbraculigerum.

Future Overlays

The project lays an important foundation of circulation and structure for further activity layers to be superimposed onto it. It is hoped that future art installations, events and food trucks planned for the site will bring a send of fun and vibrancy that will enrich the students experience at the University. I will post more photographs of this project once the plants have established in a few months time.

Working Around Services on Site

During the recent Jasmyn installation at the University of Pretoria one of the toughest issues the contractor needed to deal with was the myriad of services traversing the site. Information on existing services was limited and often incorrect. Needless to say a few pipes and cables were hit during installation. So what can be done to minimise the cost implication and time set back that services can cause?

-          Try get as much information beforehand as possible. Request As-Builts and if none are available request site walks with people who are knowledgeable about existing services on the site.

-          Make allowance in the costing for unforeseen damage and repair to services.

-          Have a clear action plan in place if a cable or pipe is uncovered or damaged during the installation that is communicated and discussed beforehand. E.g.: Stop working immediately, try repair where possible and contact the relevant people.

-          Communication between Contractor, Client and Landscape Architect is essential.

-          Have regular site meetings to assess progress of damages and repair work.

-          Lift Manholes, Stormwater Outlets, Valves, etc. according to new levels of site.

-          Update services drawing during installation and provide accurate As-Built on completion.

- Be prepared to have your whole landscape dug up when an unforeseen problem arises (like when the Sewer Infrastructure needs to be replaced!)